Week 10: ACE and Southwest clash, South Bibb rivalry returns

As the high school football regular season winds down, the stakes are only ratcheting up.

The playoffs are just around the corner, and some Macon teams are looking to snag wins to up their power ranking and earn higher seeds, while others try to fight for a spot.

Here’s a look at what’s on the line in Macon during Week 10 of the season.

Southwest (2-5, 1-5 in region) vs. ACE (4-3, 3-3 in region)

Last meeting: ACE won 40-14 in 2024. Last week: Both teams were idle.

Both teams come into a key region game well-rested, which could make a difference for two teams that have been banged-up over the last few games.

ACE’s season went from a promising 4-0 to a more expected 4-3 after losses to Northeast, East Laurens and Dublin, as The middle of those three was easily the most concerning — the Gryphons were expected to dispatch of the Falcons in a relatively routine game but instead got outscored 28-7 after a first-possession touchdown.

The team’s last loss was a bit more encouraging, as ACE put up 27 points against a typically talented Dublin defense. 

Quarterback Ace Hatcher made noise on the ground despite dealing with leg injuries on and off this year, rushing 13 times for 82 yards. Bryson Vincent has also been a force on the ground. ACE’s offensive line has also been much improved from the 2024 campaign even with some injury trouble, though the bye week should help with their health.

The Gryphons will try to bring some of that offense into a game with a slumping Southwest, which has only one region win against bottomfeeder Central this year. 

The Patriots have dealt with injuries as well, with quarterback being the most impacted position. Head coach Joe Dupree’s son, Chase Dupree, made an unexpected comeback at the beginning of the season but sustained an injury against Northeast and only returned in Southwest’s recent game.

While Dupree’s return to the pocket is a plus, it did not help the Patriots’ offensive woes. Southwest fell 14-0 to East Laurens prior to last week’s bye, reaching the red zone multiple times but failing to put any points on the board because of penalties and sacks near the goal line.

The Patriots should have a better offense working now that Dupree is back and has likely shaken off the rust, but ACE should still have the edge in this game with its rushing attack and solid — if sometimes exhausted — defense.

Mount de Sales (2-6, 1-1 in region) vs. Stratford (6-2, 1-2 in region)

Last meeting: Stratford won 56-13 in 2024. Last week: Stratford defeated Tattnall 49-0, Mount de Sales was off

The Eagles and Cavaliers meet in the last of the matchups between Macon’s “Big Four” private schools, and the tilt leans heavily in Stratford’s favor, as the Eagles have only a couple blemishes on their record thus far.

Stratford started the season off 5-0 before a stunning 51-13 dismantling on the road at the hands of John Milledge. The Eagles tried to bounce back but could not quite keep up with key crosstown nemesis FPD the following week in a 21-10 loss, though a completely dominant 49-0 victory over Tattnall last week set them back on track.

Stratford should be able to carry that offensive momentum across town to Cavalier Fields, where a struggling Mount de Sales program has played with guts but tends to run out of gas due to a lack of bodies.

The Cavaliers did notch their first victory against Tattnall since 2020 last week with a 10-0 win, but the Trojans are down this year. Mount de Sales may not have an answer for Stratford’s strong run game, led by Tyler Stephens and his 1,276 rushing yards — good for the most rushing yards of any player in all GIAA classifications this year.

Windsor (1-7, 0-1 in region) vs. Central Fellowship (4-4, 1-1 in region)

Last meeting: CFCA won 14-8 in 2024. Last week: CFCA defeated Heritage 52-19, Windsor lost to Flint River Academy 28-25

The Battle for South Bibb County is on this week, and the stakes are higher than last season’s showdown between these Macon rivals.

Central Fellowship has more on the line this go-round, as the Lancers got back to .500 last week with a dominant win over Heritage out of Newnan. Running back Judson Walls returned from a broken elbow in explosive fashion, gashing the Hawks defense repeatedly despite his arm still being in a cast.

Windsor’s season has trended in the opposite direction. The Knights have lost seven straight games since getting their only win this season in the opener, though its offense has recovered somewhat after a more sluggish start on that side of the ball.

Even with the different trajectories, Central Fellowship coach Jake Walls knew better than to take Windsor lightly.

“It’s always a big game and it’s always fun to play a rival,” he said. “When you get this far in the season you’re not really adding anything new, you just try to take things from a game where you did a lot and try to make yourself better.”

With both the Lancers and Knights improving slightly on offense since the early going, the rivalry showdown might have more fireworks than last year’s 13-8 CFCA win in which a Windsor quarterback change did not work out.

Other games

Northeast will look to get back on track on Thursday against Central after both teams had a week off. While the Raiders will undoubtedly be focused against an in-town rival, the underwhelming Chargers should be an easy opponent for Jeremy Wiggins’ talented squad.

Northeast fans might cast their eyes elsewhere in the area as well. After a loss to Bleckley County earlier this year, the Raiders need the Royals to lose to Dublin to take back control of Region 2-A Division I — and those two teams meet this week at the Shamrock Bowl.

Howard will go on the road with a chance to get its first win since Week 2, as the 1-7 Huskies have struggled since starting in promising fashion with a close loss to Westside and a close win over Rutland. They face a fellow 1-7 squad, Cross Creek, on the road in Augusta.

Rutland struggled last week against Callaway, which is now ranked No. 6 in Class 2A by Georgia High School Football Daily, in a 45-12 loss. It was their second-straight game against a region opponent ranked in the Top 10 of the classification after facing Morgan County the week prior, and things won’t get any easier with a tough game against 6-1 Jeff Davis on the slate for Week 10.

Westside got its first win in a while last week, defeating Pike County 28-16 on the road to move to 2-6 on the year. The Seminoles are off this week.