Two of the state’s biggest rivalry games, both involving Class AAAAAA teams, headline the schedule for Week 6 of the high school football season.
Valdosta travels across town Friday night to meet Lowndes in the annual renewal of the Winnersville Classic. Valdosta is No. 1 in Class AAAAAA; Lowndes is No. 2 in AAAAAAA. Both are 5-0.
Northside-Warner Robins will face Warner Robins at McConnell-Talbert Stadium, home of both teams. Northside is 3-2 and fell out of the AAAAAA top 10 last week but remains a threat in the classification. Warner Robins is 3-1 and No. 6 in AAAAA.
Lowndes is going for its third consecutive victory in the series and 12th in 16 games after beating the Wildcats 71-35 last year. Lowndes’ 71 points were the most scored by either team in the history of the rivalry.
This year’s game will match the passing game of Valdosta against Lowndes’ running game. Valdosta’s Tate Rodemaker is the leading passer in Region 1-AAAAAA with 1,163 yards and 18 touchdowns. Lowndes QB Jacurri Brown is the leading rusher in 1-AAAAAAA with 616 yards and nine touchdowns on 64 carries. He also has passed for 287 and three touchdowns.
The Warner Robins-Northside game features a similar theme. Northside QB Mason Ford (573 yards rushing) and RB Zikhyree Hill (337) are the two leading rushers in 1-AAAAAA. Warner Robins remains pass oriented after the departure of coach Mike Chastain (now at Jones County) and QB Dylan Fromm (Mercer). The Demons have thrown for 1,113 yards (278.3 per game) in their first four games.
Warner Robins has won two consecutive games in the series after losing 16 of the previous 21 meetings. A victory would give the Demons a three-game winning streak against Northside for the first time since 1995.
Here are five other games involving Class AAAAAA teams to keep an eye on this weekend:
*Dalton at Harrison: Two of the remaining three unbeaten teams in Region 6 play will try to maintain a spot at the head of the pack. Harrison is allowing just 7.4 points per game, but the Hoyas' defense will get a tough test from Dalton's Jahmyr Gibbs, the state's leading rusher with 1,114 yards (286 per game, 14.1 per carry) in four games. The other undefeated team, Allatoona, is off this week.
*Emerald, S.C. at Lakeside-Evans: Just two years ago, Lakeside was winless going into Region 3 play. The story is different this season, as the Panthers will be undefeated heading into their region opener against Evans on Oct. 11 if they can beat their third South Carolina opponent of the season. Emerald won 27-20 last year, but the Panthers went on to finish 5-4 and earn a playoff berth.
*Gainesville at Flowery Branch: Gainesville's up-and-down season continues with a game against its county rival. The Red Elephants opened with a win over Mary Persons but followed it with a loss to North Forsyth. They bounced back to beat Lambert 55-7, then lost to Jefferson 41-7. Gainesville leads the series 10-4 but lost to the Falcons 28-19 last year as part of a 2-9 season.
*Johns Creek at Northview: The two remaining unbeaten teams in Region 7 play will face off for sole possession of first place. Johns Creek, the defending region champion, went 1-1 against out-of-state opponents to open the season and beat Chattahoochee 41-0 last week. Northview came in fifth place in 2018 but is off to a 3-1 start, with wins over Dunwoody and Chattahoochee in region play.
*Mundy's Mill at M.L. King (Godfrey Stadium): Hopes of a return to the playoffs are fading fast for Mundy's Mill (2-3, 0-3), and another loss could be the final blow. M.L. King has been one of the biggest surprises in AAAAAA, a 1-9 team in 2018 that is off to a 3-0 start. Last week, the Lions beat Mount Zion-Jonesboro, which had upset defending region champion Stephenson the week before.
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