Teams throughout north Georgia will take to the field this weekend, looking to get started on the right foot.
A few teams already put their best foot forward this past Friday, including Buford, which opened 2011 with a 42-0 victory over Blessed Trinity in Roswell. This Friday, the Wolves will play host to Gainesville in a game that will be broadcast live on 1240 AM ESPN Radio and on ESPN 3.
The Red Elephants will be looking to answer a number of questions, especially on defense, where Gainesville will feature eight new starters. They will be facing a Buford offense that pounded its way to 277 yards rushing last week.
The showdown will take place at 7 p.m. at Tom Riden Stadium -- a half-hour early than most high school kickoffs due to television.
There will be plenty of intriguing contests taking place on Friday, including the season opener for Flowery Branch.
The Falcons will play host to Madison County looking to improve on last year's 10-2 campaign that saw the Branch reach the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs -- the program's first at that level after moving up from Class AAA.
Flowery Branch will feature a number of talented new faces on offense, including quarterback Kanler Coker, while the defense is led by Jacob Allen.
Elsewhere, West Hall will travel to East Hall. Both teams are coming off 3-7 campaigns and looking to take a big step forward. Both the Spartans and Vikings feel they have improved on the line of scrimmage heading forward -- which will be key to their 2011 seasons. It is a non-region contest but one that could carry plenty of implications, as both look to build early momentum.
The game will be broadcast live on WDUN 102.9 FM, with kick off slated for 7:30 p.m.
There are plenty of other key games on Friday -- see below for a full list of fixtures -- and Access North Georgia.com will be on top of all the latest scores and updates come Friday night.
Friday's Games
Gainesville at Buford
West Hall at East Hall
Jackson County at Johnson
Madison County at Flowery Branch
East Jackson at White County
Fellowship Christian at Lakeview Academy
Riverside Military at Lumpkin County
Stephens County at Elbert County
Franklin County at Hart County
Commerce at Jefferson
Social Circle at Banks County
Pickens at Dawson County
Towns County at Union County
Gilmer at Fannin County
Hayesville, N.C. at Rabun County
Apalachee at Habersham Central
Winder-Barrow at Rockdale County
North Forsyth at Woodstock
Mill Creek at Dacula
Saturday's Games
East St. Louis, Ill. at North Gwinnett
Flowery Branch quarterback Kanler Coker
http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/8/241285