MARIETTA, Ga. — A year ago, nearly to the day, Marietta High and West Forsyth met with hopes that they'd come away from the contest on a path to big things.
It turned out, in the 2022 season, neither would ever really find that path. They met again Friday night hoping this year's game offers the harbinger of better things to come.
11Alive's Reggie Chatman was at Northcutt Stadium for the #Team11 Game of the Week.
Marietta made history - with a 20-19 win. It was their 600th win in the program's history-- making them the first Cobb County school to reach that number.
We'll see a Blue Devils team bet on their experienced quarterback, senior Chase McCravey, to lead them this season back to winning ways after they've had two losings seasons in their last three following on 2019's state title. And West Forsyth, a perennial playoff team, have slogged through consecutive losing seasons the last two years.
Last year the two schools met on Aug. 25. An 80+ yard kickoff return punctuated Marietta's 24-17 win. It didn't spell bright things ahead for Blue Devils, though - they proceeded to lose their next four, and finished the year 5-7. The Wolverines, meanwhile, went 4-6.
Never make too much out of one week, but the (very) early trendlines of 2023 favor West Forsyth.
Both teams were at Mecedes-Benz Stadium last week, facing different opponents as part of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic. West Forsyth stormed out to an early 20-0 lead and cruised to a 40-7 victory over Cherokee Bluff behind a dominant rushing performance by Foster Orris and steady play by sophomore quarterback Max Walraven, who tossed two touchdown passes.
It wasn't quite as lopsided, but Marietta's Blue Devils surrendered nearly as many points in their Week 1 defeat as West Forsyth scored in their victory - with the Blue Devils taking a 45-23 loss to Norcross.
A year and a day after their last meeting, Friday night will give a glimpse as to whether, this year, big things are indeed ahead for either of these teams.