Stephenson will face a test from the nation’s No. 18 team in this week’s USA Today rankings when it meets American Heritage of Plantation, Fla., in the Chick-Fil-A Battle of the Borders at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Hallford Stadium.
The game is the highlight of the second-annual four-game event, which matches DeKalb County against some of the top teams from Florida.
Class AAAA Marist kicks off the event at 11:45 a.m. against Coconut Creek. Class AAA Cedar Grove plays Hallendale at 2:30, followed by Class AAAAAA Tucker against Godby at 5:30 p.m.
American Heritage has won back-to-back state championships in Florida’s Class 5A and is No. 1 this season. The Patriots opened their season with a 19-7 victory last week against IMG Academy, which had been ranked No. 2 nationally in the USA Today poll.
Stephenson is 1-0 after its 53-22 victory against Arabia Mountain last week.
Here are some of the other top games involving Class AAAAA teams this weekend:
- Dalton at Calhoun (7:30 p.m. Friday): Dalton once dominated this series against the Yellow Jackets (No. 1 in Class AAA), going 34-3-1 in the first 38 meetings, but Calhoun has won six straight against its northwest Georgia rival, including 21-14 last season. Dalton is 1-0 after beating Scottsboro (Ala.) last weekend and is expected to be one of the top challengers to Kell in 7-AAAAA.
- Eagle's Landing Christian at Stockbridge (7:30 p.m. Friday): Eagle's Landing Christian recovered from an 0-6 start last season to reach the Class A private-school championship game, and it is 1-0 and ranked No. 1 this season. Stockbridge, which beat Central of Phenix City, Ala., 13-7 in its opener, is No. 3 in AAAAA. Stockbridge beat the Chargers 33-3 in 2014.
- Glynn Academy at Brunswick (7:30 p.m. Friday): The two Brunswick schools meet in an early 3-AAAAA game to determine which team is likely to be the biggest challenger to Ware County and Coffee in the region race. Brunswick leads the series 37-32-2 and has won 16 of the past 21 meetings, but Glynn won 28-21 last year in a game that ultimately decided third place in the region.
- Grayson at Gainesville (7:30 p.m. Friday): Converted wide receiver Messiah Dorsey will take over at quarterback for Gainesville, which seeks a better offensive effort than it got last year in a 39-0 loss to the Rams. Grayson (No. 4 in AAAAAA) returns five starters from a defense that allowed 9.4 points per game last season and held the Red Elephants to 187 total yards in the 2014 opener.
- Warner Robins at Peach County (8 p.m. Friday): Warner Robins scored 36.5 points per game in its final 10 games of the season in 2014, but it was shut out by Peach County (No. 7 in Class AAA) in the opener. Peach returns six starters from that defense and has a new defensive coordinator in Lee Campbell, brother of Trojans head coach Chad Campbell and former Hawkinsville head coach.
