The Hughes football team is enjoying the best of times in the history of a program that began in 2009.
The Panthers went 28-2 over the past two seasons, reaching the championship game in 2021 and bringing home the school’s first football state title last season.
Now, the Panthers will face perhaps the biggest challenge in their run of success when they open the season Friday on the road against Carrollton in a 6 p.m. game that will be televised by ESPN2. The Trojans were 14-1 last year, losing to Mill Creek in the Class 7A championship game, and enter the 2023 season ranked No. 2 behind Buford in the highest classification.
The highlight will be the matchup of two of the nation’s highest-rated quarterbacks.
Hughes senior Air Noland, the consensus No. 4 quarterback prospect nationally, has passed for 8,024 yards and 104 touchdowns in his career. He threw 55 touchdown passes last year, one short of the state record, as the Panthers scored at least 35 points in every game and finished with a state-record 792 points in their 15-0 season. Noland has committed to Ohio State.
“He’s going on 45-plus games, so Air is at the point now where he’s seen every coverage known to man, every stunt,” Hughes coach Daniel Williams told the AJC’s Todd Holcomb. “He has touch. He has pop. He has accuracy. He can put the ball down field. He understands the concept of taking what they give you.”
Carrollton counters with sophomore Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis, who was recently rated by ESPN as the No. 1 prospect in the nation in any class. He was 283-of-432 passing for 4,118 yards and 48 touchdowns as a freshman. He has more than 30 offers, including those from Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama.
Hughes and Carrollton originally signed to play in the season-opening Freedom Bowl, a four-game interstate event at Milton. But Florida and Alabama recently changed some rules and prevented their teams from leaving the state that week. Hughes and Carrollton chose to play each other instead of another out-of-state opponent.
The season begins Wednesday with a game involving two Class 6A schools, North Atlanta and Johns Creek, who will meet at 4:30 p.m. at Kell High School in the opening game of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic. Here are four more of this week’s top games involving Class 6A teams.
*Marist at Gainesville: Gainesville hired Josh Niblett as head coach and dropped down from Class 7A after posting an 11-10 record in two seasons in the highest class, and the Red Elephants made a big splash in the opener with a 34-23 victory over then-No. 6 Marist, which had moved up from Class 4A. The victory ignited Gainesville’s 14-game winning streak that ended with a 35-28 loss to Hughes in the state final. Gainesville won its first region title since 2013. Marist went on to win 10 of its next 11 games, and its third straight region title, before losing to Rome in the quarterfinals. The War Eagles are seeking their seventh consecutive 10-win season.
*Warner Robins at Lee County: Lee County failed to reach the 10-win mark for the first time since 2016 when it finished the season 8-4 in 2022, but the Trojans started with a 26-10 victory over two-time defending Class 5A champion Warner Robins. The Trojans opened the season 6-1 but went 2-3 down the stretch and lost to Woodward Academy in the second round. Lee is led by Ousmane Kromah, who is the No. 2 running back prospect nationally among juniors, according to On3. Warner Robins has a new coach in former Rome offensive coordinator Shane Sams, who was hired after Marquis Westbrook became head coach at Peach County.
*Cass at Rome: This is the second game of a Friday doubleheader at Rome’s Barron Stadium that is part of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic. Cass won a postseason game last season for the first time since 1983, and it returns three players that were named Class 5A preseason all-state – WR Sacovie White, LB Kevin Henderson and DB Devin Henderson. Rome went 12-2 last season, won its fifth region title in seven years and reached the Class 6A semifinals. Reece Fountain passed for 3,028 yards, completing 75% of his passes, and 28 touchdowns in 2022 and is 27-5 as a starter. Rome is 9-1 all-time against Cass, winning most recently 49-10 in 2019.
*Trinity Christian at Woodward Academy: Trinity Christian won the Class A Private championship in 2021 before moving all the way up to Class 4A during reclassification. The Lions fared well in their new class, finishing tied for second place in a tough Region 4-4A, but they were no match for Woodward Academy, which won 37-19 in the teams’ season opener. Woodward, which moved up from 5A, finished the 2022 season 11-2. Five Woodward players – OL Bradley Smith, PK Hudson Hanges, DL London Merritt, LB Andrew Hines III and DB C.J. Heard – made this year’s 6A preseason all-state team. That’s the most of any team in the classification.
About the Author
