Historic doubleheader part of terrific season ahead

Tuesday marked a big day for Bibb County athletics with the news conference to promote the Macon Touchdown Club’s Kickoff Classic, which will showcase a doubleheader of high school football that is much bigger than high school football.

Yes, Howard will face off with FPD and Central will take on Mount de Sales on Aug. 27 at Mercer’s Five Star Stadium, and those games will be special to watch for their fans. But the games are special for more reasons than the games themselves.

This doubleheader is more about this county and working together to build something special — instead of always being separate and tearing each other apart. For many, many years, there was a split between GHSA teams and GISA teams (and their fans) in this county. Those walls started to come down when FPD made the move to the GHSA a few years ago, and they were brought down even more when Mount de Sales, Tattnall Square and Stratford followed suit.

Aug. 27 will be another big step toward eliminating those walls, and the Macon Touchdown Club and the coaches should be praised for that because they see the bigger picture. High school sports are bigger than winning and losing. If used correctly, they can be a pathway for the athletes (and the fans) to come together and help the community grow. And it’s going to be huge to see those four teams and their fans get together on Mercer’s campus for a terrific night of football.

Some people belittle sports and say they don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but I argue against that. Yes, there are more important issues and problems that need to be addressed in our society, but sports can be a vehicle to help focus attention on those problems and help find solutions for them.

The Aug. 27 doubleheader is an example of that, and it’s wonderful that these groups have come together to make this happen. That’s going to be a wonderful day for our county all the way around, but it’s only one part of what should be an exciting football season in our state.

High schools: There are a ton of great games in Middle Georgia this season (more on that in Sunday’s Telegraph), but the season really gets going with a bang with another doubleheader at Mercer. Houston County and Mary Persons face off with Jones County playing Lee County in the Corky Kell Classic on Aug. 18.

The following night Northside and Warner Robins, who are no longer in the same region, open their seasons with their annual rivalry game. Does it get any better than that? I think not.

The Houston County-Mary Persons game showcases two of the best players in the country in Bears quarterback Jake Fromm and Bulldogs defensive end Malik Herring, and there are many more terrific players to keep an eye on in our area this season.

Georgia: Kirby Smart’s first season as the Bulldogs’ head coach has added a lot of excitement and intrigue to the Georgia program. Smart, a former Georgia player, takes over after years of running Alabama’s defense, and his no-nonsense approach is a big departure from the previous coaching staff. It’s a refreshing approach, as well.

The Bulldogs will win the SEC East if Nick Chubb is healthy and has a big year and the team lands on the right quarterback (see: Jacob Eason).

Georgia Tech: Paul Johnson’s program had a wonderful 2014 season with 11 wins, including an Orange Bowl victory, but it’s almost like the football gods struck down the Yellow Jackets in 2015 with injury after injury (after injury) in a 3-9 season.

Not much is expected of Georgia Tech this season, but if the Yellow Jackets can stay healthy, they will be right back in the mix in the ACC’s Coastal Division.

Mercer: The Bears are entering their third season in the Southern Conference, and led by a strong senior class (their first true senior class with players who have made large contributions), it feels like they are ready for the next level. Bobby Lamb has done a masterful job building his program step by step, and this year is the time for the next step.

The Bears have been so close in so many conference games the past two years that they know what they have to do to move up the conference ladder. Look for that to happen this season.

Georgia Southern: Tyson Summers steps into a good situation as a first-year head coach of a successful program. There will be changes and growing pains, for sure, but the Eagles will compete for a Sun Belt Conference title with Arkansas State and Appalachian State in what should be an exciting three-team race.

Atlanta Falcons: Dan Quinn’s second season as the Falcons’ head coach just feels different, doesn’t it? Maybe the Falcons aren’t ready to challenge the Carolina Panthers just yet, but they will be right in the hunt for a playoff spot.

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Historic doubleheader part of terrific season ahead."