3 Georgia HS football teams take on out-of-state powerhouses this week

Georgia high school football teams are playing all over the country this week, creating some of the nation’s more interesting games.

The out-of-state slate is headlined by two games between reigning Georgia High School Association state champions and champions of bordering states.

Private A-3A champion Hebron Christian will visit Tennessee Division II-AAA state champion McCallie in Chattanooga. 6A champion Grayson will host Alabama 7A state champion Thompson of Alabaster on Friday night.

All four teams are top 25 programs in their respective states, according to MaxPreps. All have bigger goals than winning Friday night, but national games can help reveal how a team is progressing compared with similar programs across state lines.

“For me, all of the non-region games are all about learning the truth of exactly who you are,” Hebron Christian coach Kenny Dallas said. “What are your strengths, what are your weaknesses, so you can deal with those and so you can do the best you can to rely on your strength and hide your weaknesses going forward.”

Hebron Christian is new to playing national opponents. The Lions played their first two out-of-state games last season, going 1-1.

McCallie is expected to be the toughest national opponent Hebron has faced, too. The Blue Tornado sits at No. 2 in Tennessee’s statewide rankings on MaxPreps.

Hebron Christian will lean on its returning starters from last year’s state championship team, but Dallas acknowledged the quick learning curve his new starters are on.

“It’s a weird mix of a lot of experience and a lot of inexperience on this team,” Dallas said. “Of course, the non-region schedule that we’re playing, we’re getting experience very, very fast.”

Hebron hopes for another strong outing from running back Devon Caldwell. Georgia High School Football Daily’s Week 2 Player of the Week ran for 328 yards in a 45-29 win over Fellowship Christian on Friday.

McCallie has red-hot weapons of its own in receivers Keeyshawn Tabuteau and Levi Scott III. Tabuteau is a three-star prospect committed to Vanderbilt, and Scott, a freshman, is coming off a four-catch, 156-yard game in McCallie’s season opener.

Grayson and Thompson are playing for the second time, following an overtime classic in Alabama last season. The Rams claimed a 15-14 win over the Warriors on a two-point conversion in 2024.

The win kick-started Grayson’s active 14-game win streak. The Rams have won by an average of 30 points per game since beating Thompson.

The Warriors, who have won five state titles in the past six seasons, are led by four-star quarterback Trent Seaborn. The junior threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns in Thompson’s only game so far this season.

Grayson will be without four-star quarterback Travis Burgess, who announced a season-ending injury Thursday morning.

Burgess isn’t the only elite Grayson player facing injury. AJC Super 11 selection and four-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson and four-star linebacker Anthony Davis Jr. haven’t played yet this season.

Backup quarterback Deuce Smith, who is expected to start Friday night, was 5-of-7 passing for 43 yards and an interception in Burgess’ stead last week. The Rams’ offense figures to rely on running backs Brandon Gray and Ashton Turner, who have rushed for a combined 356 yards through two games.

Another elite national matchup will kick off in Fairburn on Saturday when Creekside hosts Texas-powerhouse DeSoto. The Seminoles will try to avenge a 70-0 loss on the Eagles’ home field last season.

Facing DeSoto is no easy task, but Creekside might have more experience against elite national teams than anyone in Georgia. The Seminoles’ only regular-season losses last season came against DeSoto and nationally ranked Westside from South Carolina.

Creekside has played two national opponents in each of the past three seasons, including national champion Mater Dei in 2023.

“It’s hard to get games against top-rated teams in the state,” Creekside coach Maurice Dixon said. “So we’ve got to choose games that sometimes you don’t want to take, but you kind of have to take, because it’s going to put your team in positions and stretch them beyond what they would normally do in a normal game.”

Dixon hopes his program has closed the talent gap on DeSoto since last season. The HSFA’s top 300 national poll would suggest so, as the No. 80-ranked Eagles rank only 37 spots ahead of Creekside.

Dixon also shared how much easier preparing for a home game is compared with traveling to DeSoto last season.

“Being able to just go through your normal routine, it really helps a lot,” Dixon said. “Getting on the plane, getting off the plane, staying in the hotel where you’re not familiar with, all of those things kind of play a toll into the game.”

Even if Dixon can’t pull off a signature win Saturday night, he knows the experience against a national brand will help his team’s main goals later in the season.

“I think it always helps us, especially when we begin the playoffs,” Dixon said. “Because you can’t say you ain’t seen a team as good as that third- or fourth-round team when you have played a Mater Dei or when you have played a DeSoto. You’re not seeing that caliber of team.”

Nine Georgia teams are playing national opponents this week in games with at least one team ranked in the High School Football America 300. Here are all nine games, according to HSFA’s interstate games list.

Every nationally ranked Georgia high school football game this week

• No. 4 Grayson at No. 15 Thompson (Alabama)
• Hebron Christian at No. 59 McCallie (Tennessee)
• No. 80 DeSoto (Texas) at No. 117 Creekside
• No. 108 Coffee at Columbia (Florida)
• Everglades (Florida) at No. 226 Richmond Hill
• No. 292 Florida State University (Florida) at No. 102 Thomas County Central
• No. 172 Opelika (Alabama) vs. Callaway
• No. 256 West Broward (Alabama) at Camden County
• No. 32 Rabun Gap-Nacoochee at No. 74 Baylor (Tennessee)

There are plenty more national games of interest through the rest of the season, too. Here is every Georgia high school football game against a national opponent after this weekend where both teams are ranked in the top 300.

Every nationally ranked Georgia high school football game after this week

Sept. 5

• No. 73 Mallard Creek (North Carolina) at No. 4 Grayson
• No. 209 Jesuit (Florida) at No. 146 Valdosta
• No. 133 Manatee (Florida) at No. 125 Lowndes
• No. 32 Rabun Gap-Nacoochee at No. 74 Massillon Washington (Ohio)

Sept. 19