High school football begins for five area teams Friday

Believe it or not, the high school football season is upon us.

Starting Friday, five area programs will kick off the 2011 campaign -- a week before most teams commence -- four of them opening up at home.

Four-time defending Class AA champ Buford is the lone north Georgia team starting on the road, as the Wolves head to Roswell to face Blessed Trinity. The Titans finished 6-4 last season, missing the playoffs.

Buford is 3-0 against Blessed Trinity, including a 21-0 victory on Oct. 23, 2009 in the two teams' last meeting.

The Wolves enter the season with 17 returning starters and 32 seniors -- including eight Division I recruits -- as they look to become the first ever program in GHSA history to claim five straight state titles.

Meanwhile, Fannin County and Towns County will play host to teams from across their northern borders on Friday, as the Rebels play host to Murphy, N.C., and the Indians welcome Hayesville, N.C., while North Forsyth will play host to Cherokee and Riverside Military takes on Pinecrest Academy in Gainesville.

Murphy prevailed over Fannin 55-21 last season in North Carolina, though the Rebels bounced back to go on and claim the Region 8N-AA crown and a state playoff spot.

Towns County also lost in North Carolina last season, falling 27-7. The Indians defeated Hayesville in 2009 but are 1-16 all-time in the series.

In Coal Mountain on Friday, North Forsyth will look to get Blair Armstrong's tenure off to a winning start, as the Raiders take on Cherokee. North Forsyth edged Cherokee 14-3 in last season's opener -- the two teams' only meeting. Armstrong came to Coal Mountain from Banks County this offseason and inherited a team that has potential but will have to replace almost its entire offensive production from last season's playoff appearance.

And in Gainesville, Riverside Military will play host to Pinecrest Academy looking to notch a second-straight season-opening win over the Paladins. The Eagles edged Pinecrest 7-3 in extreme conditions in 2010, overcoming torrential rains and lightning delays. Riverside will be a much different team from the one that defeated the Paladins last season, moving to a spread attack on offense to accommodate the Eagles' strengths.

-- NOTE: Look for Access North Georgia's 2011 High School Football Season Preview, coming Friday to our website. The special section will feature in-depth stories of 30 different north Georgia programs, schedules and give you all the info you need for the upcoming gridiron campaign. ... Also, be sure to watch WDUN SportsTalk's third and final installment of our season preview, airing Wednesday at 12:36 p.m. on Access North Georgia and featuring interviews with coaches from Buford, North Hall, West Hall and Johnson.

AREA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAMES, Aug, 19
Buford at Blessed Trinity
Murphy, N.C. at Fannin County
Cherokee at North Forsyth
Pinecrest Academy at Riverside Military Academy
Hayesville, N.C. at Towns County