A look at Macon’s key HS football games in Week 5

Last week’s high school football schedule brought lots of action and some unexpected results to shake up the playoff picture in Bibb County, early as it may be.

The ACE Gryphons were the story of Week 4, going on the road to Eastman and taking out Dodge County for what may be the program’s signature win under head coach Keith Hatcher.

FPD took its first loss of the season, falling to a talented Brookstone team on the road in Columbus. Rutland suffered a second straight close loss, this time to Lamar County, and is still hunting its first win. Stratford returns home after remaining undefeated with a win over Wilkinson County.

Teams are scattered across the board momentum-wise following the victories and defeats, making for some key contests. Here’s a preview of some crucial matchups involving Macon teams this week:

Stratford (3-0) vs. Frederica Academy (2-2)

Last meeting: Stratford won 17-14 in 2024. Last week: Stratford defeated Wilkinson County 40-34 on the road; Frederica defeated Tiftarea Academy 24-21 at home.

With FPD’s loss, Stratford is the last remaining undefeated private school in Macon. The Eagles got off to a good start last year in head coach Paul Carrol’s first season after coming over from Howard, but Stratford wants to sustain the momentum this time around.

Last week’s rushing performance bodes well for those hopes. Tyler Stephens averaged nearly eight yards per carry and racked up 170 yards on the ground as the Eagles cruised to the win over the GHSA Class A-Division II Wilkinson County Warriors. Tucker Johnston also threw for 110 yards, 54 of which went to receiver George Dunn on five catches.

The win did show some cracks for Stratford, however. 

The Eagles bottled up the Warriors on the ground but allowed a whopping 403 passing yards by Wilkinson County quarterback Quenterrion Stanford. Two different Warriors receivers tallied more than 100 yards, with Myles Cobb racking up 216 on 13 catches with a pair of touchdowns.

The lack of pass containment may not bite Stratford this week, as Frederica Academy put on a run-focused show in its bounceback win over Tiftarea. The Knights passed for a meager 12 yards, instead feeding junior back Jayden Gibson the rock for 143 yards and a touchdown.

Frederica could have some serious momentum coming into Macon. The win over Tiftarea was not just a bounceback but a comeback. The Knights were down 21-7 in the first quarter but worked their way back, eventually kicking the go-ahead field goal with about two minutes left before stuffing Tiftarea on its final drive.

The teams have met only once before, when Stratford defeated Frederica last year on the road 17-14.

ACE (3-0) vs. Wilkinson County (0-4)

Last meeting: ACE won last year 51-14 on the road. Last week: ACE defeated Dodge County 20-15; Wilkinson County lost to Stratford 40-34.

The Gryphons got sweet revenge against Dodge County this week after ACE fought tooth and nail with the Indians at home last year en route to a heartbreaking 33-28 loss. It was another thrilling contest this time around, with the Gryphons winning 20-15 after snuffing out a late Dodge County comeback attempt when the Indians could not convert an onside kick.

With all the momentum in the world, ACE will host an under-the-radar Wilkinson County team it defeated handily on the road last season. Winless or not, the Warriors pose a threat after putting up more than 400 passing yards despite a loss last week.

The high of a win over a traditional power like Dodge County and the makings of ACE’s schedule — the Gryphons face Macon’s reigning top team from last season, Northeast, in another crucial game Sept. 19 — could make this a bit of a trap game if ACE looks ahead to the Raiders, but Gryphons head coach Keith Hatcher is not likely to underestimate the Warriors.

Hatcher lost three straight games to Wilkinson County as the head coach at Mount de Sales then won the next three games against the Warriors before he moved to become the head coach at ACE. The Gryphons ought to be ready for an opponent with which their leader is very familiar.

FPD (3-1) vs. Pinewood Christian (2-2)

FPD’s showdown with Pinewood will be a crucial one after its first loss of the season came earlier than expected against a formidable Brookstone team.

The road game in Columbus felt like a postseason preview given the teams’ talent levels. Neither squad had any single player that dominated, as the teams instead relied on spreading the ball around to score.

The Cougars simply did more of that, as they finished the contest with three players notching 75 or more all-purpose yards. Brookstone had more options in the passing game as well, with three different players catching touchdown passes. 

FPD quarterback Major Simmons had his usual connection with receiver Breck Griffin going — Griffin snagged four passes for 51 yards and a touchdown — but could not get much momentum with other receivers. Simmons and running back Brady Mchugh tried to make up for it on the ground, but things did not go the Vikings’ way.

The 31-22 loss was far from a disaster, and the Vikings have the chance to get back on the horse at home against a Pinewood squad with two close games and two blowouts under its belt.

The Patriots were, unfortunately for FPD, on the winning side of one of those blowouts last week in a 56-19 win over Thomas Jefferson Academy. Pinewood had a good night running the ball and tacked on with a pick six and a kickoff return touchdown, giving them some momentum coming into Macon.

It will also be a get-back chance for the Patriots after the Vikings stomped them 47-0 on their own field last season. FPD owns the all-time series with a 10-4 record, including wins the last two seasons.

Howard (1-2) at Richmond Academy (0-3)

Last meeting: Howard won 29-13 in 2024. Last week: Howard lost 46-7 to West Laurens; Richmond Academy lost 17-9 to Westside-Augusta.

Howard led 6-0 against West Laurens in the first quarter and that was it, the Raiders scoring 46 straight, on rushes and a pick-6.

It was probably the worst Howard game since head coach Trey Porter took over, and a surprise now that he and the staff had a full offseason. Howard had 12 penalties for 88 yards, one nullifying an interception that West Laurens then scored after.

Zavion DeShazier made his Howard debut, days after transferring from Mount de Sales, and struggled after a 60-yard TD pass on his first try, battling dropped passes and an upper-echelon pass rush from the Raiders.

Julian Ramsey ran 19 times for 97 yards for Howard, which is 1-2 for the second straight season.

As the game got away from them, the Huskies’ effort dropped a bit, part of what led Porter’s postgame on-field talk to last almost 20 minutes.

“When it’s time to grab your teammate by the face mask and tell them, ‘Hey, come on, let’s make this play,” Porter said, “We don’t have a lot of guys that’s doing that right now.”

The Musketeers are 12-32 since going 10-2 in 2020, an exception to the rule. Richmond has been over .500 only five times this century, and is 8-18 against current Bibb County public schools.

“Against Westside, we played 40 minutes of good football,” Porter said. “Against Rutland, we played eight minutes of football. (Friday), we played a solid first quarter. Let’s put those games together.”

Other games

Rutland will host an interesting showdown with Hawkinsville this week as it continues searching for its first win. The Hurricanes came close to knocking off Lamar County last week with a late surge, but the Trojans did just enough in the passing game — they completed four passes and two of them were touchdowns — to win.

Rutland’s run defense has looked strong, but its offense has fallen short in each of its three losses thus far. It will need that run defense to step up against a high-scoring Red Devils offense led by formidable running back Martin McDonald.

Tattnall is back home after another tough road trip to Columbus ended in a 35-0 shutout loss to Calvary Christian. The young Trojans squad draws another tough matchup this week when Strong Rock Christian comes to Macon with a three-game winning streak including a 61-7 win over Heritage.

Windsor’s dismal offensive stretch continued in a 27-8 loss against Lakeview last week. Head coach Dylan Bass said Friday a road trip could clear the team’s head, and the Knights will get just that as they travel to Dublin to take on Trinity Christian.

Westside, Northeast, Central and Southwest all have Week 5 off. CFCA was originally scheduled for a week off, but the Lancers instead will host the North Georgia Tribe, a homeschool team.

These previews were compiled by Micah Johnston and Michael A. Lough.