By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

There is an art and strategy to scheduling, and sometimes, there is little or no choice in scheduling on the high school football level.

Take the three Central Georgia teams in the six-team Region 2-5A, or two in the six-team 1-4A, among others.

They have a chance to play around with their schedules, and that’s why Houston County is again opening the season in Atlanta, this time against Class 6A Brookwood at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Corky Kell/Dave Hunter collection of games.

The yearly – since midway through the last century – questionnaires have been sent out, along with multiple reminders.
Thanks to Dublin, Brentwood, Jasper County, Trinity Christian, and Windsor for returning full sets of information, and thanks to Stratford, FPD, Macon County, West Laurens, Hawkinsville, Southwest, Rutland, Tattnall, and Mount de Sales for returning parts of the questionnaires.

Some teams want to open big, like Warner Robins hosting Lee County in a battle of top 5A and 4A programs. Peach County hosts Northeast in a battle of teams that finished in the top 5 in their classifications last year.

And defending GIAA Class 4A runner-up FPD hosts Eagles Landing Christian, a GHSA Class 4A program – and those 4A classifications between associations are mighty, might different – that is working to return to its elite stature that pretty much ended in 2020.

The Vikings again dip into the GHSA in the second week against Marion County.

Then you have the teams in 2-4A, 2-AAA, and 2-A/Division I, packed regions that severely limit scheduling.

Nevertheless, Dublin opens with 2023 Class A/I runner-up Swainsboro in the 75th meeting of the two. Southwest’s non-region game is at Macon County, eyeing its 14th straight playoff trip this season, under second-year head coach Kurt Williams.

Washington County visits Jeff Davis, a top-15 team last year.

The Irish, Patriots, and Golden Hawks are in the packed 2-A/I, where state runner-up Northeast and ACE Charter joined Dublin, Dodge County, and Washington as teams with .500 or better regular-season records last year.

Trinity Christian visits defending champ Brentwood in a notable GIAA Class AA first-week showdown.

Other first-week games of note:

Veterans hosts Jones County in a showdown of new head coaches Steve DeVoursney and Justin Montgomery.

Barney Hester’s return to Tattnall is on the road at Brookstone, 7-4 in Rance Gillespie’s final season there before he left for Rabun County. Brookstone’s new head coach has the complete opposite resume of Hester, Ian Headley having coached only in Florida and owning four years of head coaching experience.

The Trojans open with two road games before Hester walks out onto Barney Hester Stadium on Aug. 29 against George Walton.

Rankings are from the Georgia High School Football Daily’s final composite poll of the 2024 season.

* Denotes defending state champion *2 denotes defending state runner-up

Aug. 14

Bleckley County vs. Rutland, Thompson

Central vs. Dougherty, Thompson

Aug 15

GHSA

Jones County at Veterans

Baldwin at No. 9/4A Perry

No. 3/5A Lee County at No. 10/4A Warner Robins

Union Grove at Upson-Lee

Westside at Howard, Thompson

Swainsboro at No. 2/1-A1 Dublin

East Laurens at Johnson County

No. 3/A-1 *2 Northeast at No. 3/3A Peach County

Southwest at Macon County

Washington County at No. 12T/A-1 Jeff Davis

Taylor County at Jasper County

Telfair County at No. 12T/ A-1 Lamar County

No. 11/A-1 Greene County at Putnam County

Marion County at Hawkinsville

Atkinson County at GMC Prep

Hancock Central at Glenn Hills

Treutlen at Twiggs County

Wheeler County at Wilkinson County

Crawford County at Pike County

GIAA

Eagles Landing Christian at *2 FPD

Bethlehem Christian at John Milledge

Mount de Sales at Loganville Christian

Piedmont at Thomas Jefferson

St. Anne-Pacelli at Stratford

Tattnall at Brookstone

Central Fellowship at Tiftarea

Westfield at Brookwood

Trinity Christian at * Brentwood

Flint River at Gatewood

Windsor at Patuala Charter

Aug 16

No 6T/5A Houston County vs. Brookwood, Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Eagles Landing at Northside

Aug. 21

ACE at Central, Ed DeFore

Aug 22

GHSA

Houston County at Effingham County

Baldwin at Northside

Statesboro at Veterans

Perry at Peach County

Warner Robins at Fayette County

Jones County at Woodland-Stockbridge

Jackson at Mary Persons

No. 3/A-1 Manchester at Upson-Lee

Rutland at Howard, Thompson

Groves at West Laurens

Rutland at Jeff Davis

First Baptist, Fla., at Westside

Bleckley County at No. 10/A-1 Dodge County

Dublin at East Laurens

Northeast at Southwest, Thompson

Jefferson County at Washington County

Jasper County at Hancock Central

Putnam County at No. 6/AA Morgan County

Schley County at Hawkinsville

Crawford County at GMC Prep

Greene County at Twiggs County

Wilkinson County at Treutlen

Macon County at No. 1/A2 * Bowdon

Taylor County at Wheeler County

GIAA

FPD at Marion County

Augusta Christian at John Milledge

* Deerfield-Windsor at Mount de Sales

Piedmont at Lakeview

Tattnall at St. Anne-Pacelli

Southland at Westfield

Brentwood at Pinewood

Central Fellowship at Briarwood

Gatewood at Trinity Christian

Thomas Jefferson at Windsor