Stage set for Corky Kell Classic's Macon debut

Not many Middle Georgia high school football teams have enjoyed the chance to take part in the Corky Kell Classic.

Georgia high school football's premier opening weekend event, now in its 25th year, had focused on teams from the Atlanta area. Teams from the southern part of the state have participated, but Middle Georgia had only occasional representation, especially in recent years.

One conversation, however, between Corky Kell Classic executive director Dave Hunter and Joe Windon, the director of Southeast scouting for National Preps, began to turn the wheels for an expansion of the event, which takes part of the Corky Kell Classic outside of the Atlanta area for the first time and gives Macon the honor of hosting the opening night of the 2016 GHSA football season.

"I was talking with Joe about some other things, and he sent me a picture where Houston County and Northside were playing, and people were hanging on the light poles," said Hunter, who is also a member of the GHSA executive committee. "They were all over. He said, 'Middle Georgia football is wild. People support Middle Georgia football.' So I started some investigation."

The conversations expanded to include Score Atlanta president IJ Rosenberg, who heads up the marketing effort for the Corky Kell Classic, and eventually Daniel Tate, the assistant athletics director for marketing at Mercer.

"I said, 'We need to see how we can make this happen,' " Hunter said. "We had some conversations, and Joe talked with Daniel and IJ talked with Daniel. One thing led to another, and (Mercer head coach Bobby) Lamb has been a good friend of ours through the years, and we came down and visited. I said, 'I think we can make this thing happen.' "

What will happen will be a season-opening doubleheader featuring three top Middle Georgia programs. The twinbill, scheduled for Aug. 18 at Five Star Stadium, brings together some of the top prospects in Middle and southern Georgia for a showcase that will be televised regionally on FS South.

Houston County will face Mary Persons at 5:45 p.m., while Jones County will take on Lee County in the 8:45 p.m. nightcap.

The doubleheader serves as the first night of a three-day event. Another doubleheader will take place Aug. 19 at McEachern, and the Georgia Dome will host five games Aug. 20.

The schools participating in the Macon doubleheader signed game contracts Wednesday during a news conference at Mercer's Drake Field House.

"This is a special time to be able to play in a game that has the Corky Kell name behind it," Houston County head coach Von Lassiter said. "It's going to be a really good payoff for our kids, who are really working extremely hard to play in that game."

Both games will feature Division I college prospects in head-to-head action.

In the opener, Alabama-bound quarterback Jake Fromm, the Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year, will lead Houston County against Mary Persons and defensive end Malik Herring, a 6-foot-3, 252-pound rising senior who is a four-star prospect. Fromm is ranked 148th in the ESPN Junior 300, while Herring is 170th.

Later, Jones County, whose offense will be led by two-year starter Bradley Hunnicutt at quarterback, will face Lee County, whose defense is anchored by nose guard Aubrey Solomon, a 6-4, 285-pound senior-to-be who was recently visited by Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer.

"For us, it kind of gives us a measuring stick of where we want to become at Jones County," Jones County head coach Justin Rogers said. "(Lee County head coach Dean) Fabrizio has done a phenomenal job at Lee. It's a rural area, very similar to us in Gray. Ever since he's got there, he's kind of put Lee on the map and re-energized that community to football and to big-time football in the state.

"That's something we want to do at Jones. We want to elevate our program to where we have a rich tradition and where we win year in and year out, and to go up against Coach Fabrizio and Lee County will provide us with a measuring stick to see where we're at."

In addition to the prospects who will be involved, the event will bring three teams with strong fan followings to Mercer. Ticket information was not announced Wednesday, but a large crowd is expected at 10,200-seat Five Star Stadium.

"I think our community is really excited about it, I think our players are excited about it," Mary Persons head coach Brian Nelson said. "There's a strong, rich tradition and history at Mary Persons High School that carries over through many generations, so there's a lot of people excited about this opportunity to display and showcase what we have to offer.

"Our little community, they're rabid football people. They love Friday nights. Our kids enjoy Friday nights. And I'm sure they're going to enjoy Thursday afternoon as much as they enjoy Friday night."

Said Rogers, "We're very similar to Mary Persons. We're a little, small community that loves football. They show up on Friday nights, they pull for their Greyhounds, and The Barking Lot (student section) is always packed. We're excited about moving The Barking Lot to Mercer."

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Stage set for Corky Kell Classic's Macon debut ."