By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

The yearly – since midway through the last century – questionnaires have been sent out, along with multiple reminders covering three weeks.
Thanks to ACE Charter, Central, Dublin, Jasper County, Mary Persons, Northside, Perry Upson-Lee, West Laurens, Covenant, FPD, Gatewood, Trinity Christian, Windsor for returning full sets of information.
And thanks to Hawkinsville, Macon County, Rutland, Southwest, Central Fellowship, Mount de Sales, Stratford, Tattnall for returning parts of the questionnaires.
So …

The first week of the season is upon us, adn it’s a full on.

A full 34 games with Central Georgia teams are scheduled this week, and that’s with eight games pitting area teams agaisnt each other.

The action starts on Thursday at Thompson Stadium in Macon, and there are some mighty good matchups in Central Georgia on the first week.

Warner Robins hosts Lee County in a battle of top 5A and 4A programs. Peach County welcomes 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, mighty 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 second debut 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.

After its first year at Fort Valley State, Bibb County has moved its Gridiron Classic and lessened the field, to eight teams, with two games on Thursday and Friday at Thompson Stadium.

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

Thursday
Bleckley County vs. Rutland, Thompson, 8 p.m.
Central vs. Dougherty, Thompson, 4 p.m.

Friday
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 vs. Howard, Thompson, 8 p.m.

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 vs. Macon County, Thompson, 4 p.m.
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 Pataula Charter

8-man
Georgia Christian at Covenant
Westwood at John Hancock

Saturday
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

8-man

Covenant at Crisp
John Hancock at Fullington