CALHOUN YELLOW JACKETS vs. RIDGELAND PANTHERS at Barron Stadium in Rome, Georgia, 5:30 p.m.
Storyline: This game will serve as the opener for the state of Georgia as part of the Corky Kell Classic lineup, and it features two of northwest Georgia’s most successful teams of the past few seasons. Calhoun, the 2017 state champion and the top-ranked team in Class AAA, should have a powerful offense, led by three-year starting QB Gavin Gray, TE Davis Allen, RB Zach Fuller and WR Brannon Spector. Allen and Spector, both Clemson recruits, also head up a defense that should carry on the Calhoun legacy of elite units. Ridgeland ushers in the Cortney Braswell coaching era and with it a switch to the spread offense. Senior QB Tanner Hill will team with playmakers Stephon Walker, Azavier and Jordan Blackwell and Terrance and Torrance Roberts. Both teams had heavy graduation losses on the defensive line, and with the possibility of the offenses running plays at high speed, depth and conditioning on defense may be the difference.
CENTRAL PURPLE POUNDERS vs. WALKER VALLEY MUSTANGS at Finley Stadium, 6 p.m.
Storyline: Central opened last season by outlasting the Mustangs in a shootout as the teams combined for 84 points. The Purple Pounders have a new, defensive-minded head coach – Curt Jones, who helped Notre Dame reach the Division II-AA title game last year as the Fighting Irish’s defensive coordinator – which should make them tougher on that side of the ball. They also bring back 15 total starters, including dual-threat QB Jaheim Jones and powerful RB Michael McGhee (5-foot-10, 195 pounds) from an offense that scored 30-plus points seven times last year. Walker Valley will be one of the most inexperienced teams in the area, with three offensive starters back and only seven seniors on the roster. The Mustangs must replace not only a record-setting QB but also nearly every other skill position starter.
SWEETWATER WILDCATS at MEIGS COUNTY TIGERS, 7:30 p.m.