HS Football: What you missed in Week 2, plus previews of Northeast, FPD, Tattnall and more in Week 3

After a tumultuous Week 2 that saw most Macon teams play on the road, plenty of Bibb County high schools will have intriguing games in Week 3.

The story of the second week of the 2025 season was easily the scuffle that put a premature end to the Northeast-Southwest showdown at Thompson Stadium last week.

A hard hit on Patriots quarterback Chase Dupree — followed by some chatter between linemen on each team — led to Southwest players sprinting from the bench to the middle of the field, where Northeast players followed as a brief brawl ensued. 

There was a swarm at midfield for roughly a minute as tempers flared. Some players from the two teams got entangled, falling to the ground in the affray. After the scrum ended, officials suspended the game and declared the Raiders the winners with a 30-8 final score.

The GHSA is investigating the fight using a high-quality camera — every GHSA stadium in Macon has one — to fully assess the situation, a Bibb County school board member told The Melody. 

Players who leave the bench area of a game are typically suspended for a game, the school board member said. Per GHSA’s constitution, schools that have players leave the bench to go toward a fight could also be fined between $250 and $1,000 by the GHSA.

The GHSA had not announced any suspensions, fines or other discipline as a result of the scuffle as of Wednesday afternoon, so Macon’s high school football slate for Week 3 should remain intact. Here are other notes from last week, along with previews of some key matchups involving Bibb County teams.

Northeast (1-1) vs. Washington County (1-1), at Thompson Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Last meeting: Northeast won 42-9 in 2024; Last week: Northeast defeated Southwest 30-8, Washington County lost to Jefferson County 29-7

After last week’s rivalry game ended in unsavory fashion, the Raiders will try and get back on track pending any GHSA sanctions. 

Northeast should have a good opportunity to do so against a Washington County team looking to build some momentum. The Golden Hawks lost in heartbreaking fashion against Jeff Davis in Week 1 — the Yellow Jackets won 21-20 in overtime — before struggling in the first half against Jefferson County.

Washington County picked things up in the home opener though, scoring all 29 of its points after the intermission and thoroughly containing Jefferson County. Rekevious Swint finished with more than 100 rushing yards in the
victory.

Northeast got a solid rushing performance in its abbreviated contest, too, as linebacker Tailen Sampson doubled as a weapon on the ground for the Raiders. In just more than a half of football, Northeast’s offense looked much better against Southwest than it did in the season-opening loss against Peach County.

The Golden Hawks lead the all-time series 10-6, but the Raiders have won the last four straight, including a blowout last year in head coach Robert Edwards’ first season at the helm for WaCo. This showdown will be Northeast’s first true home game this year, though they did play at Thompson Stadium last week as the away team.

FPD (2-0) vs. St. Anne-Pacelli (1-1)

Last meeting: St. Anne-Pacelli won 18-6 in 2024; Last week: FPD defeated Marion County 42-7, St. Anne-Pacelli defeated Tattnall 28-6

FPD is off to a monster start as it attempts to reach the GIAA Class 4A state title game for the third consecutive season, as the Vikings defeated a pair of GHSA teams handily in their first two games.

Now FPD will look for some revenge against a fellow GIAA 4A team as St. Anne-Pacelli comes to town with a new head coach, Walter Grider, who comes to the Columbus school after coaching at Alabama high schools for several seasons.

Pacelli’s start has not been as scorching as FPD’s. Stratford defeated Pacelli 49-17 in the season opener, though Pacelli did bounce back against a struggling Tattnall program last week for a 28-6 win.

FPD lost the only meeting between the two teams last season, though that was under longtime Georgia coaching icon Dwight Jones. If the Vikings of Macon continue their red-hot ways of late — they scored 28 points in the first quarter alone last week against Marion County — then they may defeat the Vikings from Columbus.

Tattnall vs. George Walton

Last meeting: Tattnall won 20-14 in 2024; Last week: Tattnall lost to Pacelli 28-6, George Walton defeated Lake Oconee Academy 13-6

It will be familiar territory for returning Tattnall coach Barney Hester as the Trojans host the Bulldogs in their first home game of the season after a rough start through two games.

While last year’s win for Tattnall was the first duel between the two teams since 2009, Hester notched an impressive 16-5 record against George Walton as the Trojans’ head coach, including an eight-game winning streak against the Bulldogs in the 1990s and a six-game streak from 2004-2009.

But the last time the Bulldogs saw Hester — in that same 2009 season, this time in the playoffs — they got revenge and knocked Tattnall out of the postseason in the semifinals.

Now George Walton and fifth-year head coach Logan Beer catch Hester and the Trojans at a vulnerable moment following an 0-2 start. The Bulldogs themselves are a sizzling 2-0 after a 44-6 romp over Cross Keys and a closer 13-6 win over Lake Oconee Academy.

Tattnall had trouble containing St. Anne-Pacelli’s rushing attack. George Walton’s running back Zach Wolf and run-threat quarterback AJ Dillard could take advantage of that. The Bulldogs have attempted only 11 passes through two games, according to MaxPreps statistics.

Southwest @ Dublin

Last meeting: Dublin won 56-34; Last week: Southwest lost 30-8 against Northeast, Dublin game against East Laurens postponed to bye week

As if last week’s injury to Chase Dupree and subsequent scrum against the Northeast Raiders was not enough, Southwest must also continue contending with one of the most difficult early schedules in the area.

While Northeast played in last year’s GHSA Class A-Division I title game last year, Dublin came within a game of it before losing to eventual champion Toombs County in the semifinals. While it may have lost a lot of talent, Dublin is still a top-tier program in Middle Georgia.

That said, the Irish got off to a slower start than expected against Swainsboro, losing a 15-14 barnburner in front of their home crowd. Last week’s game got postponed, so Dublin is likely itching for a reset as Southwest comes to town.

As of Tuesday night, no players for the Patriots were suspended or injured as a result of last week’s scuffle, but it seems likely that quarterback Chase Dupree will have to miss at least one game due to injury.

Dublin owns a 6-1 lead all-time in the series and has won the last four straight dating back to 2016, when Southwest got its lone win in the matchup via a 48-38 shootout in Macon. The Patriots looked listless on offense in the abbreviated game against Northeast and will need to find more of an advantage running the ball at the Shamrock Bowl.

Mount de Sales at Calvary Christian

Last meeting: Mount de Sales won 7-0 on Aug.30, 2024; Last week: Mount de Sales lost 41-10 to Deerfield-Windsor; Calvary Christian was idle, beat GHSA A/II Terrell County 48-6 a week earlier

The Knights are a pretty young program, less than 15 years old, and followed up a 7-5 record in 2023 with 1-9 last year, getting outscored 337-29. They’ve almost doubled that total after a week.

Calvary Christian put up 404 yards through the air in the win, rushing for 150 yards. Mount de Sales gave up nearly 275 through the air against D-W, and struggled for consistency against the defending AAA champs. The Cavs also had a poor night tackling and covering, and need to improve on that first to avoid their second 0-3 start in three years.

-Michael A. Lough

Other games and team updates

ACE and Central each have short weeks because they completed their game on Monday after the initial game Aug. 21 was halted by lightning. 

The Gryphons dispatched of the Chargers with ease in a 35-0 win and will try to carry that momentum into a home game with Jefferson County, which eventually lost to Washington County last week after giving the Golden Hawks trouble in the first half.

Central will host Dodge County, which comes to Macon off a thrilling 31-29 win against rival Bleckley County.

Westside struggled in a tough 43-22 loss against one of Georgia’s top high school football programs, Prince Avenue Christian, in Athens last week. The Seminoles tallied less than 100 yards each rushing and passing while allowing more than 400 yards of offense.

Another difficult road trip awaits Westside as it travels to Albany this week to face Westover, though the Patriots’ only game so far was a surprisingly close 24-20 victory over Early County.

Covenant Academy got a key bounceback win after getting shut out by Georgia Christian at home in its season opener, rolling to a 46-6 win over Crisp Academy. Three different Rams rushed for more than 50 yards in the victory. Covenant hosts Holy Spirit Prep this week. Rutland and Howard will face off Thursday night.

Visit maconmelody.com for full coverage of this week’s action.