Ron Seibel: Big games all around this week

This might be the biggest weekend of the high school football regular season in Middle Georgia.

Between rivalries, surprise teams facing big tests and some flat-out key games, there's plenty of intrigue on the Week 9 schedule.

Several of Middle Georgia's biggest rivalries take place Friday, rivalries that involve shared stadiums and close competition: Northside-Warner Robins, Perry-Veterans and Central-Southwest.

There are also big games that will draw a lot of interest, although they're not necessarily rivalries: Houston County at Jones County in a battle of ranked teams in Class AAAAA, Upson-Lee at Mary Persons in a tight GHSA Region 2-AAAA race, Peach County at Jackson with first place on the line in Region 2-AAA and Westside traveling to face a Spencer team Saturday that has been playing surprisingly well the past two weeks.

Also, there's Fitzgerald hosting Brooks County in a battle of the two top teams in Region 1-AA. Out there, too, is injury-plagued Vidalia, still trying to keep its voice in the Region 2-AA voice, hosting top-ranked Benedictine.

How about some surprise teams? East Laurens, which started 4-0 in Buddy Sorrow's return as head coach before losing the past two, hosts Dublin in a Region 3-AA battle. Treutlen a 1-9 team last year, travels to ECI with a 5-2 record and first place on the line in Region 3B-A. And Twiggs County, a winner of three straight after an 0-3 start under first-year head coach Ashley Harden, travels to Stratford with first place at stake in Region 7A-A.

Let's not forget the GISA: John Milledge (7-0) travels to Westfield (6-1) for first place in Region 2-AAA. Also, Windsor (5-2) heads to Briarwood (6-2) to decide first place in Region 4-AA.

In other words, point in just about any direction, and a good high school football game can be found.

CENTRAL ANNIVERSARY

The Central-Southwest game features two teams fighting for playoff position in Region 2-AAA. But there will be another good reason for fans -- especially longtime Middle Georgia residents -- to show up for that contest at Henderson Stadium.

Central will be honoring the 40th anniversary of its 1975 Class AAA championship team. That team remains the only Bibb County public school team to win a GHSA football championship since the public schools integrated in 1970. (Mount de Sales won Class C titles in 1970 and 1971, as well as the 1973 Class C title. Lanier won GHSA titles in 1947 and 1948, while Ballard-Hudson won the GIA Class AA title in 1955 and 1959).

At the time of Central's victory, Class AAA was the GHSA's largest classification. That 1975 team was coached by Gene Brodie, with quarterback Mike Jolly winning state back of the year honors, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association website. Central defeated Douglass-Atlanta 21-14 in the championship game at Lakewood Stadium in Atlanta.

Brodie took over the Tift County program the next year, and he remained with the Blue Devils through the 1993 season.

Contact Ron Seibel at 744-4222 or rseibel@macon.com

This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Ron Seibel: Big games all around this week ."