WHO'S HOT: Evans. The game has to be played, but the Knights should improve to 5-0 against a struggling Richmond Academy team. It would be the program's best start since opening the 1987 season 12-0.

WHO'S MOST LIKELY TO STAY HOT: Laney. That defense seems to get tougher each week. Whenever South Aiken transfer Calvin Fuller suits up for the Wildcats, it will make them even better.

With the addition of Fuller, Laney (4-0) is very likely to run the table before playing host to Jefferson County on Nov. 2.

WHO'S NOT: Glenn Hills. It was as if a giant bear paw smacked the program back to reality after a 3-0 start. To make matters worse, the Spartans (3-1) gave Burke County four of its 11 points on safeties.

No team had its hopes dashed more than the boys in blue and silver did following last week's loss.

BIG AREA GAMES THIS WEEK

1. Richmond Hill (1-3) at Cross Creek (4-0): The likely win here would move the Razorbacks to 5-0. How big is that? They have only won five games in a season once in the school's nine years.

2. Burke County (2-2) at Harlem (1-3): It's the week's best match of area teams with at least one win.

3. Evans (4-0) at Richmond Academy (0-4): There aren't a lot of big games this week. The disparity between these two teams is a prime example of that.

SMART ANSWER: Cross Creek coach Scott Tate is encouraged by his team's hot start.

"I've got to give all the credit to these kids," Tate said. "These kids have really done a fantastic job."

GETTING IT DONE: The critics who harp on Jefferson County for its lack of playoff success should notice what the Warriors did to Screven County. Jefferson County beat a likely playoff team 35-6 on Screven County's home field.

"It was probably one of the better games we've played in a while," Jefferson County coach J.B. Arnold said. "It really helps us because Screven may end up being one of the region's top three teams. That's a really good win."

RIVERBOAT GAMBLER: First-year coach Lemuel Lackey revealed a little of his philosophy Friday in a 3-0 win against Swainsboro. The book on Lackey is fairly new, but he added a page when he went for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal at the Swainsboro 6 with less than two minutes to go in the first half.

That's despite the fact he has every confidence in junior kicker Edward Palmore.

"No second guessing at all," he said. "Heck no. Man, just throw all the cards on the table. I wasn't even thinking about it then. I wasn't thinking about it in the fourth quarter when we are only up 3-0. We go for it here at Laney."

He was pleased by the way his team ran the ball. Laney had three runners pile up 294 yards.

"That's just the way I want it," he said. "I control the clock. I run the ball. All I want to do against a good team is find a way to punch it in a few times."