‘DeKalb is football country.’ Revived event showcases soul and talent

CLARKSTON — The smell of charcoal drifted outside Hallford Stadium on Saturday. Marching bands played from opposite sides of the field. Fans gathered in the stands and along the concourse, while players waited for their turn to play.

A new scoreboard towered over it all, flashing scores, advertisements and down-and-distance information.

For the first time in more than a decade, DeKalb County had a Kickoff Classic.

“DeKalb is football country,” DeKalb County athletic coordinator Brian Montgomery said. “Bottom line. That’s how it is. That’s how we want it to be.”

The tailgating scene took over the stadium for the revitalized season-opening event: a tripleheader of Week 1 football between the county’s best teams, with the headliner being a late kickoff between Stephenson, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A, and Southwest DeKalb.

The event’s return was a “labor of love,” said executive director of athletics for DeKalb County Myss Jelks, who spearheaded the effort alongside Montgomery.

“Through all the hard work, the sweat and the heat, everyone is excited for today,” Jelks said.

Throughout the day, people of different ages congregated in groups around the stadium. Younger boys were running around, throwing a football and doing sprints while their mothers asked them to behave. Two older gentlemen sat in metal folding chairs as they operated the massive scoreboard being used for the first time.

By the time the sun set, around 8:30, the home-side stands were about 80% full and the away stands were a little more full but with fewer seats.

It was time for the nightcap.

As Southwest DeKalb players ran through their banner, fireworks went off as the away side crowd erupted. With the Panthers on the sideline and continuing to warm up, the LED lights of the stadium turned a royal blue to welcome Stephenson to the field.

“This is DeKalb royalty,” the public address announcer dramatically said. “This is what you came for.”

Putting it together

Jelks remembers the old days of the DeKalb Kickoff Classic.

Her first teaching job was at Lithonia, and she remembers being in the stands for great rivalries that extended beyond the football field. She married Marcus Jelks, a proud Stephenson alum who is now the football coach for his alma mater.

“I’m not a product of DeKalb, but their love for their school and their district is contagious,” Myss Jelks said. “You get excited even if you don’t go there. Everyone knew about Southwest DeKalb and their bands back in the day. MLK and their band. Tucker football. These have always been some of the biggest games in DeKalb, but they haven’t seen each other in years.”

The organizers decided to invite the top six teams, out of the 19 DeKalb football programs, from last year’s final results to set up three games. Tucker versus Columbia as the opener, followed by M.L. King against Lithonia — coming off its best season since 1982 and ranked No. 6 in Class 5A — and capped off with Stephenson versus Southwest DeKalb.

Tucker and Columbia hadn’t played since 2001. Lithonia and MLK have played just six times in their history, with the last matchup coming in 2023, the same year Stephenson and Southwest DeKalb last faced off.

The absence of on-field rivalries was something that Jelks and Montgomery sought to fix. Conversations about having a kickoff classic began early in the year. Different groups started talking about logistics: How do you start an event like this? Which schools would play in the games? Where would you have the games be played?

As questions found answers and more questions were founded, committees were formed and the event progressively took shape.

“We’d have weekly meetings,” Jelks said. “Public safety, transportation, facilities and operations. We’ve got this new scoreboard that just got powered up yesterday.”

The towering scoreboard was on before the first game and didn’t turn off until well past midnight. A successful debut for the state-of-the-art installation.

Having the scoreboard, which ran advertisements, the score, down and distance all day, was a real-life representation for the progress DeKalb County athletics have made over the years, Montgomery said.

“Everybody has been very helpful and hands-on to see through a vision that our department had and now it’s here,” Montgomery said. “The best thing is seeing this right here (the scoreboard). We knew we had some great teams. For everybody to come out on Day 1 and see this, you know how the facilities have been here, this is Step 1 and gives people hope.”

Finding a balance of restoring rivalries and keeping the games competitive was the key for Montgomery and Co. when building out the event.

“We just want to highlight our own,” he said. “We’re always hearing about other teams and other classics, but we have some great programs here in DeKalb as well. We wanted to highlight it. It’s great competition. It’s great for PSR (Post Season Ranking formula) purposes because all six of these teams went to the playoffs (last year). Great atmosphere and great product out on the field.”

All three games were competitive and close for at least a half, despite the final scores getting out of hand a bit. Tucker defeated Columbia 35-26, Lithonia defeated M.L. King 37-8 and Stephenson defeated Southwest DeKalb 29-7.

“It’s great putting the best talent together,” Lithonia coach Kevin Barnes said. “We feel like DeKalb County is football country. When we’re able to put it on a big display like this, it’s always a positive thing.”

Friday there was a luncheon for the teams to get together. Alumni of the six schools were present, and before the game Saturday, former players and coaches spoke with the current teams about their experiences.

Stephenson senior defensive end KJ Green, a 2026 AJC Super 11 selection, said the experience was different from any other regular-season game he’d played.

“It started going crazy in the warmups,” Green said. “They were flickering the lights. It was wonderful. Getting to see the alumni, past players come back and reunite as one. That’s such a strong thing. DeKalb is overlooked nowadays especially when you have all these Gwinnett County and Henry County schools.”

More than victories

Each of the three winners took home a trophy that had the 2026 DeKalb County School District Kickoff Classic branding. Two players on each winning team were given a silver ball for defensive player of the game and offensive player of the game.

But the day was about more than just starting 1-0 on the 2026 high school football season. It was a celebration of culture, community, history and a man who was unable to be there — legendary coach William “Buck” Godfrey.

The winningest head football coach in DeKalb County history passed away earlier this month at 83 years old. Godfrey coached Southwest DeKalb for 29 years, winning 273 games, 13 region titles and the 1995 Class 4A state championship.

The motto for many of Godfrey’s teams was “More Than Victories,” because of him saying it so frequently.

“He instilled in us the pride, the tradition of the community, the partnerships and we’re just excited to be able to continue that legacy of greatness,” said Brandon Thompson, who just began his third year as principal at Southwest DeKalb. “This is what it’s all about. The lights, the thrill, the memories, the nostalgic feeling of greatness back in the day to now. It’s an amazing feeling overall.”

There was a moment of silence for Godfrey at halftime of the Southwest DeKalb-Stephenson game. Montgomery said there are plans to honor the former coach by calling it the William “Buck” Godfrey Kickoff Classic next year.

The pride and playing for more than a win on the schedule was evident on the field and in the stands all day Saturday. Fans from different schools sat together and soaked in the event. There was an obvious sense of respect for each other, regardless of who they played for.

“It’s almost like a reunion,” Jelks said. “I used to teach at Lithonia, that was my first job. I’ve seen like 12 of my kids that graduated in 2008, 2010. When you see that, this is why we’re doing that. It brings people together.”

“This was excellent,” Southwest DeKalb coach Marion Bell III said. “It was great for the community, great for DeKalb County.”