Week 4 preview: Tests for FPD and ACE, Howard hosts rival

Macon’s high school football slate for Week 4 of the regular season will yet again feature lots of away games as some of Bibb County’s premier programs will hit the road to play tough opponents.

Regardless, there are plenty of intriguing matchups to watch for. While lots of regions have yet to enter district play, the Macon schools in GHSA Class A-Division I have already begun a grueling nine-game region campaign.

ACE, Central and Northeast all travel to region opponents — the Raiders have it easiest with a game against Jefferson County, while the Gryphons have perhaps the most difficult matchup against Dodge County. Rutland, after taking Howard to the wire in last week’s game, will have a tough game at Lamar County.

There are plenty of games with intrigue right here at home, too. Howard also begins its region schedule with a home game against longtime rival West Laurens, Mount de Sales will try to bounce back against Terrell Academy and Westside is set to host championship-caliber program Bowdon.

Here’s a look at what to know before this week’s action unfolds in Macon.

FPD (3-0) at Brookstone (3-0)

Last meeting: FPD won 6-3 on Sept. 6, 2024. Last week: FPD beat St. Anne-Pacelli 34-14; Brookstone beat Mount Vernon 28-13.

It’ll take awhile for Brookstone to avenge the most painful loss in series history, when FPD took down the Cougars 44-24 for the 2023 Class 4A championship.

The Cougars have a new head coach in Ian Headley, who arrived from Florida to succeed Rance Gillespie, who went 22-13 in three seasons.

The Cougars are outscoring opponents by 24 points a game this season, while the Vikings have won by an average of 26.33 points, with two of their three wins coming against GHSA programs.

Brookstone is getting 374 yards a game on offense, led by quarterback Broughton Branch, who averages 204.3 yards a game passing.

The Vikings were efficient in getting past St. Anne-Pacelli, which had some success gaining yardage but couldn’t convert them into points. FPD picked off three passes, Brady McHugh returning one for 67 yards and a touchdown.

This will be FPD’s biggest test yet this season by far. Brookstone’s last 3-0 start was in 2022, and the last one before that was in 2011.

—Michael A. Lough

Howard (1-1) vs. West Laurens (2-0)

Last meeting: West Laurens won 28-27 in 2024; Last week: Howard defeated Rutland 20-13, West Laurens defeated North Clayton 28-22

The Huskies bounced back last week from their gut-wrenching loss to Westside in the season opener, but it was not necessarily as thorough a statement as head coach Trey Porter would have liked.

Howard defeated crosstown foe Rutland but was hamstrung by its sluggish offense, instead relying on some special teams plays — a punt block returned for a touchdown and a kickoff return that set up another score — for two of its trips to the endzone.

Now the Huskies will host region opponent West Laurens for the 18th consecutive year. Howard is 4-13 against the Raiders all-time, though two of those wins came back-to-back recently in 2022 and 2023.

West Laurens is off to a hot start with a 49-0 blowout over Groves in its first game and a closer 28-22 victory against North Clayton last week. The wins continue a recent trend, as head coach Kip Burdette and the Raiders exploded for an 8-3 campaign last year after going 1-9 and 2-8 in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

If last year’s showdown was any indication, the two teams could crank out a classic Friday. Howard went for all the marbles last year on the road with a two-point conversion on the final drive but ended up losing by one point.

The Huskies will need to figure out their pass game, as the normally run-heavy squad is banged up at the running back position. Star rusher Julius Ramsey played with a broken hand against Rutland.

Rutland (0-2) at Lamar County (2-0)

Last meeting: Lamar County won 62-7 in 2024; Last week: Rutland lost to Howard 20-13, Lamar County defeated Jackson 13-6

Don’t let the Hurricanes’ winless mark through two games deceive you. They kept things close with a skilled Bleckley County team through the first half in the season opener, then had a chance to tie or take the lead on their final drive against Howard last week.

Rutland’s defense stepped up in both games, containing the Royals — if only for two quarters — before downright extinguishing a battered Huskies run game in its second contest. The Hurricanes are still a bit undersized on defense and have a lot of players featuring on both sides of the ball, but the defensive unit has some bite nonetheless.

Rutland’s offense, on the other hand, got things going occasionally but could not fully find its stride. The Hurricanes have had explosive passing plays in both of their games thus far, but not enough to generate consistent scoring.

Lamar County will be Rutland’s toughest task yet. The Trojans soundly defeated Telfair County 37-14 before a win over Jackson last week, and both wins came courtesy of a run-heavy attack. The showdown with the Red Devils ended with a 13-7 victory after four different Lamar County players tallied at least six carries.

It will certainly be a chance at revenge for the Hurricanes, who lost 62-7 at home last season in brutal fashion. 

On paper, things line up. Lamar County relies on its run game while Rutland stuffed opposing rushers for Howard last week; the Trojans limited Jackson to negative rushing yards but also allowed more than 200 passing yards, which could lead to the Hurricanes passing more.

Stratford (2-0) at Wilkinson County (0-3)

Last meeting: Stratford won 28-12 in 2024; Last week: Stratford defeated Pinewood 40-5, Wilkinson County lost against Jasper County 42-12

The Eagles are off to a flying start for the second consecutive year, and this time the jump off the block is even more impressive. Stratford won by more than 35 points in each of their first two contests, including an unexpectedly dominant 49-17 showing against St. Anne-Pacelli.

With such lopsided tilts so far, the stats are gaudy for Stratford. Running back Tyler Stephens already has 318 rushing yards through two games with three touchdowns. Sophomore signal caller Tucker Johnston has thrown four 395 yards and four scores with no interceptions. George Dunn and Jett Johnston both already have at least 100 receiving yards.

Those numbers have a decent chance to get even more impressive against a struggling Wilkinson County team that has lost its first three games. The first two losses came by only one score each, while their most recent game against Jasper County was more of a struggle at 42-12.

The Warriors will have home field advantage, though they had trouble regardless of that in two games at home already this year. If Stephens and Johnston stay hot, the Eagles might have another blowout. Stratford is 7-0 against Wilkinson County all-time.

ACE (2-0) at Dodge County (2-0)

Last meeting: Dodge County won 33-28 in 2024; Last week: ACE defeated Jefferson County 

The Gryphons are set to face their first serious challenge this season after beginning the campaign with somewhat easier matchups against Central and Jefferson County, both of which they won handily.

Dodge County also outplayed the Chargers but got a grittier win in Week 1, eking out a victory against longtime rival Bleckley County 31-29 after a roaring comeback attempt by the Royals.

The Indians were a top-three team in the stacked Region 2-A Division I last season when they finished 9-3 — it was their best season since a 10-2 mark in 2018 — but ACE gave them a run for their money early in the year.

The Gryphons took Dodge County to its limit, getting a shot to take the lead in the final minute of play but coming up short on a fourth-and-goal from the 8-yard line.

ACE will seek revenge for the heartbreaking loss from last season. To get it, they will need more crucial performances from brothers Bryson and Brayden Vincent in the backfield and fill-in quarterback Brady Balkcom.

Other games

Westside has its third consecutive game against a highly-touted, non-region opponent this week, as they will this time play host to defending state champion Bowdon. While the Red Devils are technically two classifications lower than the Seminoles, they have still won the last three consecutive GHSA Class A-Division II trophies under head coach Rich Fendley. Bowdon defeated Westside 56-27 when they hosted last year.

Central will travel to face East Laurens with hopes to end their struggles that span all the way back to the 2023 season. The Falcons are struggling so far as well after losing their first game by one possession to Johnson County before a 40-0 loss against Bleckley County.

Northeast travels to Jefferson County, while Mount de Sales will stay at home against Terrell County. Covenant will try to stay hot after back-to-back blowout wins as it travels to Westwood.

Tattnall, off to a lackluster 0-3 start, travels to Columbus for the third time in the first four weeks of the season, this time to take on Calvary Christian. Windsor will try to end its two-game losing streak against Lakeview Academy at home.