Chattooga Leads the Way with 7AA All-Region Honors

Region 7 in the Georgia Class AA Division has garnered special interest in the closing weeks of 2016. Despite dropping both games in the quarterfinals of the playoffs, Region 7AA was the only region to advance TWO teams to the quarterfinals and one of only 5 regions of ALL schools in ALL classifications to advance a number 3 seed beyond the 2nd round of the playoffs. In a region deep with talent and a set of top-four teams (Pepperell, Rockmart, Chattooga, & Model) as talented as any top four in the state, fans have anxiously awaited the naming of the Region 7AA ALL-REGION Team.

Chattooga High School led the way with 14 players being selected to the All-Region team. Matching region champion, Pepperell, with 7 players on the 1st Team, Chattooga also had 7 players on the 2nd Team. No team had more players chosen than the Indians. In addition to sending the most players to the All-Region Team, Chattooga’s quarterback, Isaac Foster was named Region 7AA Offensive Player of the Year. As a key part of the Indian attack, Foster was one of only two players to be ranked in the top 5 in the state in Class AA in rushing yards and in the top 10 in the state in touchdowns scored. (The other player, coincidentally, was his backfield partner and twin brother, Isaiah Foster.)

Guiding the Indians to a 6-4 regular season, with all losses coming to playoff teams, Foster steadily led Chattooga to its first ever playoff victory. And then to its 2nd playoff victory. Isaac rolled up 16 rushing touchdowns with 137 carries and 1,362 yards. The 10 yards per carry average was the highest in the state among players with more than 100 carries and he ranked 5th in total yards in spite of having the fewest carries among the top 10 rushers. Foster added nearly 400 yards passing and a passing score on his offensive stats. On the defensive side of the ball, he again teamed with his brother in a game where both siblings scored on a interception “pick six” becoming the first twins in Georgia to score touchdowns off of interceptions in the same game.

The Foster Twins spent the last 4 years thanking teammates at Chattooga who opened up running lanes and blocked opponents with an “attack mentality.” Mike Adams, Armand Ford, Isaiah Curtis, TJ Adams and Dustin Pope were Indian linemen who were also named to the All-Region Team.

Joining his brother, Isaac, running back, Isaiah Foster is a 1st Team All-Region selection with 1,627 yards on 200 carries. Isaiah averaged 8.1 yards per carry on his way to rolling up 17 touchdowns. Foster’s 2016 rushing total ranks him #12 among all running backs in Georgia following up on a 2015 season total of 1,566 yards that placed him #9 in Georgia. Isaiah broke the 1,000 yard mark as a sophomore (his first year playing running back) with 1,185 yards and was among the top 50 backs in the state. His 4,378 yards is a Chattooga High School Career Rushing Record. Foster ranks #2 in Chattooga history in scoring, behind…. his brother, Isaac Foster. While sometimes overlooked, running backs in the AA ranks have had tremendous success in Division 1 college football. Just ask Nick Chubb; the 2013 Class AA rushing leader from Cedartown.

On the defensive side of the ball, Malachi Mack, a sophomore, finished 6th in the state with 105 tackles. His 12 tackles for loss ranked him in the top 20. CJ Martin made the list as a kicker in his first year as the starter. After just 5 PAT attempts his sophomore year, Martin booted 24 of 26 PAT’s, ranking him the #12 kicker in Class AA, and was 5 for 7 on field goals, including a school record long of 46 yards. As the most versatile returning player next year, Martin’s 6 of 15 passing for 156 yards and 2 touchdowns along with 4 catches for 58 yards as a reciever, Martin will be one of the team leaders in 2017 that Chattooga will be relying on to recover from a massive loss of production from the Foster twins and Tyler Griffin.

Region 7AA All-Region Team full results.

1st Offensive team:
Mike Adams, Armand Ford, Isaiah Curtis, Isaac Foster, and Isaiah Foster

1st Defensive team: Isaac Foster, TJ Adams, and Malachi Mack

1st team All-Region TJ Adams, Isaiah Foster, Isaac Foster, Malachi Mack, Isaiah Curtis, big Mike Adams and Armand Money Ford

2nd Team All-Region Tyler Griffin, Cam Perry, Nick Groce, Nick Hawkins, Dustin Pope and CJ Martin

2nd Offensive team: CJ Martin and Dustin Pope

2nd Defensive Team: Nick Hawkins, Cam Perry, Quintel Price, Nick Groce, and Tyler Griffin