There’s no better way to kick off a football season than with a bang.
Several Northeast Georgia-area teams are doing just that as the 2021 season gets underway on Friday night.
Perhaps the most anticipated game of the season in the area will have a pair of No. 1-ranked teams -- Jefferson in Class 4A and Rabun County in Class 2A -- and a pair of high-caliber Georgia commits -- Wildcats’ quarterback Gunner Stockton and the Dragons’ super-athlete Malaki Starks -- opening the season at Memorial Stadium in Jefferson.
Both teams are looking for quick starts to the season but something will have to give no matter who has the ball. You can hear that game live on WDUN 102.9 FM.
Another huge matchup has defending Class 6A state champion Buford heading back to Acworth to take on Class 7A North Cobb, the only team to knock them off in 2020. The Wolves come in ranked No. 1 in Class 6A while the Warriors are ranked third in Class 7A. More than a dozen Power 5 recruits will be on the field almost at all times. The two teams will kick off at 8:30 p.m. as part of the Corky Kell Classic.
Gainesville will be the first area to kick off on Friday as the Red Elephants play host to Johns Creek at City Park Stadium as part of the Corky Kell Classic. Gainesville will be breaking in a new quarterback behind new offensive coordinator Chad Bennett. The two teams kick off the season beginning at 5:30 p.m. You can hear that game live on 94.5 FM The Lake.
Flowery Branch heads to Atlanta to kick off its season against perennial power St. Pius. The Falcons are ranked eighth in Class 4A and the Golden Lions are ranked eighth in Class 5A. St. Pius has a new coach for the first time in 20 years while the Falcons are hoping they can get a signature win right out of the gate. You can hear that game live on WDUN 550 AM.
And, three interesting matchups between teams from Regions 7-3A and 8-3A could give an early indication of a shift in Class 3A is ready to take place.
For a look at all of the weekend's contests involving area teams, simply scroll down. And be sure to check back with AccessWDUN's Friday Game Night throughout the night for score updates and game stories and video highlights. You can also check for scores and highlights on our Twitter feed: @FridayGameNight
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE FOR Aug. 20
(Games listed in alphabetical order of visiting team)
ALCOVY at NORTH FORSYTH
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Raider Valley, Coal Mountain
-- ALCOVY (0-0, 0-0 Region 3-6A): Finished 2-7 in 2020. Lost in 1st round Class 6A playoffs
-- NORTH FORSYTH (0-0, 0-0 Region 6-7A): Finished 6-4 in 2020, did not make the playoffs
-- NOTABLE: North Forsyth leads series 1-0. The Raiders won 35-3 in 2020 in Coal Mountain. ... The Raiders are a program ready to take the next step. They have posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2004-05 and open against a Tigers program that has not had a winning season since 2013. ... Defensively is where North made the most progress in 2020. They allowed just 173 points (17.3 ppg) the fewest in a season since 2001 (168 points) when they reached the Class 3A semifinals. ... Alcovy averaged just 20 ppg last season. The Tigers have dropped three straight season openers.
BANKS COUNTY at COMMERCE
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Tiger Stadium, Commerce
-- BANKS COUNTY (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-2A): Finished 1-10 in 2020. Lost 1st round Class 2A playoffs
-- COMMERCE (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-A Public): Finished 11-2, Region 8-A Public champs in 2020. Lost in Class A Public quarterfinals.
-- NOTABLE: Commerce leads series 31-2. The Tigers won 41-18 in 2020 in Homer. Commerce has won 16 straight in the series. The last Banks County win came in 1992 (28-0) in Homer. ... Commerce has never lost to the Leopards at home (16-0). ... This will be the 6th time in the last 8 years the two teams have opened the season against each other. ... Commerce has won 7 straight season openers. Its last loss on opening week was in 2013 to rival Jefferson. ... Banks County has lost 8 straight season openers. The Leopards last win on opening week was in 2012 against East Jackson. ... The Tigers will be breaking new coach Mark Hollars but he came from North Cobb Christian where they ran the same triple-option offense so don’t expect too much to change for the Tigers. ... The Leopards suffered through their worst season since 2013 last year with multiple injuries to key players and several bouts of COVID-related issues. They were forced to forfeit their first-round playoff game because of a lack of players.
BUFORD at NORTH COBB
-- WHEN: 8:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Emory Sewell Stadium, Acworth
-- BUFORD (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-6A): Ranked No. 1 in Class 6A; finished 13-1, Region 8-6A champs, Class 6A state champs in 2020
-- NORTH COBB (0-0, 0-0 Region 3-7A): Ranked No. 3 in Class 7A; finished 10-2, Region 3-7A champs in 2020. Lost in 2nd round Class 7A playoffs
-- NOTABLE: North Cobb leads series 3-0. The Warriors won 28-14 in 2020 in Acworth. ... Once again this should be a titanic battle as part of the Corky Kell Classic. Nearly a dozen Power 5 recruits combined will take part in this one. ... Warriors’ Sr. QB Malachi Singleton gave Buford fits in last year’s season opener and is coming off a season where he passed for 1,691 yards and rushed for another 1,091. The Wolves defense will be led by Sr. DB and recent Alabama-commit Jake Pope and Sr. LB and Michigan State-commit Malik Spencer. ... The Buford offense will lean on Sr. RB and Colorado-commit Victor Venn as well as Pope and Sr. and Florida-commit Isaiah Bond at WR with Sr. Ashton Daniels and Jr. Dylan Wittke at quarterback. ... Buford has not lost back-to-back season openers since 1989-90.
CASS at DAWSON COUNTY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Tiger Stadium, Dawsonville
-- RADIO: www.northgeorgiasportslink.com
-- CASS (0-0, 0-0 Region 7-5A): Finished 6-4 in 2020, did not make the playoffs
-- DAWSON COUNTY (0-0, 0-0 Region 7-3A): Finished 6-6 in 2020. Lost in 2nd round Class 3A playoffs
-- NOTABLE: Cass leads series 1-0. The Colonels won 23-7 in 2020 in Cartersville. ... The Colonels may be on the rise. The 6 wins in 2020 were the most since 2015 and the first winning season since then. The Tigers have turned into one of the more consistent winners in 7-3A and are 3-2 in season openers under Sid Maxwell. This will be another tough opener, but they return Sr. QB Zach Holtzclaw (158-259, 2,513 pass yards, 25 TD, 5 INT -- offer from Birmingham Southern) who led Class 3A in passing during the regular season in 2020. However, they will have a new crop of WRs and are also replacing several key players on defense, including the entire secondary. ... The Cass defense allowed 26 ppg in 2020 but the 7 points by the Tigers last year was their lowest output of the season.
CHEROKEE BLUFF at JOHNSON
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Billy Ellis Memorial Stadium, Oakwood
-- CHEROKEE BLUFF (0-0, 0-0 Region 7-3A): Finished 10-2, Region 7-3A champs in 2020. Lost in 2nd round Class 3A playoffs
-- JOHNSON (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-5A): Finished 0-9 in 2020
-- NOTABLE: Cherokee Bluff leads series 2-0. The Bears won 44-0 in 2020. ... The Bears got their first-ever program win against the Knights in 2019 and have found this matchup to their liking, outscoring the Knights 81-7 in the two meetings. ... Sr. RB Jayquan Smith (150-1,079 15 TD in 2020 -- offers from Air Force, Georgia State, Arkansas State, Charlotte and Yale) returns for Bluff, as does Sr. QB Sebastian Irons (85-141, 1,442 pass yards, 15 TD, 6 INT). ... The Knights are switching to a new pro-style offense after scoring just 17 total points last year. Jr. QB Michael Thurmond could be a player to keep an eye on for the Knights, who are trying to snap a 12-game losing streak going back to 2019.
COVINGTON ACADEMY at LANIER CHRISTIAN
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Gainesville Middle School, Gainesville
-- COVINGTON ACADEMY (0-0, 0-0 GAPPS 8-man): Finished 1-4 in 2020
-- LANIER CHRISTIAN (0-0, 0-0, GAPPS 8-man): Finished 3-7 in 2020. Lost in 1st round playoffs
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two programs. ... The Lightning will open the Bruce Miller-era at home as they try to rebuild after a playoff season in 2019. ... Miller is bringing in his usual spread offense and look for So. Walker Anderson and Jr. Carter Raulson to both get playing time at QB. Fr. Zeke Clanton will handle the main running back duties and could be on some early radar as a breakout player in the area. ... Covington struggled in 2020 averaging just 7 ppg on offense and gave up 232 points (46.5 ppg) on defense.
FLOWERY BRANCH at ST. PIUS
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: George B. Maloof Stadium, Atlanta
-- RADIO: WDUN AM 550
-- FLOWERY BRANCH (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-4A): Ranked No. 8 in Class 4A; finished 9-3 in 2020. Lost in 2nd round Class 4A playoffs
-- ST. PIUS (0-0, 0-0 Region 5-5A): Ranked No. 8 in Class 5A; finished 9-2, Region 5-5A champs in 2020. Lost in 2nd round Class 5A playoffs
-- NOTABLE: St. Pius leads series 1-0. The Golden Lions won 38-28 in 2020 in Flowery Branch. ... The biggest storyline may be that long-time St. Pius coach Paul Standard is now at Gilmer. The Golden Lions have won 8 region titles since 2009. ... Last year’s game saw St. Pius jump out to a quick lead only to see the Falcons get within a field goal in the 4th quarter before a late St. Pius TD sealed it. .... The Falcons had a young defense in last year’s opener but most of them return with experience. That group gave up 34 ppg in the first three games but only yielded 19.3 ppg over their last 9 games. ... Branch also returns Sr. QB David Renard (161-249, 2,655 pass yards, 23 TD, 6 INT; 65-467 rush yards, 5 TD) and Jr. RB Myles Ivey (145-678 yards, 4TD) to go with a talented but untested receiving corp. ... The Falcons’ play seven of their first eight games against teams that made the playoffs in 2020.
HABERSHAM CENTRAL at MADISON COUNTY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Danielsville
-- RADIO: WCON 99.3 FM
-- HABERSHAM CENTRAL (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-6A): Finished 6-5 in 2020. Lost 1st round Class 6A playoffs
-- MADISON COUNTY (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-4A): Finished 3-7 in 2020, did not make the playoffs
-- NOTABLE: Habersham Central leads the series 20-5. The Raiders won 27-6 in 2020. ... The Raiders will be a work-in-progress early as they try to replace more than 2,000 yards of offense with a new QB, a new RB, and several young, untested receivers. Madison County, a young group in 2020, took a step back last year after a run to the quarterfinals in 2019. They should be improved from a team that allowed 35 ppg in their 7 losses. ... The Raiders were a good road team in 2020 going 3-3 away from Raider Stadium. The road team is 5-2 over the last 7 games in the series.
JOHNS CREEK at GAINESVILLE
-- WHEN: 5:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: City Park Stadium, Gainesville
-- RADIO: 94.5 FM/AM 1240 The Lake
-- JOHNS CREEK (0-0, 0-0 Region 7-6A): Finished 4-5 in 2020. Lost in 1st round Class 6A playoffs
-- GAINESVILLE (0-0, 0-0 Region 6-7A): Finished 6-5 in 2020. Lost in 1st round Class 7A playoffs
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two programs. ... The Red Elephants are 2-1 in season-openers under Heath Webb and have won their last 2 season openers. The Gladiators are just 2-6 in their last 8 season-openers. ... Defense is where the Red Elephants made the most improvement in 2020 dropping from 328 points allowed (29.8 ppg) in 2019 to just 216 points (19.6 ppg) last season. ... Johns Creek scored just 156 points (17.3 ppg) in 2020, far off its program-best of 480 points (40.0 ppg) set in 2019. ... The Gladiators are projected to finish 2nd in their region in 2021 with the addition of South Forsyth transfer quarterback Kyle Durham (113-188, 2,197 passing yards and 25 TDs, 434 rushing yards and five TDs. Gainesville is projected to finish 3rd in its region. ... The big story for GHS may be new OC Chad Bennett and So. QB Baxter Wright, and how well he handles the reins of what should be a talented offense.
LAKEVIEW ACADEMY at MT. PARAN CHRISTIAN
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Kennesaw
-- LAKEVIEW ACADEMY (0-0, 0-0 Region 6-A Private): Finished 5-4 in 2020. Lost in first-round Class A Private playoffs
-- MT. PARAN CHRISTIAN (0-0, 0-0 Region 7-A Private): Finished 1-7 in 2020. Lost in first-round Class A Private playoffs
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two programs. ... The Lions are coming off their first-ever winning season playing a region schedule and also their first-ever playoff appearance and are looking to keep the forward momentum going. ... Mt. Paran had its worst season in program history in 2020 after averaging 9.7 wins a season since 2013. ... Lakeview is replacing several key positions, including at QB where Jr. Harrison Cooper takes over. First-team All-Region 6-A Private selection at receiver, Sam Perrott, returns. Juniors Luke Cooper and Landon Hanes will be new in the backfield. ... The Eagles' biggest issue in 2020 was offense. They scored just 105 points (13.1 ppg) on the season.
LUMPKIN COUNTY at FRANKLIN COUNTY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Ed Bryant Stadium, Carnesville
-- LUMPKIN COUNTY (0-0, 0-0 Region 7-3A): Finished 0-10 in 2020.
-- FRANKLIN COUNTY (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-3A): Finished 7-3 in 2020. Lost in 1st round Class 3A playoffs
-- NOTABLE: Franklin County leads series 3-2. The Lions won 33-3 in 2020. All six meetings have come since 2010. The last Lumpkin County victory in the series came in 2014 in Carnesville and both of their wins in the series have come on the road. ... This is one of three matchups between Regions 7-3A and 8-3A in the opening week. ... The Indians are looking to snap a program-record 16-game losing streak. Their last win came on Sept. 13, 2019, against Gilmer. ... Offense was an issue for Lumpkin in 2020 averaging just 7.6 ppg. But the Indians return their entire, and beefed up, OL that could give RBs Will Wood, Tavion Lawrence and Cameron Stringer plenty of opportunities. ... Defensively is where Lumpkin will need to show the most improvement. The Indians were near the bottom in Class 3A in 2020 surrendering 45.2 ppg. ... Franklin had its most wins in 2020 since it won 7 in 2000. However, the Lions have not had back-to-back winning seasons since 1999-2000.
NORTH HALL at PAULDING COUNTY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Dave Hardin Stadium, Dallas
-- NORTH HALL (0-0, 0-0 Region 7-3A): Finished 7-5 in 2020. Lost 2nd round Class 3A playoffs
-- PAULDING COUNTY (0-0, 0-0 Region 5-6A): Finished 3-7 in 2020
-- NOTABLE: Paulding County leads series 1-0. The Patriots won 24-7 in 2020. ... The Trojans will be playing without head coach David Bishop, whose mother passed away last week, with DC Stuart Cunningham running things until he returns. ... North Hall is looking for a better start than last season when they opened 0-3. The Trojans are 6-6 on the road over the past two seasons. ... Paulding has been better at home going 4-6 over the past two seasons compared to just 2-8 on the road in that same span. ... The Patriots have not had a winning season since 2015, which is their only winning season since 2003. ... The North Hall wing-T already has been rolling as Sr. RB Kevin Rochester (899 yards, 13 TD in 2020) and Sr. QB Bradford Puryear both looked in midseason form during scrimmages against Redan and Flowery Branch. ... The Trojans are 1-2 in season road openers since Bishop took over for Bob Christmas. The Patriots are just 1-3 in their last four home-season openers.
NOTRE DAME ACADEMY at RIVERSIDE MILITARY ACADEMY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Maginnis Field, Gainesville
-- NOTRE DAME ACADEMY (0-0: Finished 0-2 in 2020
-- RIVERSIDE MILITARY (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-2A): Did not play in 2020
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two programs. ... The Eagles opted out of the 2020 season as COVID hit the area. Notre Dame Academy was able to play just two games as they also were hit hard by COVID and contact tracing. ... It will mark RMA’s first official game since Nov. 11, 2019, when they beat Providence Christian, 42-0.
RABUN COUNTY at JEFFERSON
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Memorial Stadium, Jefferson
-- RADIO: WDUN 102.9 FM
-- RABUN COUNTY (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-2A): Ranked No. 1 in Class 2A; finished 12-2, Region 8-2A champs in 2020. Lost in semifinals of Class 2A playoffs
-- JEFFERSON (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-4A): Ranked No. 1 in Class 4A; finished 12-1, Region 8-4A champs in 2020. Lost in Class 4A finals n 2020
-- NOTABLE: Jefferson leads series 21-3. The Dragons won 28-14 in 2020 in Tiger. ... Jefferson has owned the series, which has been played in spurts since the first meeting in 1950. The Dragons have won 18 straight going back to 1955, the last Rabun County win, 13-7, in Jefferson. ... The Wildcats are 2-9 all-time at Memorial Stadium. ... It should be a great contrast in styles as Jefferson will try to wear down the Rabun defense with a punishing ground attack, led by Georgia-commit Malaki Starks and Sammy Brown, and a backfield that returns more than 3,700 yards on the ground from 2020. ... The Wildcats and Georgia-commit Gunner Stockton, the nation’s No. 2 QB recruit for 2022, will go to the air in their spread offense that led Class 2A in scoring (44.3 ppg) in 2020. ... Jefferson returns the bulk of a defense that was No. 2 in Class 4A in 2020 yielding just 12 ppg.
RIDGELAND at EAST FORSYTH
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Broncos Stadium, Gainesville
-- RIDGELAND (0-0, 0-0 Region 7-4A): Finished 1-7 in 2020
-- EAST FORSYTH (0-0, 0-0 Region 7-3A): First-ever game of inaugural season
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two programs. ... The Broncos open their inaugural season at home under coach Brian Allison. ... The Panthers suffered through their worst season since 2004. They had to forfeit their final two games due to Covid but struggled on the field as well. They averaged just 10.4 ppg on offense and gave up 40.5 ppg on defense. ... For the Broncos, So. Will Moffitt is expected to get the start at QB and has a pair of talented WRs in juniors Brandon Peoples and David Naverret. ... The last Northeast Georgia-area team to open its program with a win was Chestatee in 2002. The War Eagles beat fellow newcomer Flowery Branch in both teams’ inaugural games.
TOWNS COUNTY at KINGS ACADEMY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Woodstock
-- TOWNS COUNTY (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-A Public): Finished 3-6 in 2020, did not make the playoffs
-- KINGS ACADEMY (0-0, 0-0 GAPPS 1-3A): Finished 3-7 in 2020
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two programs. ... It is a late schedule as Towns County’s original opponent, Pinecrest Academy, was forced to cancel earlier in the week due to Covid issues. ... The Indians have increased numbers and high hopes for the 2021 campaign. They missed out on the playoffs by just two plays last year and return some dynamic players in Sr. RB Kyle Oakes and Sr. WR Collin Crowder, with new So. QB Connor Chastain having potential for a breakout season. ... But defensively is where the Indians made their biggest improvement in 2020. After surrendering 537 points (53.7 points per game) in 2019 -- the most in Class A -- they allowed just 220 points (24.4 ppg) last season, the second-fewest in a complete season in program history.
UNION COUNTY at FANNIN COUNTY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Rebel Stadium, Blue Ridge
-- UNION COUNTY (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-2A): Finished 4-6 in 2020. Lost in 1st round of Class 2A playoffs
-- FANNIN COUNTY (0-0, 0-0 Region 7-2A): Finished 10-1, Region 7-2A champs. Lost in quarterfinals of Class 2A playoffs
-- NOTABLE: Union County leads series 15-14. Fannin County won 24-20 in 2020 in Blairsville. ... The Rebels win last season snapped a 6-game losing streak to the Panthers going back to 2013. ... Union County is looking for a quick start to the Michael Perry-era but will have its hands full with a Rebels program that posted its most wins since 1995 and won its first playoff game since 1995 as well. ... Fannin County has been tough to start a season winning five straight openers. The Panthers also have been tough in openers. Last year’s loss to the Rebels snapped a streak of 16 straight wins to open a season. ... Offense was the key for Union County in 2020. The Panthers scored just 185 points (18.5 ppg) their lowest total since 2011. They were just 2-5 when scoring 20 or less but a young group should be ready to build on that in 2021.
WEST HALL at EAST JACKSON
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Eagles Stadium, Commerce
-- WEST HALL (0-0, 0-0 Region 7-3A): Finished 4-6 in 2020, did not make the playoffs
-- EAST JACKSON (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-3A): Finished 1-8 in 2020, did not make the playoffs
-- NOTABLE: Series is tied 1-1. East Jackson won the last meeting, 55-26, in 2009 in Commerce. The Spartans won 28-27 in 2008 in Oakwood. ... The two teams were scheduled to play in 2020 but Covid forced the game to be canceled. ... One of three matchups between Regions 7-3A and 8-3A in the opening week. ... The two teams finished in opposite directions in 2020. The Eagles dropped their final 8 games while the Spartans won their final two games and narrowly missed out on the playoffs. ... The key matchup may be the Spartans defense vs. the Eagles offense, led by Sr. Tyler Crow, who won the QB battle, and a talented group of receivers in seniors Marquese Greene and Luke Lindsey, and Sr. TE Ethan Ardis. ... The Spartans defense features one of the best and deepest linebacking groups in the area in Tilil Blackwell and Caleb Baker, sophomore Maliek Richardson, who had 70 tackles as a freshman, and senior Blake McCray.
WHITE COUNTY at STEPHENS COUNTY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: The Reservation, Toccoa
-- RADIO: 93.9 FM WRWH
-- WHITE COUNTY (0-0, 0-0 Region 7-3A): Finished 7-3 in 2020. Lost 1st round Class 3A playoffs
-- STEPHENS COUNTY (0-0, 0-0 Region 8-3A): Finished 5-3 in 2020, did not make the playoffs
-- NOTABLE: Stephens County leads series 3-2. White County won 44-6 in 2020. All six meetings have been since 2010. The Indians' last win came in 2015 in Cleveland ... White County is 0-2 at The Reservation all-time. ... Another of the three matchups between Regions 7-3A and 8-3A in the opening week. The Indians were in line for a playoff berth in 2020 but had to forfeit two region games due to Covid. ... After a rough 2019 campaign where they gave up 36 ppg on defense, the Indians made drastic improvement last year only yielding 161 points (20 ppg). That could be the key matchup as the Warriors have seven returning starters on offense, including dynamic receiver Darius Cannon, who’s getting looks from Alabama and Clemson, and running back Silas Mulligan and Bryson Cronic back at the skill positions. But they will have to find a replacement for graduated QB J. Ben Haynes. ... Stephens averaged just over 30 ppg in 2020 behind now-Jr. QB Ben Stowe (75-137, 1,192 pass yards, 10 TD, 10 INT; 58-195 rush yards, 6 TD) who returns. But he will have a new receiving corp as only Jr. Cam’ron Lacy (30 rec., 376 yards, 3 TD) returns that had more than 5 catches in 2020. ... White County allowed 22.5 ppg last season.
