Football: LET'S GOOOO! Finally, it's time to kick off the 2025 prep season

By Jeff Hart Sports Reporter

Posted 8:02AM on Monday 11th August 2025 ( 4 hours ago )

The time for talk, and prognosticating, and just pure speculation for the 2025 high school football season, is over. Or has it really just begun?

Either way, the yearly pilgrimage to try and capture a state title begins this week around the state, including the 26 northeast Georgia area teams covered by AccessWDUN and Friday Game Night.

CHECK OUT OUR 'KICKOFF 2025' MAGAZINE HERE

Buford will kick things off in the area with a nationally-televised showdown with defending Class 5A state champion Milton on ESPN 2 on Thursday in its brand-new $62 million Phillip Beard Stadium. Fifteen more games, involving 20 area more teams, will lace it up on Friday.

Here is a quick refresher (or as quick as we can make it since northeast Georgia had a banner year) of what happened in 2024.

Northeast Georgia had 17 of our 26 teams make the postseason last season. To top the list, Lanier Christian won the GAPPS 11-man state title.

Two made the semifinals in the Georgia High School Association (Buford in 6A, Jefferson in 3A) and the Dragons went on to play for the state title before falling to Calhoun at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Cherokee Bluff and North Hall both made the quarterfinals in Class 3A. It was the first Elite 8 for the Trojans since 2012 and the first-ever for the Bears.

Buford (8-6A) and North Hall Hall (6-3A) both won region titles. Jackson County in Region 8-5A made its first postseason appearance since 2021 and secured its first-ever home playoff game in the process. Commerce finished second in a brutal Region 8-A Division 1

What will the 2025 campaign hold in store for our area teams? Who knows.

But based on all the offseason analysis, we could be in for another banner year. And that’s what we can’t wait to find out.

LET'S GOOOOOOO!!!!

PREP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, Thursday, August 14
Milton at Buford, 7 p.m.

PREP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, Friday, August 15
Cherokee Bluff at Lumpkin County
Commerce at Wesleyan
East Forsyth at Forsyth Central
East Hall at Banks County
Flowery Branch at Jackson County
Franklin County at Chestatee
Lanier Christian at Lakeview Academy
Marietta at Gainesville
Marist at Jefferson
Murray County at Towns County
Stephens County at Habersham Central
West Hall at Seckinger
Wheeler at North Forsyth
White County at Rabun County
Winder-Barrow at East Jackson

Jefferson's Dallas Russell gets tackled by a Calhoun defender during the Dragons' Class 3A title game in 2024. The Dragons lost 20-7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Jefferson is a heavy favorite to repeat as Region 8-3A champions and Russell, senior, is back to help lead what should be a solid rushing attack once again in 2025.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2025/8/1296917/football-lets-goooo-finally-its-time-to-kick-off-the-2025-prep-season