NOTEPAD: Bibb County Schools football schedules released

Bibb football schedules feature more all-Macon games

Bibb County schools have their football schedules for the 2026 season, and fans have some interesting matchups to look forward to over the summer as they wait for fall to arrive.

New classifications and region alignments have shaken up the slates for Macon’s teams. As a reminder, most schools moved up when GHSA restructured things earlier this year. Westside and Howard are Class 4A while Central, Rutland, Northeast and Southwest are all Class 3A.

Only ACE, which is not a Bibb County School District school, is in Class 2A.

This means one key matchup, Westside’s rivalry game with Howard, will now be in the final week of the season after the showdown opened those teams’ schedules the last two seasons. The matchup has been a very competitive one in recent years, with multiple results coming down to the final play.

Many of the schedules do not appear complete and will likely be updated later. Westside and Central each have less than 10 games scheduled. Another interesting piece of the tentative schedule are the off weeks, as Bibb County’s teams all have two different weeks without games this season. Central’s gap weeks are in back-to-back weeks, giving them a long stretch without a game in September before region play begins.

The region lends itself to more all-Macon showdowns as well. Some of Macon’s teams were previously in a 10-team region, allowing for only one non-region game on the schedule. With more room, many Bibb County schools in different regions will clash in non-region play.

Westside will face Northeast to open the season in a game that should excite Maconites. The two teams have only met twice, right after Westside’s inception, in 1998 and ‘99 — the Seminoles won both matchups.

Howard and Southwest will meet in another season opener. Those teams have met more recently, with the Huskies beating the Patriots soundly three years in a row from 2021-23.

The high school football season is set to begin the week of Aug. 21. See the full schedules and a key for game locations at the bottom of this story.

Mercer women’s golf finishes fourth at invitational

The Mercer women’s golf team surged to finish in fourth at the National Golf Invitational in Arizona last week.

The team was led by Tylar Whiting, who finished tied for seventh place in the field of 50 players by shooting just two strokes over par. She also shot par 13 times over the three-day contest. The event winner, Bowling Green’s Addison Kartusch, shot 7 under.

Mercer shot 897 overall and moved up one spot on the tournament’s final day with a solid 295 in the final round, their best mark out of the three days. They finished ahead of Lipscomb by one stroke in what was their final tournament of the season.

Mercer’s men’s golf team will play the National Golf Invitational at the same course, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes, beginning Friday.

Mercer football schedule features ‘Week 0’ game

Mercer announced its 2026 football schedule May 15, which includes a game during ‘Week 0’ to open the season Aug. 29. 

The opponent for that game is yet to be determined, but it will be a home game, as the Bears begin new head coach Joel Taylor’s tenure with three straight home games. The following two games will be against Presbyterian, a Pioneer League team that upset Mercer last season, and conference opponent Furman.

The Bears will then have to contend with Georgia Tech in Atlanta, by far Mercer’s toughest game. Other non-conference opponents include Abilene Christian and the undecided opener.

The other showdowns on the Southern Conference front are familiar with the exception of new member Tennessee Tech, which the Bears will visit for a road game Nov. 14.

See the Bibb County School District football schedules below.

CENTRAL CHARGERS

• Week 1 – 8/21 vs. GREENVILLE
• Week 2 – 8/28 at Jordan-Columbus
• Week 3 – 9/4 BYE
• Week 4 – 9/11 BYE
• Week 5 – 9/18 at Lamar County
• Week 6 – 9/24 vs. SOUTHWEST (T)*
• Week 7 – 10/2 at Pike County
• Week 8 – 10/9 BYE
• Week 9 – 10/16 at Northeast (T)
• Week 10 – 10/23 vs. JACKSON (T)
• Week 11 – 10/29 vs. CALLAWAY (T)*
• Week 12 – 11/5 at Rutland (D)*

HOWARD HUSKIES

• Week 1 – 8/21 vs. SOUTHWEST (T)
• Week 2 – 8/28 at Valdosta
• Week 3 – 9/4 at Perry
• Week 4 – 9/11 BYE
• Week 5 – 9/18 vs. BALDWIN (T)
• Week 6 – 9/25 at Upson-Lee
• Week 7 – 10/1 at Spalding*
• Week 8 – 10/9 BYE
• Week 9 – 10/16 at Mary Persons
• Week 10 – 10/23 at Peach County
• Week 11 – 10/30 vs. TROUP COUNTY (D)
• Week 12 – 11/6 vs. WESTSIDE-MACON (D)

NORTHEAST RAIDERS

• Week 1 – 8/22 vs. WESTSIDE-MACON (T)&
• Week 2 – 8/28 at Warner Robins
• Week 3 – 9/4 BYE
• Week 4 – 9/11 vs. PERRY
• Week 5 – 9/17 vs. JACKSON*
• Week 6 – 9/25 vs. LAMAR COUNTY
• Week 7 – 10/1 at Rutland (D)*
• Week 8 – 10/9 BYE
• Week 9 – 10/16 vs. CENTRAL-MACON (T)
• Week 10 – 10/22 at Southwest-Macon (T)*
• Week 11 – 10/30 vs. PIKE COUNTY
• Week 12 – 11/6 vs. CALLAWAY

RUTLAND HURRICANES

• Week 1 – 8/21 vs. CRAWFORD COUNTY
• Week 2 – 8/28 vs. WESTSIDE-MACON (D)
• Week 3 – 9/4 BYE
• Week 4 – 9/11 at Wilkinson County
• Week 5 – 9/18 at Pike County
• Week 6 – 9/25 at Jackson
• Week 7 – 10/1 vs. NORTHEAST (D)*
• Week 8 – 10/9 BYE
• Week 9 – 10/16 vs. SOUTHWEST-MACON (D)
• Week 10 – 10/23 at Callaway
• Week 11 – 10/23 at Lamar County
• Week 12 – 11/5 vs. CENTRAL-MACON (D)*

SOUTHWEST PATRIOTS

• Week 1 – 8/21 at Howard (T)
• Week 2 – 8/28 BYE
• Week 3 – 9/4 at ACE Charter
• Week 4 – 9/11 vs. WESTSIDE-MACON (D)
• Week 5 – 9/18 vs. CALLAWAY (D)
• Week 6 – 9/24 at Central-Macon (T)*
• Week 7 – 10/2 vs. LAMAR COUNTY
• Week 8 – 10/9 BYE
• Week 9 – 10/16 at Rutland (D)
• Week 10 – 10/22 vs. NORTHEAST (T)*
• Week 11 – 10/30 at Jackson
• Week 12 – 11/6 at Pike County

WESTSIDE SEMINOLES

• Week 1 – 8/22 vs. NORTHEAST&
• Week 2 – 8/28 at Rutland (D)
• Week 3 – 9/4 BYE
• Week 4 – 9/11 at Southwest-Macon (D)
• Week 5 – 9/18 at Mary Persons
• Week 6 – 9/25 vs. BALDWIN
• Week 7 – 10/2 vs. TROUP COUNTY
• Week 8 – 10/9 at Peach County
• Week 9 – 10/16 BYE
• Week 10 – 10/23 vs. SPALDING
• Week 11 – (none listed)
• Week 12 – (none listed)

Key: T = Thompson Stadium | D = Ed DeFore Sports Complex | * = Thursday night, 7 p.m. | & = Saturday, time TBD