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DEL.ICIO.USTake 10: Georgia’s most highly anticipated football games
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Northside-Lowndes game Friday night in Valdosta matches reigning state champions that are ranked nationally. In terms of build-up for a regular-season game, how does that rank all-time?
Here are the 10 mostly highly anticipated regular-season high school football games in Georgia history. And check out these classic AJC archive photos: Carver tops Brown, 1966.
Honorable mention
West Rome at Carrollton, 1971 — Both were 9-0. West Rome was No. 1 in Class AA, and Carrollton was No. 1 in A. It was a young Nick Hyder (West Rome) against the legend, Charlie Grisham (Carrollton). West Rome won 14-7.
The aftermath — Carrollton won Class A, but West Rome was upset in the AA semifinals. Hyder left in 1974 for Valdosta, where he would win seven state titles.
10: Washington-Wilkes at Lincoln County, 1986 — It was the season opener, and Lincoln was defending Class A champ, while Washington-Wilkes was Class AA runner-up. Both were preseason No. 1. Washington-Wilkes won 12-10, ending a 10-game losing streak in a series that dates to 1922.
The aftermath — Lincoln repeated as Class A champion, and Wilkes wound up runner-up again in AA after going 14-0.
9: Tift County at Valdosta, 1983 — In a game between 9-0 teams, defending Class AAAA champion (but ranked No. 4) Valdosta ‘’upset’’ No. 2 Tift 14-10 to extend its winning streak to 25 games.
Aftermath — Tift won the rematch in the region playoffs and then its first state title, beating LaGrange 59-6 in the AAAA final.
8: Brown vs. Carver, 1966 — It was the first year of integrated football in the Georgia High School Association, but no all-black team was state-ranked. Carver upset No. 7 Brown 20-7 at Cheney Stadium, signaling the start of the modern era of Georgia high school football. Carver was No. 7 in the next Atlanta Journal poll.
The aftermath — Carver was beaten twice down the stretch, and Brown emerged as city champion. Carver would reach the Class AA title game the next year. Historic photos: Carver tops Brown, 1966
7: Lowndes at Valdosta, 1980 — Both were 7-0. Lowndes had been No. 1 since preseason, although it had never won a state title. Valdosta, the underdog in a rebuilding year, won 17-8. Using the Bradley-Terry model, computer-rankings expert Loren Maxwell determined these were the best two teams that ever have played each other in the regular season since 1948.
The aftermath — Lowndes won the rematch in region playoffs 6-0 - its first-ever victory at Hyder-Bazemore Stadium, and its first state title.
6: Brookwood at Parkview, 2003 — About 10,000 fans squeezed in to Parkview’s Big Orange Jungle and saw second-ranked Brookwood end the top-ranked Panthers’ state-record 46-game winning streak in a rematch of the previous year’s Class AAAAA title game. The final was 35-21.
The aftermath — Parkview reached the quarterfinals. Brookwood finished unranked.
5: Avondale at Decatur, 1967 — Both were 8-0, but in those days, only the region champion qualified for the state playoffs. People were photographed watching the game on telephone poles at Decatur Stadium. Decatur’s Dennis Chadwick (brother of Alan Chadwick) and Avondale’s Charlie Dudish were the state’s best quarterbacks. Decatur won 24-14 and jumped Columbus to take the No. 1 ranking in Class AAA.
The aftermath — Decatur lost to Columbus 6-0 in the semifinals.
4: Thomasville at Central-Thomasville, 1987 — The annual city championship featured Class AAA’s top two teams (Central No. 1, Thomasville No. 2), both 5-0, and each fielded an AJC Super 11 quarterback — Central’s Charlie Ward and Thomasville’s Shawn Jones. Thomasville won 15-6 before 10,000 fans.
The aftermath — Central beat Thomasville in the region final and reached the Class AAA semifinals. In 1990, Jones led Georgia Tech to a national title, and Ward led Florida State to its first national title in 1993.
3: Northside vs. Warner Robins, 2000 — Two 9-0 teams, one No. 1, the other No. 2, each averaging more than 40 points a game, winning every game by at least 14 points. Northside had Chansi Stuckey, and Warner Robins had Willie Reid, both future NFL players. A crowd of 20,000 at McConnell-Talbert Stadium saw Warner Robins win 23-20.
The aftermath — Both teams lost in the second round of the playoffs.
2: Northside at Lowndes, this Friday night — Two nationally ranked teams, two reigning state champions, one with a 35-game winning streak, the other holding three of the past four titles in the highest class. Both are ranked in USA Today’s Super 25.
The aftermath — We’ll find out.
1: Boys’ vs. Tech, 1945 — Games between old Tech and Boys’ high schools, which shared the same campus at what’s now Grady High, were the top-drawing sporting events in the state in those days except when Georgia played Georgia Tech. For this one, a record crowd of 25,000 gathered at Ponce de Leon Park, and another 7,000 were turned away at the gate. Boys’ had won five of the past six state titles, while Tech was 9-0, with its best team in years. Boys’ won 14-0 on touchdown runs by Porter Payne (father of Billy Payne) and went on to win the GIAA title for the ninth and final time.
The aftermath — The Atlanta schools closed in 1947. The series ended 18-18-1.
Go on. Take Ten. Tell us which games you think were Georgia’s most highly anticipated of all-time. And let us know how you’d rank our top 10.
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Comments
By thebull35
October 1, 2008 9:52 AM | Link to this
How about the Southwest Dekalb vs. Valdosta in the semifinals match-up in 1994 at the dome. SWD was naltionaly ranked and boasted a roster that saw over 20 seniors recieve college scholarships. This team had the likes of Quincy Carter (Dallas Cowboys), Angelo Taylor (olympic sprinter), Terrence Trammell (olympic sprinter), Jermain Stringer (Florida State reciever/kick returner), Arvin Richardson (Alabama kick returner/running back) to name a few. Valdosta was…well, Valdosta.
Valdosta would go on to upset SWD in that game, and I believe win the AAAA State Championship. Southwest Dekalb would beat Parkview the following year for the Championship.
By NorALViking
October 1, 2008 10:19 AM | Link to this
That was a great game in the dome in 1994 between Valdosta and SWD. Actually Valdosta lost the next week in a rematch with Colquitt Co. That 1994 Valdosta team was one of the best to not win a state title ever as Colquitt simply was better that year.
By Todd Holcomb
October 1, 2008 10:30 AM | Link to this
*How about the Southwest Dekalb vs. Valdosta in the semifinals match-up in 1994 at the dome. *
That was an all-time classic, but keep in mind that this list is for REGULAR-SEASON games, and I’m rating them on the anticipation, build-up and hype, that sort of thing, not how the game turned out. Otherwise, we couldn’t rank Northside-Lowndes because the game itself might be a dud. But the buildup - two state champions, two nationally ranked teams - is one of the best ever.
By eponymous
October 1, 2008 10:34 AM | Link to this
Valdosta at LaGrange, State Semis, 1991…both teams nationally ranked, scoreless at the half, LaGrange wins 6-0 in front of 12,000 fans at Callaway Stadium. LaGrange goes on to beat Colquitt Co. and wins the USA Today Super Prep High School Championship.
Unbelievable game.
By Will
October 1, 2008 2:48 PM | Link to this
Todd, would you happen to know who was coaching Brown in 1966? I believe my late uncle Maxwell “Red” Ivey was head coach there for a while, but I don’t know during what years and haven’t been able to find anything on the web. Thanks.
By aron
October 1, 2008 3:40 PM | Link to this
Fayette County v Griffin 1980. Both teams were 9-0 and ranked 1 and 2 in the state polls. The game was played in front of 20,000 people. Fans stood in line all night to buy tickets at Fayette County High school because Griffin limited their tickets. Griffin won 14-7 and went on to beat Fayette in the region title game 14-10 and lost to Lowndes in the State title game.
By BullDawg Rick
October 1, 2008 3:47 PM | Link to this
Avondale - Decatur 1976.. Both rivals were undefeated at 6 - 0 and state ranked. Game was played at Avondale Stadium. The Blue Devils win 28 - 0 and go on to win the AA State Championship under Crawford Kennedy vs Woodward Academy 20 - 19!! Avondale finished the season 14 - 0….
By georgia87
October 1, 2008 4:15 PM | Link to this
The most anticipated I remember was the 1973 game between Jefferson and Commerce played in Commerce. I was 8 years old and cannot remember a bigger crowd. Jefferson was 9-0 and Commerce 8-0. Commerce won 28-3 behind 4 TDs by Runt Moon and went on to lose in the State Championship Game to Mount De Sales in the coldest game I ever attended.
By **Frederick (Bailey) Douglass**
October 1, 2008 4:24 PM | Link to this
Nice Article Todd…especially the info about Boys vs. Tech. 25,000!?!? Amazing. And the tidbit about Porter Payne was good too!
Good Job man.
By **Frederick (Bailey) Douglass**
October 1, 2008 4:29 PM | Link to this
…and #4 IS SIMPLY AMAZING. Two NCAA national champion QB’s on the field at the same time. Thats one you tell you grandkids about for sure.
By VIKING DAD
October 1, 2008 5:08 PM | Link to this
LOWNDES VS NORTHSIDE. Greg Reid and company ends Eagles streak in a close game. You can see it live on CSS.
By hurricane
October 1, 2008 5:31 PM | Link to this
1982 Region Championship in 7AA between West Rome and Cartersville. West Rome (11-0) and Cartersville (10-0-1) were ranked #1 and #2 respectively. West Rome had major D1 prospects such as David McCluskey, Eric Floyd, Keith Green, and William Kent. Cartersville was deep with strong senior class; and that was the team in which Keith Henderson (former UGA & 49er) became a star. West Rome was victorious and went on to win the state championship. Cartersville finished #3 in AA that year.
By Slow Motion
October 1, 2008 5:49 PM | Link to this
Mighty Tigers from Washington-Wilkes stand up!!! We can never seem to win the final game though, ugh.
By BullDawg79
October 1, 2008 6:13 PM | Link to this
Valdosta at Moultrie, October 13, 1972. Over 13000 filled Mack Tharpe stadium. Moultrie had not beaten Valdosta at home for 44 years. Moultrie won 42 - 14 behind future UGA QB Ray Goff. Moultrie eventually lost on the old penetration rule 16-15 (after the game ended tied 14-14) to Central of Macon who lost to Lakeside in the State championship. Coach Bud Willis later left Moultrie to head up Cook County.
By Rucker
October 1, 2008 6:33 PM | Link to this
Hey, I’m glad to see Washington-Wilkes get some props, eventhough out of three or four chances, we could not win the big one.
By panther fan 08
October 1, 2008 7:10 PM | Link to this
You seem to have forget about the 2001 game between Parkview and Ducula where Parkview won the game 38-7.This was the “911” game that should have be played early in the season but got put off because of “911”. Both teams were 9-0 and Parkview had a 24 game winning streak on the line. Wade throws 260 yards which Francoeur had 133 yards and Parkview goes on to win the Region.
By JS
October 1, 2008 7:21 PM | Link to this
Check out www.ghsfha.com for the most GA high school info.
By Brent Scott
October 1, 2008 7:26 PM | Link to this
What about the playoffs in 1991 when Jeff Davis lost a heart breaker to Brown High School in Atlanta? What a game….
By Cuga Time
October 1, 2008 7:48 PM | Link to this
2003, Newnan at Parkview. The three time defending state champs went down to the Cats at the “Big Orange Jungle” or whatever they called it. Only “big” thing about that place was the visiting crowd from Coweta County, half of whom they wouldn’t let it even though we outnumbered them 2 to 1. Those who did get in saw Santez Mays strip the ball with no time on the clock at midfield and take it to the house for a 20-14 Cougar win.
By THEHILLISREAL
October 1, 2008 9:16 PM | Link to this
Todd, you slipping! The game in Georgia that garner national attention was the Nationally ranked #2 Douglass Astros V/S #3 Southwest Dekalb Panthers. I believe this was 1997 at Lakewood stadium.
By Keith
October 1, 2008 10:41 PM | Link to this
how about the Winnersville Classic?…in any year??. That’s always highly anticipated.
By Todd Holcomb
October 1, 2008 11:11 PM | Link to this
2003, Newnan at Parkview.
If not mistaken, Parkview had never lost a playoff game at the BOJ until then. I believe it was 20 straight.
But I must also remind our valued readers that the Take Ten list is for REGULAR SEASON games. You’re allowed to discuss any game you want, but I’m just sayin’. : )
By Rusty
October 1, 2008 11:45 PM | Link to this
How about the 1987 game between South Cobb 8-1 vs Campbell 8-1. Both teams losses were close games to McEachern. Cobb County game of the week. 40,000 people showed up (give or take). Campbell wins the close contest 46-0. South Cobb players felt cheated by the refs because we had a touchdown called back for holding. This BAD call probably lost the game for us.
By NSeagle78
October 2, 2008 1:05 AM | Link to this
I am a homer. I have always took the Warner Robins vs Northside game to be the greatest ever every year. I am sure Lowndes and Valdosta would feel the same way. Well lets face the facts neither team see’s it that way now. So it is true the Northside vs Lowndes game is what both series used to be. Having said that, Lowndes has to be a 2 touchdown favorite over Northside. I hope Lowndes know that no one has told the Northside players. This could be a great one. If Northside’s offense don’t lose this one, expect Northside’s defense to keep them in the game to the end. I have got my tickets, my truck painted and my Northside flags flying, I am ready.
By Drago
October 2, 2008 3:01 AM | Link to this
Cuga Time, Newnan @ Parkview 03 was a great game—excellent in every way. But it was a playoff game and Todd is asking for regular season games. Newnan v R E Lee in ‘72 was a big one and I guess Newnan v LaGrange in 2004 was the most highly anticipated game Newnan has been involved in. I don’t really want to talk about it though.
By BEARMAN 1978
October 2, 2008 4:10 AM | Link to this
GRIFFIN VS VALDOSTA IN 1978,A 7-7 TIE FOR THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. GRIFFIN HAD NFL PLAYERS WILLIE GAULT,JEFF JACKSON,VICTOR MCDANIEL,ALTON MONTGOMERY,ETC. ON THIS TEAM.VALDOSTA ALSO HAD A LOT TALENT ON THAT TEAM.GREAT GAME PLAYED IN VALDOSTA!
By Firebrand
October 2, 2008 9:55 AM | Link to this
Don’t forget that the 1986 meeting of Thomasville and Central had everyone you mentioned earlier, but also Eric Curry who won a national championship at Alabama, Alex Mash and Charles Bostick who won one at Georgia Southern, and Mike Jones and Alphonso Ellis who would go on to play at UGA.
By John
October 2, 2008 4:32 PM | Link to this
A lot of fans today don’t have any memory of those days when only one team from a region qualified for the state playoffs and how big a regular season matchup could be. The 1983 Tift County-Valdosta game that you mentioned was a prime example. Tift County lost to Valdosta and a lot of fans thought Valdosta would go on and win state. The Blue Devils went down to Valdosta four weeks later and beat the Wildcats. Tift County’s win over a good LaGrange team quarterbacked by Vince Sutton on the road in the state championship was the most dominating performance I have seen by any football game at any level. There is little doubt that Tift County and Valdosta were the two best teams in the state that year.
Tday’s regular season games seldom rise to that level because four teams from each region make it to state.
By John
October 2, 2008 4:36 PM | Link to this
This blog deals with regular season matchups, guys. About half the games you have mentioned occurred in region and state playoffs. Read the topic before you post.
By Cuga Time
October 2, 2008 6:52 PM | Link to this
1992 NHS vs LG, we were ranked about 4th nationally and they were coming off of that “national title” in 91. One of the coldest games I can remember, especially in the visitor locker room after a 19-3 Cougar rout that should have been in the 40’s. There were at least 12,000 at Drake that night, the bank was packed and cars were all the way down to almost Smokey Road and Belt Road. Great atmosphere.
By Jim
October 2, 2008 8:40 PM | Link to this
The 1976 battle between undefeateds SWD (all white) vs Douglass of Atlanta (all black) at a jam packed Lakewood Stadium. The game was also carried on WSB radio. Doulass won on a last second pass 12 - 7. Douglass went on to win the North Georgia Championship game vs Lakeside after the GHSA overturned Lakeside suceessful field goal attempt due to an refs error. Douglass lost to Central Macon in the State Championship game.
By Betty Mann
October 27, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this
To Will … Re: Maxwell (Red) Ivey was our principal.
By Betty Mann
October 27, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this
To Will … Re: Maxwell (Red) Ivey was our principal.
By Betty Mann
October 27, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this
To Will … Re: Maxwell (Red) Ivey was our principal.