‘Twas the night before Winnersville, one of Georgia’s biggest rivalries
VALDOSTA — The city of Valdosta isn’t celebrating Halloween on Oct. 31 this year.
There’s a bigger holiday in town.
The epic cross-town rivalry between Valdosta and Lowndes — also known as the “Winnersville Classic” — will renew for the 64th time Friday. Over 12,000 people will pack Bazemore-Hyder Stadium to experience one of South Georgia football’s most intense rivalries.
High school football games all over Georgia were rescheduled to Thursday this week as officials, parents and coaches wanted the night off for Halloween with their families.
Not in “Titletown,” as ESPN coined it in 2008.
City leaders moved Halloween instead, rescheduling its annual Festi-Fall celebration to Thursday.
The Festi-Fall has been a popular trick-or-treating event in downtown Valdosta every Halloween for the last five years.
“The decision was made to move Halloween and move this event to tonight,” Main Street Manager Patrick Pearson said. “That should be a national holiday in Valdosta, Winnersville Day.”
Families dressed in Halloween costumes flooded Unity Park for the Festi-Fall. On the night where anyone can dress up as anyone, many fans stuck to their true colors, wearing black and yellow Valdosta gear.
One such fan was former Valdosta defensive back Jalen Everett, who stood in line for candy with his younger cousins as he explained what the rivalry means to him.
“Everybody shuts down the city very early on Friday so they can tailgate and be out there,” Everett said.
Everett graduated from Valdosta in 2018, but he’ll still enjoy the game from the sideline, now working on the chain crew. Everett didn’t hesitate to say where his family would be Friday night if Halloween had not been rescheduled.
“No doubt, going to the game.”
Nick Harden didn’t grow up in Valdosta, but he plays a key role in the Winnersville Classic experience. Nick’s restaurant, Big Nicks Juke Joint, caters for the concession stand and the pregame meals for Lowndes and Valdosta.
Big Nicks Juke Joint, much like the rest of the city, celebrates the Winnersville Classic throughout the week. Harden introduced the restaurant’s inaugural “Winnersville Wing Contest” Thursday night, offering a $100 prize to whoever could eat the most “Viking Wings” in five minutes.
Harden moved from Decatur to Valdosta in 1999 to play offensive line for Valdosta State. He met his wife, a Valdosta High alumna, and never left town. His son, Kaleb, played football for Valdosta and graduated in 2023.
Nick Harden’s loyalties lean toward the Wildcats because of his family ties. But he sees the Winnersville Classic as a celebration of the community he “transplanted” into 26 years ago.
“Everybody’s into it, the whole town is rocking, you see jerseys flying everywhere and the game’s sold out,” Harden said. “It’s a big deal, and a lot of people who come to Valdosta, they’re like, ‘What is going on?’”
Harden said this Winnersville Classic feels like a victory lap for the entire community after what it has endured over the last 13 months. Valdosta was one of many Georgia towns that was severely affected by Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
Harden was a crucial community figure during that time. His restaurant provided thousands of meals to those in need in partnerships with the American Red Cross and former Winnersville Classic greats like Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II.
“Some people in the community still are down, but we’ve come a long way,” Harden said. “We’ve been real resilient, and this year, to be able to get in there, people are really coming out of that. So now, we can really celebrate, and this is the big one.”
Raymond Scollin never played a down of high school football, but the Valdosta High School alumnus has cemented a unique legacy in the Winnersville Classic. Scollin, owner of Winnersville Awards in Valdosta, built the infamous Winnersville Classic trophy in 2013.
Scollin said the size and weight of the trophy’s parts made its construction a four-person job.
The trophy, which stands well over two feet tall, showcases all 63 final scores in Winnersville Classic history. Atop the walnut column showcasing the scores is a metallic bowl with a 1960’s-era football player throwing a Heisman-style stiff arm.
The trophy resides in the winning high school until the rivalry is renewed the next year.
“One of the best parts is when the winning team holds that trophy up,” Scollin said. “They get wild with it, man. It’s great.”
Scollin won’t be at the game Friday night. He’ll be celebrating Halloween with his three children in what he says is the only Valdosta neighborhood doing trick-or-treating on Friday.
Scollin will stay involved in the rivalry, though. He plans to drive around the neighborhood in his golf cart, blasting a mix of Halloween music and the radio broadcast of the Lowndes-Valdosta game from his Amazon Echo.
“I’ve got a 2-year-old, a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old, and we’re excited to actually go out on Halloween and trick-or-treat, but also being able to bring the classic with us,” Scollin said. “Play it loud for everybody to hear and keep it alive for the people that aren’t going.”
Marty Rodgers might have more personal history with the Winnersville Classic than anyone in South Georgia. The 48-year-old has attended every Lowndes-Valdosta game in his lifetime, beginning in 1977 when he was an infant.
“My mom and dad remember distinctly the babysitter calling and canceling right before they were to leave the house when I was just a 4-month-old,” said Rodgers, whose mother, Ann, is a former Lowndes principal. “They weren’t going to miss it. They took me.”
The decision proved to be wise, as the Rodgers family watched Lowndes beat state powerhouse Valdosta for the first time in the rivalry’s history.
Marty Rodgers’ perfect streak hasn’t been easy to keep. Rodgers was working in Bloomington, Indiana, one year and had to fly into Atlanta on Friday. A friend picked Rodgers up from the airport and drove him straight to the game, which he remembered entering right at kickoff.
Rodgers’ streak isn’t the only connection he holds with Lowndes football. Rodgers and the Vikings’ football stadium, Martin Stadium, are named after the same person: beloved former Lowndes County Schools Superintendent A.B. “Sonny” Martin.
Rodgers is also in his 19th year covering Lowndes football games on the radio. He spent the first 11 as a sideline reporter and is now the school’s play-by-play announcer on 99.5 WKAA.
Rodgers’ involvement with the rivalry has changed over the years, but his love for the classic has never faltered. The Winnersville Classic ties Rodgers closer to his family and the greater Valdosta community.
“That’s what’s so unique about this rivalry is Friday night, there’s going to be a lot of hatred, but it’s a healthy hatred,” Rodgers said. “Three hundred sixty-four days out of the year, we pull for each other, we’re there for each other, but we fight and claw on Friday night.”
About the Author
Jack Leo is a sports writer and reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jack worked for the AJC throughout his four years studying journalism and sports media at Georgia State University and the University of Georgia. He's now focused on telling stories in the grassroots: bringing comprehensive coverage of high school sports for AJC Varsity.
