Corky Kell Classic adds big night of football at Mercer
The Corky Kell Classic, long a staple in the metro Atlanta high school football scene, will open the 2016 season in Macon, event organizers announced Wednesday.
The nine-game, three-day, three-site event that kicks off the GHSA football season will begin Thursday, Aug. 18 at Five Star Stadium with a doubleheader featuring Middle Georgia teams.
According to the schedule released Wednesday by Corky Kell organizers, a pair of region champions will kick things off at 5:45 p.m., with Houston County taking on Mary Persons. Houston County (11-2) was in a three-way tie for GHSA Region 2-AAAAA title this season and was the region's No. 1 seed in the playoffs, while Mary Persons (11-1) claimed the Region 2-AAAA crown.
"That's a football town," Houston County head coach Von Lassiter said of Mary Persons. "That is a school that cares about football, all around the town. They do a wonderful job coaching those guys. It will be a big -ime task, and it will be a great game."
At 8:45 p.m., Jones County, which finished in a tie with Houston County and Northside for the Region 2-AAAAA title and was the region's No. 3 seed in the playoffs, will take on Lee County, which went 6-4 but failed to make the Class AAAAAA playoffs out of a region that included Colquitt County, Camden County, Valdosta and Lowndes. The Greyhounds went 9-2 this season.
Both games will be telecast by Fox Sports Southeast, as will the games played Friday, Aug. 19, at McEachern and Saturday, Aug. 20, at the Georgia Dome.
"I felt like it was worthwhile for our program," Jones County head coach Justin Rogers said. "Just the opportunity to open at Mercer and to kick off the whole season in Georgia, and also the opportunity to play on TV. The kids don't get that all the time. It's something special the kids will remember all of their lives."
The Friday and Saturday schedules do not involve any Middle Georgia teams. Slated for Friday, Aug. 19, will be Buford-Roswell at 5:45 p.m. and South Forsyth-Hillgrove at 8:45 p.m.
Five games will be played at the Georgia Dome on Saturday, Aug. 20, starting at 9 a.m. with Kell-Tucker. Other Georgia Dome matchups: North Gwinnett-Brookwood at 11:45 a.m., Walton-Norcross at 2:45 p.m., Colquitt County-Mill Creek at 5:45 p.m. and McEachern-Archer at 8:45 p.m.
"To be mentioned in a mix of schools like those is an honor," Rogers said.
The Corky Kell Classic will be marking its 25th anniversary.
This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 7:43 PM with the headline "Corky Kell Classic adds big night of football at Mercer ."