Camden County Wildcats
October In Region 1-7A
By: Ron Reagin
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Region play has not started in Region 1-7A. That changes in October.
The five-team region — Valdosta, Lowndes, Colquitt County, Camden County and Richmond Hill — has spent September on non-region slates.
The records look good, but the standings do not mean as much yet. The next five weeks will decide the region title, the first-round home game, and most of the PSR seeds that follow.
The non-region schedules for the majority of Region 1-7A has been managed well by all teams. Colquitt has suffered a couple of early losses, as well as Camden. Luckily for them, Region 1 is an equalizer if they can win in one of the toughest regions in the state.
The October-November gauntlet
Region games come in a tight cluster:
Oct. 9 — Colquitt at Richmond Hill; Lowndes vs. Camden
Oct. 16 — Valdosta at Colquitt, Richmond Hill @Camden
Oct. 23 — Camden at Valdosta; Lowndes at Richmond Hill
Oct. 30 — Lowndes vs. Valdosta (Winnersville Classic); Colquitt at Camden
Nov. 6 — Lowndes at Colquitt; Richmond Hill at Valdosta
That is 10 region games in a five week span spilling over into the first week of November.
Every one of them counts twice: once in the region standings, and once in the PSR formula that will seed the 7A playoffs statewide.
What each team needs:
Valdosta has the best early PSR profile in the region and is projected as a high seed if it takes care of business.
The Wildcats still have to go to Moultrie, host Camden, go to Lowndes for the Winnersville Classic, and close with Richmond Hill. An unbeaten region run would lock up the title and a first-round home game.
Lowndes is 5-0 and has been dominant at home. The Vikings’ non-region wins have not carried much PSR weight. Region wins will.
Hosting Camden, going to Richmond Hill, hosting Valdosta, and finishing at Colquitt is a four-game stretch that will define Adam Carter’s fourth season.
Colquitt has a winning record after losses to Thomas County Central and Lee County.
Those two losses hurt the record and helped the schedule strength. The Packers still have a path to a high seed if they win their share in region play. The home date with Valdosta on Oct. 16 and the finale against Lowndes are the measuring sticks.
Camden needs region wins more than anyone. A decent start and a mid-teens PSR projection leave little margin.
Games at Lowndes, at Valdosta, and at home against Colquitt will decide whether the Wildcats are a playoff team with a decent seed or a team looking in from the outside.
Richmond Hill is off to a tremendous start and still the team the formula has treated the harshest. The early wins have not built much opponent winning percentage.
Hosting Colquitt, hosting Lowndes, and going to Valdosta in the finale is the chance to change that. Those games could flip the PSR picture fast if Richmond Hill can win continue winning in the Region.
Why October matters more this year
The region champion still gets a first-round home game. After that, PSR seeds the field 1 through 32.
A second-place team with a tougher résumé can be seeded higher than a champion from a weaker region. That is why these eight games are not just about first place. They are about who you beat and when you beat them.
Late-season upsets can wipe out a high PSR in a hurry. Region wins, in a tough region, can also climb a team several spots in a single Friday night.
The takeaway
September was about getting ready. October is about the region.
Valdosta and Lowndes enter as the favorites. Colquitt has the schedule profile to stay in the high-seed conversation. Camden and Richmond Hill have to prove it against the teams that will actually show up on the playoff résumé, and more importantly, show up in their PSR.
South Georgia fans are already looking forward to these matchups. This year they also decide the playoff seeds, and that makes October in Region 1 as important as it has been in a long time.
1-7A Rankings
By: Ron Reagin
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Region 1-7A has five teams this year — Valdosta, Lowndes, Colquitt County, Camden County and Richmond Hill — but the new GHSA Post-Season Ranking Formula is already separating them.
The formula is winning percentage (35%), opponents’ winning percentage (35%), and opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage (30%). Region champions still get a first-round home game. After that, the 1-32 seeds are driven by PSR, not region finish.
Maxwell’s model takes current results and plays out the rest of the season. For Region 1-7A, the projection (current PSR rank → predicted final seed, with Maxwell power rank in parentheses) looks like this:
Valdosta: 2 → 1 (8)
Lowndes: 7 → 9 (17)
Richmond Hill: 8 → 27 (23)
Camden County 16→ 17 (20)
Colquitt County: 18 → 5 (13)
That is the clearest snapshot of how the formula is working. Valdosta is projected to finish as the No. 1 seed in Class 7A.
Colquitt, sitting 2-2 and 17th in the live PSR, is projected to climb all the way to a No. 5 seed. Lowndes stays in the field as a No. 9. Camden holds around a mid-teens seed. Richmond Hill, unbeaten right now and ninth in the live PSR, is projected to slide to 27.
Who is benefiting
Valdosta is the early winner. The Wildcats are unbeaten and already carrying the region’s best opponents’ winning percentage. Maxwell has them finishing 10-0, winning the region, and coming out as the top seed in the class.
Colquitt County is the other big winner in the formula. The Packers lost to Thomas County Central and Lee County, two of the strongest teams in Georgia. Those losses hurt the record, but they help the schedule strength. That is why a 2-2 team is projected as a No. 5 seed when the season is over.
Camden is holding its ground. A 3-1 start and a decent Florida mix keep them in the playoff picture as a projected 17-seed.
Who is lacking the competition
Lowndes is projected to fall from a high current PSR spot to a No. 9 seed. Wins over Jenkins, Harris County, Lithonia and Blanche Ely look clean, but they do not move the OWP needle much.
Richmond Hill is the cautionary tale. Unbeaten, tied for eighth in the live PSR, and projected to finish 27th.
Wins over Effingham, Liberty County, Jenkins and Ware County have not built enough opponent winning percentage. Unless region play changes that, the formula will treat them as a bubble team, not a high seed.
Schools that play Non-GHSA opponents get no benefit from OWP or OOWP, and only get 0.9 credit in their own WP.
How the region is predicted to finish
Maxwell’s most likely predicted outcomes:
Valdosta 10-0, region champion, PSR No. 1
Colquitt around 7-3, PSR No. 5
Lowndes around 8-2, PSR No. 9
Camden in the mid-teens
Richmond Hill fighting to stay inside the 32
Region play has not started. When these five start playing each other — Colquitt at Richmond Hill, Valdosta at Colquitt, Camden at Valdosta, Lowndes at Valdosta, Lowndes at Colquitt — both the standings and the formula will move at the same time.
Late season upsets could derail a high PSR for post season. Conversely, region wins are going to be key to maintain or gain spots in the PSR for seeding in the playoffs.
The takeaway
PSRF is doing what it was built to do. It is rewarding who you beat, not just that you won.
Valdosta is ahead because it is winning against teams that win. Colquitt is still in the high-seed conversation because it scheduled TCC and Lee County. Lowndes and Richmond Hill have the records. They still need the remaining games, especially region games, to raise the quality attached to those wins.
Bottom line, stats and projections are entertaining to speculate about, but wins in the region are going to be the final determining factor for PSR in 2026.
In a five-team region, every Friday of region matchups matters twice: once in the standings, and once in the formula that will seed the playoffs. October is going to be entertaining in Region 1-7A.
Brunswick High Pirates Coach’s Show with Byron Slack August 24 2026
South Georgia Friday Night Lights
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The High School Football season is now in full tilt. Both the GISA and GHSA are fully underway for the 2026 season.
Some games this past weekend that caught my eye are the following:
Calvary Day @ Glynn Academy: Despite Calvary Day being a AA team and Glynn Academy residing in 6A most experts thought that Calvary Day would come out victorious.
However, the Red Terrors led the Cavaliers 22-7 with under 2 minutes to go in the first half and had really stymied Calvary Day’s high powered offense to that point.
The Cavaliers put up a touchdown right before the half and the Red Terrors carried a 22-13 lead into the locker room at the half.
However, from that point on it would be all Calvary Day. The Cavaliers outscored the Terrors in the second half 36-0 and closed with 42 unanswered points on their way to a 49-22 defeat of the Glynn Academy in the opener for both teams.
Frederica Academy @ Pinewood: Both the Knights and Patriots entered week 2 of the GISA season with blowout losses from the previous week.
Frederica was dropped at home by Bethesda 55-7 and Pinewood fell to Bulloch Academy 44-6 on the road.
The Knights traveled to Bellville to take on the Patriots with both hoping to get their season back on track. It was Frederica that succeeded in that getting a big performance from several key players to blow out the Patriots 42-6.
Camden @ Brunswick High: The Pirates and Wildcats took the field Friday Night in a premier game in south Georgia.
Both programs debuted new coaches and new quarterbacks. Tucker Pruitt took over as the head man for Camden and Byron Slack took over for the Pirates.
The game was postponed early in the 2nd quarter due to lightning and both teams had to come back to Glynn County Stadium to finish the game on Saturday morning.
The Wildcats led at stoppage of play 14-7 with 11:35 left in the 2nd quarter.
When play resumed on Saturday morning the Pirates tied the game at 14-14. With the game tied at 21, the Wildcats scored the last 14 points giving Tucker Pruitt his first win as Camden County Head Coach 35-21.
Some other interesting results from across the state were as follows:
The Coffee County Trojans traveled up to Atlanta to play the Parkview Panthers and completely dominated the Panthers 49-14.
The Toombs County Bulldogs took the trip to Savannah to take on the Benedictine Cadets. Despite the Cadets being a 5A school and Toombs only being 3A, Toombs pulled away from Benedictine for a convincing 58-21 victory.
One of the premier games of the night saw Thomas County Central hosting the Colquitt County Packers. Both are power houses and everyone expected a very competitive game. This was not the case.
The Yellow Jackets blasted the Packers 57-21 in game that was never really close.
The Pierce County Bears took a trip over to Alabama to take on the Coosa Christian Conquerors. Most expected a very tight game between these two power houses. However, the Bears woodshedded the Conquerors 55-0.
Brunswick High Pirates Coach’s Show with Byron Slack August 17 2026
New Camden Wildcat QB Transfers In
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There is suddenly a whole lot more intrigue surrounding the 2026 season for the Camden County Wildcats.
Just days before the 2026 Spring Game against Columbia High School, Columbia’s starting quarterback is reportedly making the move to Camden County.
According to reports out of Lake City, Class of 2027 quarterback Xavier Collins is transferring from Columbia High School to Camden County and participated in his final practice with the Tigers in the middle of May.
That is a significant pickup for the Wildcats. Collins has been a three-year starter at Columbia and has already put together an impressive high school résumé.
Over the last three seasons, he has thrown for more than 3,500 yards and 35 touchdowns while becoming one of the more experienced quarterbacks in the region.
The 6 foot 2, 185 pound signal caller is coming off the best season of his career. Last year at Columbia, Collins completed 140 of 249 passes for 2,033 yards and 16 touchdowns.
He also currently holds a college offer from Ave Maria University in southwest Florida.
The move also fills a major need for Camden County after the Wildcats lost quarterback William Jackson during the offseason.
Jackson transferred to Evans High School after putting together a strong junior campaign for Camden in 2025.
Last season, Jackson completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,923 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions. He also added more than 250 rushing yards and 3 scores on the ground.
So now, Camden enters the Tucker Pruitt era with a new quarterback under center and a player who already brings extensive varsity experience to the offense.
For Camden County fans, it is another fascinating storyline as the Wildcats continue adjusting to a new coaching staff, new systems, and now a new quarterback leading the offense into the 2026 season.
And based on the numbers Collins put up at Columbia, Camden may have landed a player capable of making an immediate impact.
Jason Bishop Show April 9 2026
The Finish Line
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We have made our way to the final week of the high school football season. For some there are still a lot of undecided seedings and playoff berths to be determined in this final week and for others the season will close on Halloween Night.
The Brunswick High Pirates will be moving onto the playoffs, just what seed still needs to be determined. The Pirates are 7-2 overall and 6-1 in region play.
Brunswick will host the South Effingham Mustangs this week at Glynn County Stadium. The Mustangs were eliminated from the playoffs last week after they went down to
The Statesboro Blue Devils last week 27-17.
For South Effingham it is a chance to finish at .500 and for Brunswick there is still potential to claim a region title and a #1 seed for the GHSA playoffs.
The Pirates need to beat South Effingham and a little help from the Effingham Rebels, who play Statesboro at Womack Field in Statesboro.
If Effingham can knock off the Blue Devils coupled with a Pirates win, the Rebels would claim a #2 seed and the Pirates would claim the Region Title. Otherwise, BHS would be #2 seed and Effingham would be the #3 seed with Statesboro as your Region Champ.
If BHS were to lose to South Effingham and Effingham wins, the Rebels would be your Region Champs.
The Frederica Knights went 7-3 in the regular season and 3-0 in the region.
The Knights downed the St. Andrews Lions last week 49-16 to finish the regular season.
Frederica will receive a 1st round bye in the GISA playoffs but will have to begin on the road taking on the Valwood Valiants in Valdosta.
Valwood earned a #4 seed and Frederica was the #5 seed.
The Knights fell to Valwood earlier in the season 33-14 at home on St. Simons Island.
The Glynn Academy Red Terrors are currently 5-4 and 4-3 in region play.
The Red Terrors fell to Effingham last week 45-42 in a game that the Terrors made a frantic comeback almost pulling off a miracle. Glynn trailed 45-20 heading into the 4th quarter and scored 21 unanswered points to close the game and simply ran out of time to finish the comeback.
The Terrors will close the season against the Greenbriar Wolfpack. Win or lose Glynn will be in the playoffs as the #4 seed from Region 1-5A. Greenbriar is 2-7.
The MCA Buccaneers are 5-4 and 4-3 in region play. The Bucs took care of business last week beating the Savannah Blue Jackets 35-20 last week.
Currently the Bucs are sitting as the #3 seed in Region 3-A D2. MCA will take on the Portal Panthers needing a win to maintain playoff hopes.
A Buccaneer win coupled with a loss for either Bryan County or Jenkins County would punch a playoff ticket for McIntosh County. If MCA and Jenkins County win and Bryan County loses the Bucs would be a #4 seed. If MCA and Bryan County win and Jenkins County loses then MCA would be a #3 seed.
Bryan County plays Metter at Metter and Jenkins County goes to Savannah.
If all three lose then it would create a four-way tie breaker between MCA, Jenkins county Metter and Bryan County for the #3 and #4 seeds. If all three win then it would be a three-way tie breaker for the #3 and #4 seeds.
The Camden County Wildcats are 5-4 on the season and 0-4 Region 1-6A.
The Wildcats had their playoff hopes ended last week at the hands of the Colquitt County Packers, losing 45-28.
Camden started the season undefeated at 5-0 but have since gone winless in region play.
The Wildcats will play the Tift County Blue Devils looking to finish above .500 at 6-4. Tift is also winless in the region at 0-4 and is 3-6 overall. They will play the game in Tifton.
Dragons Slayed
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As the High School Football season marches on the playoff picture begins to become clearer with teams around southeast Georgia.
Over on St. Simons Island the Frederica Academy Knights claimed another region championship. The Knights hosted Pinewood Christian Academy on Friday night and down the Patriots 28-14.
The win took the Knights to 6-3 overall and 2-0 in the region and clinched another Region Championship for Coach Brandon Derrick and his Knights of Frederica.
Frederica will trek up to Savannah to take on St. Andrews in the season finale with a possible 1st Round bye on the line.
The Brunswick High Pirates are currently the #2 seed in Region 1-5A with the #1 seed still a possibility. The Pirates are hoping either the South Effingham Mustangs or Effingham Rebels can upend the Statesboro Blue Devils in one of the last two games of the season which would allow Brunswick to claim the #1 seed.
Brunswick is 7-2 overall and 6-1 in region play. The Pirates will rest up on a bye this week before they play and will get ready to take South Effingham in the season finale.
The MCA Buccaneers went into Friday’s game against the Metter Tigers in a ‘must win’ situation to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Bucs did just that. Coach Bradley Warren’s Buccaneers went on the road to Metter and beat the Tigers 18-8.
The win pulls the Bucs to .500 at 4-4 overall and 3-3 in the region.
MCA’s defense has only allowed 15 points in the last 3 games.
The Bucs still have the Savannah Blue Jackets and the Portal Panthers on the docket. If they win both of those games the Bucs would be in as a #4 seed holding the tie breaker over both Bryan County and Metter.
The Glynn Academy Red Terrors are currently the #4 seed in Region 1-5A and have a big matchup this week against the Effingham Rebels. Effingham is currently the #3 team in the region.
This is a must win for the Red Terrors. A Glynn win would almost assure Glynn of a playoff berth at least as #3 seed. A Red Terror loss puts them on the outside looking in and Glynn would need a lot of help to get into the playoffs in the final week.
The Red Terrors are 5-3 overall in 2025 and 4-2 in the region. A #2 seed is still not out of reach for Terrors either with a little help. If Glynn Academy wins out and Statesboro drops another game the #2 seed would belong to the Red Terrors.
The Camden County Wildcats will be taking on the Colquitt County Packers and are coming off of a much-needed bye. After a 5-0 start the Camden County Wildcats have dropped 3 straight, all region games.
With losses to Valdosta, Lowndes and Richmond Hill Camden has to win in the Hog Pen in Moultrie to have a chance to make the playoffs.
For the Wildcats the path to the playoffs is a little complicated. Camden must beat both Colquitt and Tift in the final two and have Richmond Hill beat Colquitt in the season finale. This would give Camden the #4 seed. A loss to Colquitt or Tift would eliminate Camden from postseason play.
The Wildcats are currently 5-3 on the season and 0-3 in region play.
Bedeviled
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Week nine of the high school football season was full of unexpected outcomes and the playoff picture beginning to solidify.
The Brunswick High Pirates looked as if they may coast to another region title in region 1-5A. However, the Statesboro Blue Devils had other plans hosting the Pirates at home at Womack Field.
BHS entered the game at 6-1 and they were undefeated in the region. The Pirates’ lone loss came way back in week 1 to the Camden County Wildcats. Statesboro entered the game tied for second place in the region with their lone region loss to Glynn Academy and 4-2 overall.
The Blue Devils got up early 14-0. Brunswick battled back in the second half and held a 21-20 late. However, the Blue Devils took a 26-21 lead and sealed the game with a late safety for the 28-21 final.
The win for Statesboro gives them an inside track for their first region title since 2005; they won the state title that year.
There is no better rivalry in GISA than Frederica Academy and Bulloch Academy. The Knights and Gators renewed their rivalry with Bulloch Academy a significant favorite to win the game. That did not matter to the Knights.
In this rivalry you can throw all records and stats out the window and Frederica showed us why.
The Knights Head Coach Brandon Derrick was fresh off his 100th career win the week before against the Robert Toombs Christian Academy Crusaders.
The underdog Knights beat Bulloch handily 35-20 in the ‘Bloody Marsh’ on St. Simons.
With the win Frederica improved to 5-3 on the season and 1-0 in region play. It also makes them the favorite to win their win, which comprises of Frederica, Bulloch, Pinewood and St. Andrews.
For Bulloch Academy it was their second loss of the season and made them 6-2 overall.
The MCA Buccaneers came into their game against the Bryan County Redskins having lost four of their last five games and needing a win just to stay in the playoff picture.
The Bucs lone two wins coming into the game were against the Islands and Claxton, not exactly state title contenders.
MCA had lost a heartbreaker to Jenkins County the week before 7-0 in a region tilt. Against Bryan County they turned the tables, this time winning the game 7-0.
The loss for Bryan County more than likely eliminated them from being able to make the playoffs.
The win kept slim hopes alive for MCA in Region 3-A Division 2 as far as making the playoffs. The Bucs have games against Metter, Savannah and Portal remaining. More than likely, The Bucs must win out to get into the playoffs.
Down in Kingsland the Camden County Wildcats continued to struggle in region play. The Cats hosted the Lowndes County Vikings at Chris Gilman Stadium and were downed by the undefeated Vikings, 35-14.
Lowndes has a pretty firm grasp on winning Region 1-6A. Their final two games are both on the road with Richmond Hill and then against rival Valdosta.
Meanwhile for Camden, not making the playoffs is beginning to look like the reality. The Wildcats are 5-3 and 0-3 in the region. The Cats started 5-0 but have now lost three straight, all region games. Those losses include Valdosta, Richmond Hill and Lowndes.
Camden has Colquitt and Tift left on the schedule.
Historically, two region wins will get you in the playoffs in this region. That would not be the case for Camden. The Wildcats need to win out and have Colquitt drop their last game to Richmond Hill for a #4 seed.
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