High school football: Coming Up

Houston County at Lee County

The top game in the state for the week, and among those for the year, pits a huge offense against a massive defense, and No. 1 at No. 5 in Class 6A. Bodies will be sore.

Northside at Valdosta

Tradition? Valdosta wins 79 percent of the time and has 24 state titles since starting in 1913. Northside wins 73.3 percent of the time and has three state titles since starting in 1963.

Mary Persons at Upson-Lee

The Bulldogs are off a huge last-second win over a quality Spalding team, and the Knights had a week off to get ready for the Region 2-4A showdown.

Spalding at West Laurens

Spalding will be mad after the Mary Persons loss, especially considering the Jaguars were probably sharper that night. West Laurens is 12-3 at home since 2014, and the Raiders have played four straight road games.

Central at Peach County

Peach County has had a week off to get healthier, while Central is suddenly in must-win mode after losing to Pike County and facing defending 2-3A champ Jackson after this game.

Northeast vs. Southwest

Northeast’s loss Friday to Dodge County aside, the intown Macon rivalry is always a big game. This time, it’s a Region 3-2A game, and both teams are in the hunt for playoff spots.

Stratford at Twiggs County

Fresh off a win over FPD, Twiggs County tries to take down a semifinalist from GHSA Class 1A private from last season. Both teams run the ball a lot, so expect a quick game.

Mount de Sales at Tattnall Square

A win gives Tattnall a 6-0 record heading into the meat of its schedule. At 2-3, Mount de Sales has the best record of any Tattnall opponent so far.

Dodge County at Dublin

The records are different, but these two have played 52 times, and Dodge County can make up for a lot of first-half woes with the upset.

GMC at John Milledge

The schools are only a few miles apart, but this is groundbreaking in that it is a GHSA team (GMC) playing a GISA team (John Milledge), which many folks thought they’d never live to see.

This story was originally published October 1, 2016 at 4:21 PM with the headline "High school football: Coming Up."