Finally, a chance to see one of the nation’s best high school rivalries

Eleven football seasons have come and gone since my family moved to Macon, and in that time, there were zero chances for me to cover the wonderful rivalry that is Northside-Warner Robins or Warner Robins-Northside, whichever you prefer.

But that changes Friday night. In the 60th matchup all-time between the two storied programs, I’ll get my first up-close chance to see it.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time. It never gets old after all these years,” Northside head coach Kevin Kinsler said. “Once you get to this week, whether it’s the first week, the fifth week or the 10th week, it’s still a special week. With the kids in the school getting involved and the community and obviously the players, it’s something special. It’s a shame more communities don’t get to experience it.

“You can’t ever do it justice. You can’t put that feeling of electricity into a story when you’re trying to tell somebody about what it’s like to be down on the field or in the stands when this is going on. The only way for them to truly appreciate it is to actually be there and experience it and go through it. You can’t even make a movie about it on TV. You actually have to be there. It’s something that’s very unique. There’s a few other rivalries in the country that are similar to it like Lowndes and Valdosta, but I tell you, it’s a shame that all kids that play high school football don’t get to do this at least once.”

I’ve experienced the Winnersville Classic (Valdosta versus Lowndes) in person a couple of times. And I can’t wait to see how this game compares to that.

It should be a blast.

“This is bigger than the state championship game,” Warner Robins head coach Mike Chastain said. “It’s our biggest game of the year. It’s for city bragging rights, and that’s huge around here.”

So let’s take a look at that game and the others involving teams from Bibb, Houston, Peach, Monroe, Jones, Crawford and Twiggs counties in the abbreviated schedule Friday night. Each week this season, I’ll make predictions on those games, so join in with me and see if you can top my picks (or just mock them if you prefer).

Northside vs. Warner Robins: Northside has won three straight in this series, including a 55-3 win last year. It won’t be that one-sided Friday, but Northside will still come out on top.

Northgate at Veterans: The Warhawks have one of the top quarterback-wide receiver combinations around in Leyton Pinckney and Jeremy Horton, and that should be enough to get some revenge for a loss in last year’s opener.

Howard vs. Westside (Ed DeFore Sports Complex): Howard has never beaten Westside, and while the Huskies should be improved this year, it won’t be enough to top the Seminoles.

Mount de Sales at Pacelli: Keith Hatcher’s Cavaliers played a lot of freshmen and sophomores last year, and that should pay off in the season opener.

Also: Westwood over Windsor; Southland over Westfield; Covenant over Kings Academy.

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 8:53 AM with the headline "Finally, a chance to see one of the nation’s best high school rivalries."