Southern Sports Edition
Valdosta Wildcats Strong Start
By: Ron Reagin
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Opening the season on the road is never easy, especially with a young defense and a lightning delay that pushed kickoff all the way to 9:20 p.m. Valdosta handled both challenges Friday night and came away with a solid 52-14 win at Jones County.
The Wildcats treated the game like a business trip. They went on the road, took care of business, and left with a victory despite the late start and the usual early-season social media noise.
The offense looked ready from the start. With most of its key pieces returning, Valdosta rolled up 426 yards of total offense — 251 through the air and 175 on the ground. Marquis Fennell and Deron Foster once again formed one of the most dangerous backfield combinations in the state.
Fennell scored four touchdowns just about every way a running back can. He rushed for the game’s first points, caught touchdown passes from two different quarterbacks, and returned a punt 55 yards for another score. He finished with eight catches for 143 yards and two receiving touchdowns, plus nine carries for 48 yards and a rushing score.
Special teams for the Wildcats was solid as well. Along with Fennell’s punt return touchdown, sophomore kicker Alans Garcia handled the kickoffs and made a 36-yard field goal with plenty of distance to spare. New punter Freddy Poole had two punts and averaged 30 yards per punt, with veteran Troy commit long snapper William Mosley handling all the snaps flawlessly.
Oregon State commit Deron Foster did the lion’s share on the ground, carrying 18 times for 107 yards and a touchdown. Senior center Austin Spray and the experienced offensive line helped create running lanes and gave the quarterbacks time to work.
Speaking of the quarterbacks, Tripp Perry delivered the best game of his career. He completed 9 of 12 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns while showing the leadership and command he has displayed throughout the offseason.
When sophomore Lamar Thomas got his opportunity, he answered with a sharp 5-of-8 performance for 84 yards and two touchdowns of his own.
Sophomore Quincy Hunt added a hard-running 30 yards on five carries, and senior wideout Jamarian Mingo hauled in five catches for 87 yards, scoring from both quarterbacks.
Before the game, head coach Shelton Felton was asked what he wanted to see from his young defense. His answer was clear: “I want to see a physical, fast and detailed defense. They could make mistakes but make them full speed… new season, want them to have fun and run to the football.”
Outside of a couple of missed fits on run defense that led to long runs, the defense answered the call. Jones County finished with just 14 points and 245 total yards.
After the game, Coach Felton praised the unit for making adjustments at halftime. When asked how he sees them growing, he said, “One play at a time, one week at a time and one game at a time… gotta stay with us. Growing pains. A lot of guys this is their first time playing big-time football.”
It was not a perfect night, but it was a professional one. The Wildcats did what they were supposed to do on the road in Week 1.
Next Friday night they return to the friendly confines of Bazemore-Hyder Stadium for the home opener against Howard.
After a businesslike start on the road, the Cats will look to keep the momentum going in front of the home crowd over this 5 game home stand.
1-7A Week One
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
If the opening weekend of Georgia high school football told us anything about Region 1-7A, it’s that nobody should expect many easy Friday nights once region play begins.
Camden County, Valdosta, Lowndes and Richmond Hill all opened with victories, while Colquitt County suffered the region’s lone defeat. That makes Region 1-7A a combined 4-1 after week one.
Of course, we’re only talking about one game. Nobody wins a region championship in August. But first impressions are still important, and each of the five teams gave us something to think about.
Let’s start close to home with Camden County. The Wildcats’ 35-21 victory at Brunswick might have told us something about Tucker Pruitt’s first Camden team that won’t show up in the box score.
Camden led 14-7 Friday night when lightning interrupted the game. After a lengthy delay, the decision was made to suspend play and resume Saturday morning.
Think about that from a high school player’s perspective. You prepare all week, travel to a rival’s stadium, get yourself emotionally ready, play one quarter….. and then go home. A few hours later, you’re getting up, loading the buses and doing it all over again.
Brunswick tied the game at 14 before halftime Saturday, but Camden responded by taking control in the second half.
That’s a pretty good first test for a new coaching staff.
Valdosta probably made the loudest statement of anybody in the region. The Wildcats went on the road and absolutely dismantled Jones County, 52-14.
It’s only Week One, but putting 52 points on the scoreboard away from home gets my attention. If anyone wondered whether Valdosta would once again be a serious factor in Region 1-7A, the first answer appears to be yes.
Lowndes wasn’t quite as explosive, but the Vikings did exactly what good football teams are supposed to do.
Jenkins scored first, but Lowndes responded with 31 unanswered points and cruised to a 31-6 victory.
The game itself was delayed nearly two hours by lightning, so apparently Mother Nature decided everybody in South Georgia needed a little extra adversity on opening night.
Richmond Hill had a much more stressful evening. The Wildcats escaped Effingham County with a 22-21 victory after Effingham scored on a long touchdown run with just over two minutes remaining. The potential tying extra point was blocked, allowing Richmond Hill to survive.
It wasn’t pretty, but I’ve never seen a standings column that asks how pretty the win was.
And then there’s Colquitt County. The Packers drew easily the toughest opening assignment of anyone in the region, facing defending Class 5A state champion Thomas County Central. Still, I don’t think anybody expected a 57-21 final score.
I’m certainly not ready to write off Colquitt after one game against one of Georgia’s best programs. The Packers have earned far too much respect over the years for that kind of overreaction. But 57-21 is still 57-21.
So what did we learn? Maybe nothing. It’s August. But we did get our first clues.
Camden showed resilience. Valdosta showed firepower. Lowndes took care of business. Richmond Hill found a way to survive. And Colquitt discovered it has some work to do.
The best part is that none of these teams have played each other yet. Eventually they will. And judging by the first weekend, Region 1-7A might be every bit the fight we expected it to be.
Camden County Wildcats Coach’s Show With Tucker Pruitt August 25 2026
Pack Of Wolves
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This is my favorite time of year, the beginning of football season. Let’s take a look at the top program in 7A and see how they started the season.
#1 Buford: The Wolves were undefeated in 2025 and won the national championship. They won the 6A state championship against Carrolton, 28-21.
Georgia has reintroduced the 7A classification this season and Buford is starting ranked at the top.
They did lose a lot of talent from that team. Some of the key players that graduated were starting quarterback Dayton Raiola, four-star safety and running back Tyriq “Ty Boogie” Green and leading rusher and three-star RB Dylan McCoy
“The biggest goal is being able to reset from last year with us being national champions,” said DJ Hunter, Buford’s starting quarterback and James Madison commit. “We want to create our own team instead of living off of the success from last year.”
There are some players with limited playing time that are expected to step up this season. Seniors Jameer Cantrell and Silas Nuckles bring some experience in the ground game. Cantrell, an Arkansas commit, had 43 carries for 303 yards and three touchdowns, while he also had 41 tackles as a defensive back in 2025.
Junior WR Braylon Williams is expected to be a top target for Hunter. He had 199 yards and four receiving touchdowns in seven games last year before missing the rest of the season due to injury.
Some additional highly ranked recruits on the roster are: LB Brayden Watson (Michigan), LB Ethan Hauser (Vanderbilt), S Jameer Cantrell (Arkansas), DE Luke Nabors (Offers from Auburn, Florida State, Miami (FL), Penn State and Georgia), DL Krystian Walcott (Boston College) and OL Noah Nixon (Pitt).
“They’re doing a good job of not making it all about what we did last year, because last year is not going to help us right now,” said head coach Bryant Appling. “So, I’m excited for the fact that they’re trying to be their own entity within the realm of beautiful football and start this campaign off the right way.”
They opened the season last week against the #3 team in 6A, Gainesville with a nationally televised game on ESPN. The Red Elephants advanced to the 5A state championship game last season.
Gainesville also added former Grayson head coach, Santavious Bryant. He coached the Rams from 2023-25 and led them to the 6A state championship in 2024. They were the top team in the state for most of 2025 until they lost to Carrolton in the playoffs and finished the season 12-1.
Buford won the game, 39-19. The Wolves pulled away in the second half. Gainesville turned the ball over five times and Buford scored 29 unanswered points.
Gainesville allowed two special teams touchdowns because of bad snaps that its punter could not catch, and both times Buford recovered in the end zone. They also had a third special teams’ turnover when their kick returner, Legend Wilmont fumbled during a punt return.
This was a big win and a great start to the season. Somehow, things got even better for them after that.
The nation’s No. 1 defensive lineman and No.4 overall recruit for the class of 2027, Jalen Brewster announced he’s transferring to Buford over the weekend. The 6’3, 300 lbs. Texas Tech commit is transferring from Cedar Hill (TX).
The only other tough game on the schedule appeared to be the September 18th matchup at #2 Grayson before the season started. The Rams are 0-2 so now that looks like a cakewalk.
I expect Buford to repeat as national champs.
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.
Bulloch Academy Gator Chomp
By: Joseph Stuckey
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Bulloch Academy Gators have started their 2026 football campaign with a 2-0 start.
In the first game of the regular season, the Gators handled their rival Pinewood Christian Academy in The Battle for I-16, winning 44-6. For this senior class, this makes them 4-0 in the rivalry series.
This past Friday, after an extensive rain delay (9:17pm start time), the Gators rallied back to beat Brentwood. Brentwood led 33-14 in the 3rd quarter before the Gators scored 22 unanswered points to move to 2-0 (final score: BA 36-Brentwood 33).
Both Pinewood and Brentwood compete in 2-A in the GIAA; Brentwood is the defending back-to-back AA State Champions.
Over these first couple of games, there have been a few standout Gators I want to make note of.
First, running back B.J. Smart really has filled into the starting role nicely and seems to be capable of helping the Gators run all the way to the playoffs.
The next 2 are what I call Swiss Army knives, meaning they are very versatile and make plays all over the field.
Connor Perry is very shifty and can make defenders miss in the open field. Rocco Reiss is a tough runner but can also be a deep-pass threat, as he had a 50+ yard touchdown reception this past Friday. Maddox Lee is also one of the very versatile players who the Gators will look to throughout the season.
Sam Hubbard, as we have seen for the past couple of years, is a very capable quarterback and shows he has ice in his veins and can take off and run for big gains when needed. He is committed to play baseball for Georgia Southern.
Nick Eason Jr. has also been playing exceptionally well on the offensive side of the ball and as a key defensive back, making several touchdown-saving pass breakups. He also had an interception against Brentwood.
Georgia Southern commit Billy Crider came into the season known for his catching ability, but he has also found success as a return man on special teams and a quick edge on the defensive line.
The offensive line up front has led the way to the Gators putting up 80 points over their first 2 games. Some of the key guys up front are Griff Sumner, Bryce Parish, Bo Crider, James Lee, and Slayton Roberts.
On the defensive side of the ball, the guys up front are rounding into mid-season form. Colin Grooms had a game-changing 15-yard tackle for loss against Brentwood. Kennesaw State commit Braylon Cone is taking command of the nose-guard position and basically eliminating any up-the-middle runs.
Whit Olliff has really impressed me so far this season; he has been a vocal leader on defense and has made impactful plays over these first 2 games.
I also want to mention sophomore Cannon Vickery, who is a spark plug for the Gators whenever he is in the game and brings a lot of energy to his teammates.
The 2-0 Gators will travel next week to take on fellow unbeaten team Tattnall Square Academy in Macon.
With a win next week, it will set up what many have dubbed the GIAA game of the year in Milledgeville on 9/4 between defending AAA State Champs John Milledge Academy and the Gators, who are one of the AAAA State Title favorites.
There are still a few things the Gators would like to sharpen up, as well as reduce the number of penalties as they continue the season, but so far this has been a positive start for the Gators.
Alabama Crimson Tide 2026 Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Alabama has been a perennial power in college football for decades. Any season where they don’t win a national championship seems like a disappointment.
Nick Saban coached the Crimson Tide from 2007-23 and was arguably the greatest coach of all time. He led them to six national championships and 9 SEC titles. As you can see, he’s a tough act to follow.
Kalen DeBoer stepped in as his replacement in 2024. He led Washington to the national championship game the year before that and had a record of 25-3 with the Huskies. So far, he has not met the expectations of Alabama fans.
They were 9-4 in 2024. In 2025, they were 11-4 and won a road College Football Playoff game against Oklahoma. They were obliterated in the Rose Bowl by Indiana, 38-3.
The Crimson Tide finished 125th in the nation in rushing in 2025, averaging 104.1 yards per game. Bama has been known for their physicality so that is surprising. The question is will that change in 2026?
They enter this season ranked #13. The offensive line has improved in Fall camp. Adrian Klemm is the new position coach and they are starting an entirely different o-line from last season.
“You can just see there’s more and more confidence,” DeBoer said. “I would just say, generally speaking, this week you are not having busts like we would have week one. You are seeing a gel. Now you are seeing holes open up for the running backs to run through, and we broke down what an explosive run play is and what it take sat the beginning of fall camp. And that’s the yards you get before contact. That’s making a missed tackle, you know? There is a formula to that when you play the percentages. And I think you are seeing more and more of that happen, but it starts all up front with the offensive line.”
The QB competition is between Keelon Russell and Austin Mack. We should find out who the starter will be in about one week.
The team is hoping talented junior WR Ryan Coleman-Williams can be more consistent in 2026. As a freshman he had 48 catches, 865 yards and 8 touchdowns. He also had 2 rushing scores. Last season, he had 49 receptions, 689 yards and 4 scores. He also had a lot of drops.
Bama lost over 20 players in the transfer portal and brought in 19 players. Some of the key players are OT Jayvin James (Miss State), Edge Desmond Umeozulu (South Carolina), IOL Nick Brooks (Texas), DL Terrance Green (Oregon), WR Noah Rogers (NC State), LB Caleb Woodson (VA Tech), TE Josh Ford (Oklahoma State), OL Kaden Strayhorn (Michigan) and DL Devan Thompkins (USC).
They also signed the top running back in the class of 2026, EJ Crowell.
Here is the schedule:
9/5 vs East Carolina
9/12 @ Kentucky
9/19 vs Florida State
9/26 vs South Carolina
10/3 @ Miss State
10/10 vs #3 Georgia
10/17 @ #20 Tennessee
10/24 vs #8 Texas A&M
11/7 @ #11 LSU
11/14 @ Vanderbilt
11/21 vs Chattanooga
11/28 vs Auburn
Alabama should start the season strong. They should get revenge against FSU after losing the season opener to them. After the first five games, the schedule gets tough.
The four game stretch against UGA, Tennessee, Texas A&M and LSU could make or break the season. I think they have to win at least two of those games to make the playoffs.
I predict Alabama to win nine regular season games.
Georgia Southern Eagles 2026 Preview
By: Capers Childs
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia Southern football enters the 2026 season looking to build off a 7-6 campaign that ended with a Birmingham Bowl victory over App State.
But with a number of new faces across the roster, the Eagles will have plenty to prove as they look to take the next step under head coach Clay Helton.
One of the biggest changes comes at quarterback, where seventh-year transfer Max Johnson brings plenty of experience to an Eagles offense looking to replace JC French IV and last season’s production.
Johnson, a 6-foot-5 Athens native, joins Georgia Southern after he previously played at LSU, Texas A&M and North Carolina. He steps into an offense that must replace all 11 starters from last season, making his experience especially valuable as the Eagles navigate a roster filled with new faces.
Johnson has made 24 career starts at the Power Four level, giving Georgia Southern a quarterback who has already faced some of the highest levels of competition in college football. His experience will be especially important as he works to build chemistry with a new group of offensive players and establish an identity for the Eagles early in the season.
After spending his career at Power Four programs, Johnson now gets the opportunity to lead a new-look Georgia Southern offense in his final season of college football.
Fifth-year wide receiver Josh Dallas will be a familiar face for many Eagles fans. Dallas appeared in just two games in 2025 after suffering a hip injury but returns as one of the more experienced pieces of the Georgia Southern offense.
He has appeared in 26 games during his career and will look to provide Johnson with a reliable target as the Eagles work to establish a new identity on offense.
While the Eagles have plenty of new faces on offense, a lot of experience returns on the other side of the ball.
Sixth-year defensive back Chance Gamble returns as one of Georgia Southern’s most experienced defensive leaders and will look to take a step forward.
Outside linebacker MJ Stroud also returns after recording 6.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss last season, giving the Eagles another proven playmaker on the defensive front.
With Gamble leading the secondary and Stroud providing pressure, Georgia Southern will look to its veteran defenders to anchor a defense looking to improve in 2026.
The Eagles will not have much time to find their identity before facing some of their biggest tests this season. Georgia Southern opens its season at home against Charleston Southern before traveling to Clemson on Sept. 12 for a matchup against one of the nation’s top programs.
The Eagles then return to Paulson Stadium on Sept. 26 to host Houston, giving Georgia Southern another Power Four opponent — but this time in front of its home crowd.
The matchup represents a rare opportunity for the Eagles to welcome a Power Four program to Statesboro and test themselves against that level of competition on their home field.
After opening Sun Belt play, Georgia Southern will face several familiar conference opponents, including James Madison, Old Dominion, App State and Marshall, and these promise to be some intense matchups.
With Clemson waiting on the road and Houston coming to Statesboro, the Eagles will have two early opportunities to measure themselves before conference play begins.
Combined with a new-look offense and veteran defensive leaders, Georgia Southern enters 2026 with plenty of questions to answer — but also plenty of opportunities to prove it can take the next step.
Expectations For Tua and Atlanta Falcons
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There probably aren’t many quarterbacks in the NFL entering the 2026 season with more to prove than Tua Tagovailoa.
And there may not be a better place for him to try to prove it than Atlanta.
Tagovailoa’s time in Miami ended with plenty of questions about whether he could still be the quarterback who once looked like one of the NFL’s rising stars. Now, at 28 years old, he’s getting something of a fresh start with the Falcons. But let’s not confuse a fresh start with a pressure-free one.
If anything, the pressure may be greater than ever.
Atlanta brought Tagovailoa in this offseason while Michael Penix Jr. continues working his way back from the ACL injury that ended his 2025 season. That has opened the door for Tua to potentially begin the season as Atlanta’s starter.
His first preseason appearance certainly didn’t quiet any concerns. Tua completed just three of five passes for 22 yards in Atlanta’s 27-7 loss to Denver. The Falcons managed only one first down during his two possessions, and a fumbled snap didn’t help matters.
Am I ready to panic over two preseason possessions?
Absolutely not. If preseason football told us everything we needed to know, there would be a lot of August Hall of Famers who somehow disappeared by October.
But Tua isn’t in a position where he can afford many bad performances, either.
This is a quarterback who needs to remind people why Miami once believed enough in him to build its offense around him. He needs to stay healthy, take care of the football and consistently get the ball into the hands of Atlanta’s playmakers.
And there are plenty of them.
Bijan Robinson is one of the most dangerous running backs in football. Drake London has developed into a legitimate No. 1 receiver, and Kyle Pitts gives Atlanta another potentially dangerous weapon at tight end. This offense shouldn’t need Tua to play Superman every Sunday.
That’s why I think the definition of a successful season for Tagovailoa is pretty simple.
He needs to get the Atlanta Falcons into the playoffs.
He doesn’t need to throw for 5,000 yards. He doesn’t need to be an MVP candidate. He doesn’t even necessarily need to make the Pro Bowl.
He needs to win. Atlanta hasn’t made the postseason since the 2017 season. We’ve watched this franchise spend year after year hovering around mediocrity. They have usually been good enough to remain interesting and not quite good enough to matter in January.
At some point, that has to change.
If Tua starts most of the season, stays healthy, limits turnovers and helps Atlanta win nine or 10 games and reach the playoffs, I’d call his season a success.
Win the NFC South? Even better. Win a playoff game? Now we’re talking about one of the better comeback stories of the NFL season.
But another seven or eight-win Falcons season with Tua putting up decent statistics while Atlanta watches the playoffs from home wouldn’t do much for me. We’ve seen enough “almost” in Atlanta.
The good news is Tua doesn’t have to carry this team by himself. Atlanta needs the quarterback who can distribute the football, make quick decisions, protect the ball and allow Robinson, London, Pitts and the rest of the offense to do the damage.
There’s also another element hanging over all of this. Penix is still there.
The Falcons drafted Penix in the first round because they believed he could become their quarterback of the future. Once he’s completely healthy, every bad performance from Tua will inevitably bring questions about whether it’s time to make a change.
That’s life as an NFL quarterback. Tua is getting another opportunity to prove he can lead an NFL team. The Falcons are getting another opportunity to finally escape the middle of the pack.
For both of them, simply being competitive isn’t enough anymore.
It’s time to win.
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