Lee County will try to prevent a sweep of Region 1-6A by defending Class 5A champion Warner Robins when the two No. 1-ranked teams face off Friday at McConnell-Talbert Stadium in what could be the top game in the state in Week 6 of the high school football season.
Warner Robins (4-0) already has beaten fellow Region 1-6A teams Valdosta (48-20 on Aug. 21), Northside-Warner Robins (49-7 on Sept. 10) and Houston County (49-9 on Sept. 17). The Demons also beat those three teams last year – although the Valdosta win was a forfeit victory after the Wildcats won 28-25 on the field – before Lee County ended the streak with a 27-7 victory in Leesburg. That was Warner Robins’ only loss in a 13-1 championship season.
“This is as big as it gets in a regular-season game between two nationally ranked teams,” Lee County head coach Dean Fabrizio told Joe Whitfield for the Albany Herald. “It’s not often that you get to have two teams ranked No. 1 playing each other this late in the season. Usually teams are in region play by now.”
Lee County was the state runner-up in 6A last season, losing to Buford 34-31 in overtime in the championship game. The Trojans are 5-0 this year, outscoring their opponents by an average of 47-11, and they moved up to No. 1 this week after previous No. 1 Buford lost to Chaminade-Madonna, Fla., on Friday.
The Trojans will host North Miami Beach, Fla., next week before opening region play at Houston County on Oct. 15.
Here are five more top games involving Class 6A teams. All games are Friday, and all are subject to change:
*Glynn Academy at Brunswick: Glynn Academy (1-2-1) won four of the past five Region 2 titles, but crosstown rival Brunswick (4-0) appears to be the team to beat this year as the region begins league play this week. Brunswick and Glynn were in a three-way tie for first place in the region in 2020, but Glynn Academy won the tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed despite losing to Brunswick 24-21.
*Lanier at Dacula: These teams have been consistent winners in 6A over the past decade, but both have struggled out of the gate this season – Lanier is 1-2 and Dacula is 1-3. They’ll meet Friday in the Region 8 opener, trying to get a leg up in a playoff race that should be wide open behind No. 2 Buford. Dacula won 28-27 last year as Lanier missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
*North Atlanta at Pebblebrook: North Atlanta (4-0) and 7A Pebblebrook (4-0-1) are two of only 15 teams in the two highest classes that have yet to suffer a loss. Pebblebrook is coming off a rare tie, 14-14 against Riverdale last week. North Atlanta, which already has surpassed last season’s win total (3-5), gets one final tune-up before heading into Region 4-6A play against Tucker next week.
*Riverwood at Johns Creek: The winner of this game will move into sole possession of first place in Region 7, a half-game ahead of River Ridge and Cambridge, who have the week off. Riverwood (4-0, 1-0), a 5A region champion in 2019, started 3-0 last season but lost its next five, starting with a 27-20 loss to Johns Creek. Johns Creek (3-1, 1-0) won region titles in three of the past five seasons.
*Valdosta at Lowndes: Valdosta leads the Winnersville Classic series 37-22, but Lowndes has won 13 of the past 17, including the past four. Valdosta, whose 1-3 record includes a forfeit to Bainbridge, is in its first season under coach Shelton Felton. The Wildcats will attempt to slow down Lowndes QB Jacurri Brown (646 yards passing, 345 rushing), a four-star prospect committed to Miami.
About the Author
