Valdosta Wildcats
Valdosta Wildcats’ Dynamic Duo
By: Ron Reagin
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Local restaurant and hangout, Big Nick’s was recently packed as friends, family, teammates, and coaches filled every seat and it was standing room only.
Valdosta High running backs Deron Foster and Marquis Fennell announced their college decisions in front of Valdosta’s faithful fans.
Foster, the every-down back, will head west to Oregon State. Fennell, the explosive playmaker, utility back, will take his talents to Stanford.
Before they head west, they will try to top last year’s performance for the Wildcats. The duo accounted for 64% of all touchdowns last season and 57% of total yards as juniors with both averaging over 100 yards per game in what was a tremendous offense top to bottom.
Deron Foster chose the Beavers over offers from Stanford, Liberty, and Georgia State. The decision came down to the opportunity to play for associate head coach and running backs coach Lee Marks, who has a strong track record developing backs, and new head coach JaMarcus Shephard’s vision.
Foster rushed for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns last season, adding 148 receiving yards and two more scores. He posted nine 100-yard rushing games and sees himself stepping in early in Corvallis.
Marquis Fennell had a long list of suitors, including Colorado, Florida State, and Georgia Tech, but chose Stanford for the combination of football opportunity and elite academics. His mother, Leslie, played a big role in emphasizing the long-term value of the education.
Fennell had a monster junior season with 2,505 all-purpose yards, including 1,480 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground, plus 764 receiving yards and 10 scores through the air.
He expects to be a versatile running back who can impact games from the backfield or out wide to present multiple problems for opposing defense.
Both backs rushed for over 1,000 yards. The last time the Wildcats had 2 rushers over 1,000 yards, was back in 1988 with Isaac Cesar and James Roberts.
Head coach Shelton Felton praised both as great players and even better young men and leaders.
“You’ve got Live at 5 (Foster), you’ve got Category 4 (Fennell),” Felton said. “They are really great kids on and off the field… I’m blessed to have those two as part of my program.”
Both players expressed relief at getting their commitments done early, though Foster admitted he’s not quite ready to move on from the Friday night lights. “There’s nothing like high school ball,” he said.
With unfinished business after falling just short of a state title, both are motivated for a bigger senior season in 2026.
“We all know we have unfinished business,” Fennell said.
This commitment night caps a special chapter for Valdosta’s backfield while setting the stage for what should be another strong year for the running back duo and the Wildcats.
Valdosta Wildcats 2026 Preview
By: Ron Reagin
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Few things matter more in the new Post-Season Ranking Formula (PSRF) era than building the right schedule.
In the Valdosta Wildcats’ case, wins also carry more meaning as they are racing to be the first high school program to reach 1,000 wins.
Valdosta’s 2026 slate looks like a smart, strategic effort designed for this new system to maximize wins both in the regular season and postseason.
Here is the Wildcats’ confirmed 2026 schedule:
Aug. 7: Worth County (Scrimmage)
Aug. 21: @ Jones County
Aug. 28: vs. Howard
Sept. 4: vs. Bradwell Institute
Sept. 11: vs. KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (Homecoming)
Sept. 25: vs. Stockbridge
Oct. 2: vs. Booker High (Sarasota, FL)
Oct. 16: @ Colquitt County
Oct. 23: vs. Camden County
Oct. 30: @ Lowndes (Winnersville Classic)
Nov. 6: vs. Richmond Hill (Senior Night)
The Wildcats will play six home games, three road games, and four tough Region 1-AAAAAAA contests.
Non-Region Breakdown: Valdosta’s non-region schedule looks well-balanced.
The road trip opener to Jones County and home games against Stockbridge and Booker High (Sarasota, FL) provide quality competition that should boost both OWP and OOWP.
Booker, a consistent playoff team in Florida, could prove to be a strong addition.
The home games against Howard, Bradwell Institute, and KIPP Atlanta Collegiate are winnable matchups that should help build the win column without being too soft.
But as we all know too well, you can never overlook an opponent that has nothing to lose. Those types of teams historically pull out all the stops to beat Valdosta.
The Region 1 Gauntlet: Region 1-AAAAAAA remains one of Georgia’s strongest regions year after year.
The late-season stretch: @ Colquitt County, vs. Camden County, @ Lowndes, and vs. Richmond Hill will be critical.
In a small five-team region, every result carries heavy weight under PSRF. Avoiding a late-season loss will be critical in maintaining a strong playoff seed.
From the unbiased broadcast booth, a 9-1 record with three region wins feels like the most realistic strong outcome.
That should position Valdosta comfortably inside the top 20 statewide with a favorable seed. However, most Valdosta fans will not be happy with anything but a championship.
The expectation to win, especially after a region championship and semifinal run last season, is even higher this year.
Strengths: Six home games help accumulate wins for the 35% winning percentage component.
Quality non-region opponents (especially Booker, Stockbridge, and Jones County) combined with a tough region give Valdosta a legitimate strength-of-schedule advantage without sacrificing winnable games.
Risks: As we’ve alluded to with the new PSRF, late-season swings are very real. The final four games are all region contests. A tough stretch in October and early November could drop the Wildcats several spots in the rankings even with a winning record. This risk is one that all Region 1 teams will be trying to avoid.
Overall, Valdosta’s 2026 schedule appears well-constructed for the PSRF era. It balances winnable home games with enough quality competition to reward a strong season.
Valdosta fans should be excited, as this slate gives the Wildcats a legitimate chance at a high seed and deep playoff run.
At The Top
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We are almost midway through the high school football regular season. Let’s take a look at some of the top teams in 6A.
#1 Grayson: The Rams are the defending state champions and are off to a 4-0 start. They started the season with a 51-3 win at Colllins Hill. They beat Rabun Gap-Nacoochee 24-19 and Thompson (AL) 24-23. Their last game was September 5th against Mallard Creek (NC) and they won 63-13.
The Rams start region play this week against Grovetown (3-1). Grayson is by far the best team in Region 4 AAAAAA and they are the only ranked team in the region. I expect them to finish the season undefeated.
#2 Buford: The Wolves (4-0) just beat #4 Douglas County 34-26. This game featured at least 25 players with Power 4 offers. Florida State coach Mike Norvell and Georgia State coach Dell McGee attended this top five showdown.
The Wolves started the season with a 20-13 win over Milton. They followed that up by beating Benedictine on the road, 42-14. They destroyed Roswell 65-21 in Week 3. They begin region play this week against Discovery (0-3). Buford does not face any other ranked teams in Region 8AAAAAA.
#3 Carrolton: The Trojans (5-0) lost the 2024 state championship to Grayson. Five-star quarterback Julian Lewis graduated and he plays for Colorado now. Carrolton is showing they are an elite program and they were not just successful because of Lewis.
The only game that was decided by one score was the Week 3 win at Rome, 28-21. In the other four games, the closest margin of victory has been 22 points.
They are in Region 2AAAAAA with #4 Douglas County. They will play in the season finale. Region play will start 10/3 at Westlake. I think the winner of the last game will be the region champs.
#4 Douglas County: The Tigers (3-2) have a lot of talent but they have played a tough schedule. They lost to the #2 team in 5A on the road, Hughes 44-31. They lost to #2 Buford on the road the following week, 34-26.
They started the season with wins over #6 North Gwinnett, Jonesboro and Newton.
Their next game is against 2A Columbia (0-4), so they should blow them out. Like I said above, their next challenge will be in the season finale against #3 Carrolton.
#5 Valdosta: The Wildcats (5-0) are looking to win their first state title since 2016. The only close game they have played was against Jesuit (FL) 21-14. They have beaten Tucker 63-19, Mundy’s Mill 60-14, Dougherty 52-3 and South Gwinnett 41-3.
They are in the toughest region in the state, Region 1AAAAAA. They have a bye this week and start region play 9/26 at #10 Camden County. The following game is at #9 Colquitt County and the season finale is against #8 Lowndes. If you are keeping track, that’s four top 10 teams in the state in the same region.
I don’t think Valdosta will make it out of region play unscathed.
