South Georgia matchups headline top 10 high school football games of Week 7

When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Martin Stadium, Valdosta

Records, rankings: Colquitt County is 4-1 overall, 0-0 in Region 1-6A and No. 9; Lowndes is 5-0, 0-0 and No. 5.

Last meeting: Colquitt County won 38-35 in 2024.

Things to know: Colquitt County has won Region 1 in the highest classification eight of the past 11 seasons. Lowndes won the other three (2021, 2019, 2017). In 2024, Colquitt County beat Lowndes on Brett Fitzgerald’s 43-yard field goal on the final play of a game that was tied six times from 0-0 to 35-35. Jae Lamar rushed for 182 yards and caught a 77-yard pass. Now a senior committed to Georgia, Lamar has rushed for 524 yards and scored 10 touchdowns this season. Cohen Lawson, a sophomore second-year starter, has thrown for 670 yards. Lowndes is taking on an old-school look offensively, averaging 309.2 rushing yards and 18.3 passing per game. Mason Woods has rushed for 606 yards. Jayce Johnson, a junior quarterback committed to Texas A&M, has thrown five TD passes the past two games. He had five total touchdowns and rushed for 113 yards against Kell. Lowndes has not played a ranked opponent. Colquitt County has lost to North Gwinnett. Colquitt’s best wins are against Lee County and Benedictine. This is one of two Region 1-6A games Friday between top-10 teams. The other is No. 8 Valdosta at No. 10 Camden County.

When, where: 7 p.m. Thursday, Thompson Stadium, Macon

Records, rankings: Dublin is 4-1 overall, 4-0 in Region 2-A Division I and No. 8; Northeast is 4-1, 4-0 and No. 7.

Last meeting: Dublin won 17-7 in 2024.

Things to know: This game matches the 2024 Class A Division I runner-up, Northeast, with a 2024 semifinal team, Dublin. Champion Toombs County beat Dublin 42-15, then Northeast 38-18. Northeast and Dublin are their region’s only teams without a region loss, so this game likely will decide the region title — as it did in 2024. In the 2024 game, Dublin rushed for 294 yards and didn’t allow an offensive touchdown. The victory was Dublin coach Roger Holmes’ 200th in Georgia. This season, Dublin is averaging 322.4 rushing yards per game, paced by Travion Bostic (462 yards) and Dontavious Cannon (446). Dublin averages only 4.8 passing attempts per game. Northeast gets 63% of its total yards passing, a big change from recent Northeast editions. Northeast’s 6,000-yard career rusher, Nick Woodford, is now at Morehouse. Enter freshman quarterback Jordan Wiggins, who has passed for 1,051 yards and 16 touchdowns. Reginald Glover, last season’s quarterback, is the leading receiver with 283 yards.

When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Lakewood Stadium, Atlanta

Records, rankings: Hapeville Charter is 1-3 overall, 0-0 in Region 5-2A and No. 9; Carver is 5-0, 1-0 and No. 3.

Last meeting: Hapeville Charter won 15-12 in 2024.

Things to know: Don’t make much of Hapeville Charter’s 1-3 record. The losses are against Lee County, Cartersville and Westlake. The Hornets had the same mark a year ago, then swept their Region 5-2A rivals 6-0 and won their first region title since 2019. The key victory came against Carver in a game postponed into November by a chemical leak and hurricane. Hapeville cornerback Zion Crawford had the game of his life. Pressed into emergency quarterback duty, he passed for 119 yards, rushed for 39, threw a 59-yard touchdown pass on third-and-11 for the game-winning touchdown and ended Carver’s final two drives with a forced fumble and a pass breakup. Crawford, back to his normal position, is now a senior with a Kentucky offer. The new quarterback is Keylan Pope, a transfer from South Atlanta. Hapeville’s top prospect is OL Chris Booker, a top-300 national recruit committed to Alabama. Traevon Jones has rushed for more than 300 yards in an offense that gets 75% of its yards on the ground. Carver is off to its first 5-0 start since 2012. The Panthers have avenged losses to Luella and Decatur and beaten otherwise undefeated Southwest DeKalb. Carver’s yardage leaders are sophomore Corey Fletcher (746 yards passing), Lataious Stepp (486 rushing) and Terrious Favors (565 receiving). Favors is a two-way starter and Boise State commit with 1,023 all-purpose yards.

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Jackets’ Nest, Thomasville

Records, rankings: Lee County is 4-1 overall, 0-0 in Region 2-5A and No. 6; Thomas County Central is 5-0, 0-0 and No. 2.

Last meeting: Lee County won 35-23 in 2024.

Things to know: Lee County and Thomas County Central have played each other as top-10 teams each of the past three seasons, all games decided by 12 points or less. Thomas Central won in 2022 and 2023. In the 2024 game, Lee County’s Weston Bryan rushed for 156 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 134 yards. He’s off to Georgia Southern, and Lee County’s other main threat, RB Ousmane Kromah, is at Florida State. Jordan Bush, a quarterback/running back, is now Lee County’s leading rusher with 364 yards. He shares time at quarterback with Marcus Snipes, who has a team-leading 361 passing yards. Junior WR Jaden Upshaw, a top-200 national recruit, is the leading receiver. Thomas Central returned the main core from its 2024 quarterfinal team. The Yellow Jackets’ average score this season is 56-6. Thomas Central’s yards leaders are Jaylen Johnson (831 passing), Deuce Lawrence (321 rushing) and Jabari Watkins (280 receiving). Lawrence is committed to Wake Forest. Three players in this game are committed to the ACC’s Pacific Coast. They are Thomas County Central DE Cam Brooks and OL Artem Korchagin (California), and Lee County CB Lasiah Jackson (Stanford).

When, where: 7 p.m. Friday, Buck Godfrey Stadium, Decatur

Records, rankings: Marist is 3-1 overall, 2-0 in Region 5-4A and No. 6; Southwest DeKalb is 4-1, 3-0 and unranked.

Last meeting: Marist won 47-13 in 2024.

Things to know: Southwest DeKalb’s 41-10 victory last week over St. Pius, a team that beat the Panthers last season, made Southwest DeKalb the top challenger to defending champion Marist in Region 5-4A. William Bryant rushed for 152 yards, giving him 408 on the season. Tamir Rudolph rushed for 116 yards. Braylon Carter passed for 237 yards. Jordan Christie, who is committed to Georgia Tech, has 25 receptions for 500 yards. Southwest DeKalb’s top prospect is Earnest Rankins, a defensive lineman committed to Florida State. In the 2024 game between these teams, Marist dominated except for allowing two 80-yard TD passes. This season, Marist averages 204.5 yards rushing and 56.0 passing per game, numbers deflated by running clocks in blowouts. James Lasco has rushed for a team-best 204 yards and passed for 230 yards. Jack Richerson, a tight end/edge committed to Georgia Tech, has two sacks and three pass breakups. Marist has won eight of the nine meetings this century in this DeKalb County rivalry.

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dragon Stadium, Jasper

Records, rankings: North Hall is 5-0 overall, 2-0 in Region 6-3A and No. 6; Pickens is 5-0, 2-0 and unranked.

Last meeting: North Hall won 43-27 in 2024.

Things to know: North Hall and Pickens join Greater Atlanta Christian (4-1, 2-0) as the teams without region losses in Region 6-3A. North Hall won the region last season and reached the Class 3A quarterfinals. Pickens is 5-0 for the first time since 2018, also the last time the Dragons won a region title or defeated a top-10 opponent from the same classification. In the 2024 game between these two, North Hall’s Alex Schlieman passed for 244 yards and three touchdowns, all to Cole Cable, who had eight receptions for 192 yards. Those two players are back. Schlieman has thrown for 1,588 yards and 13 touchdowns. Cable has 505 receiving yards. North Hall’s leading receiver is Ty Kemp, who has 35 receptions for 641 yards and eight touchdowns. Pickens is led by Hayden Jones, who passed for 167 yards, rushed for 97 and had four total touchdowns in last year’s loss to North Hall. He’s thrown for 679 yards this season and run for 154. Ike Wyngaard has rushed for 421 yards. McCord Purdy has 437 receiving yards.

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Standifer Field, Blakely

Records, rankings: Seminole County is 4-0 overall, 1-0 in Region 1-A Division I and No. 6; Early County is 3-2, 2-0 and No. 8.

Last meeting: Seminole County won 28-12 in 2024.

Things to know: Seminole County won the 2024 game, holding Early County to 132 total yards and ending an eight-game winless streak in the series. Early County bounced back to win the region while Seminole missed the playoffs despite a 6-4 overall record. Seminole last week avenged its fatal 2024 region loss, to Pelham, winning 31-14, as Kamauri Smith rushed for 133 yards. Ellis Denham passed for 167 yards and rushed for 71. Denham has thrown for 617 yards and eight touchdowns in a fairly balanced offense this season. Kamauri Johnson rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the first three games. Seminole County is 4-0 for the first time since 2013. Early County is gunning for its fourth consecutive region title. The Bobcats are 19-1 in region games since 2022, losing only to Seminole. They have advanced at least one round in the playoffs the past three seasons and reached the quarterfinals in 2022 and 2023. This season, Early County averages 293 rushing yards and 46 passing yards per game. They are led by Devonis Lee (503 rushing yards, seven touchdowns) and Evan Grist (431 rushing yards, six touchdowns and three TD passes).

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Chris Gilman Stadium, Kingsland

Records, rankings: Valdosta is 5-0 overall, 0-0 in Region 1-6A and No. 8; Camden County is 5-0, 0-0 and No. 10.

Last meeting: Valdosta won 7-3 in 2024.

Things to know: This is one of two Region 1-6A games Friday between top-10 teams. The other is No. 9 Colquitt County at No. 5 Lowndes. Camden County is the least proven of the four teams, with no victories over top-10 opponents this season and 0-3 against the other three last season. But this is the second season under coach Travis Roland, who has revamped the offense. William Jackson is 59-of-84 passing for a region-best 855 yards and 14 touchdowns. Sean Green’s five TD receptions lead the region. He’s a top-300 national prospect. Two Camden rushers (Antwan Williams, Julian Dailey) have more than 400 yards. David Coleman, with 680 all-purpose yards, is a factor on offense and special teams. He is committed to East Carolina. Valdosta put up 587 total yards in the 2024 game against Camden. Valdosta’s Todd Robinson (400 total yards in the game) is now at Georgia, but Marquis Fennell, who had 241 yards from scrimmage, is back. He has run for 538 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. Deron Foster has run for 663 yards and 11 touchdowns. Prince Jean, a Kentucky commit, has 273 yards receiving. Valdosta has three SEC-committed defensive players. They are DL Corey Howard (Georgia), DB Camron Brown (Mississippi State) and DB Jalon Copeland (Arkansas).

Correction

This story has been updated to correct the spellings of Keylan Pope and Kamauri Johnson.