GAMES to WATCH

IT’S TOUGH trying to winnow a list of roughly 140+ high school football games to a select few viewers can’t miss. Without a doubt, some games on this list won’t turn out to be great, and some that didn’t make the list that could be instant classics.

However, I guarantee that several of these games are going to be huge, and many of the region contests listed will have major implications on both the region titles and the playoffs.

The annual grudge match between the Polk County schools is always an intriguing game. Both teams have made deep runs in the playoffs the past few years, so this one should be a lot of fun.

The nightcap of the Corky Kell Dave Hunter Classic games at Barron Stadium. Cass is getting all kinds of preseason hype given that they have a slew of athletes, including several with Division I offers. Rome returns a lot of talent from last year’s squad that reached the Class 6A State Semifinals. Oh, and Rome has a lot of players with major college offers too.

The Lions begin the season with a key region game against a Young American squad that reached the GAPPS state playoffs last season. Unity is looking to win the region title and get back to the state finals again and will need to be ready for this match-up.

The Blue Devils got unlucky losing their seasonopening game to scheduling issues, so they will be playing for real for the first time. This is a non-region but both of these squads have serious playoff aspirations and this contest will help both squads get ready for their respective region slates.

These two squads have a nice little rivalry going. Two years ago, Rome’s win over Carrollton handed the Wolves the region title. Last year, the Trojans topped the Wolves in Carrollton in a close one and advanced all the way to the Class 7A State Finals. Both teams have a lot returning and aspirations of possibly playing the Benz at season’s end. This one could be an instant classic.

The game features a non-region matchup between two interesting squads. The Dragons lost a lot from last year’s team but are hoping to get some big momentum early in the season before reaching region play. Woodland is coming off a tough year, but the Wildcats have a lot of momentum and would love a couple of non-region wins to get them prepped for the tough region slate.

This game turned into one of the key early-season wins for Rome in 2022 when the Wolves had to launch a game-winning touchdown drive with less than three minutes to play. The 7A Falcons will be looking to hit some big plays against the Wolves and this time try to finish off the deal. The Wolves will also be facing a tough team a week after having played Carrollton.

A big non-region game in Bartow County pitting two teams with hopes of deep playoff runs against each other. The Tigers return a lot of talent from last year’s 10-win squad and are hoping to get past the second round of the state playoffs. The Colonels also return a lot of talent and are hoping to make another run into the state playoffs. This one could provide lots of fireworks.

This is a non-region contest between the squads but both teams harbor aspirations of region titles and deep runs into the playoffs, so this game could be a very good showcase of what the squads could do later in the season. This matchup has also produced some very fun games to watch over the past few years.

Unity gets a home against Lafayette, which reached the state semifinals last season before falling to eventual state champion Sherwood Christian. This is another big early–season test for the Lions.

The Wolves' first region contest might be the deciding factor in the region title hunt. Allatoona finished as the runner-up to Rome last year in the region and the Buccaneers might be the best chance for a region team to knock off the Wolves.

Both the Eagles and the Indians are hoping to be able to grab the three region wins necessary to get to the playoffs. This game opens the Region 7A, Division 1 slate for both squads and they will be looking to make a statement. The winner still has playoff hopes while the winner will have a tough road to reach the postseason.

The Tigers have a couple of nice early-season matchups but this game could be the most intriguing. Dade County is a tough place to play and the Wolverines are somewhat enigmatic. Every season they tend to be a question mark, and the Tigers, who are looking to win another region title under new coach Wayne Groves, get the first crack at the Wolverines in region play. The winner gets set up nicely for the region race.

The Tigers should be the favorite to win Region 6-3A, and a win against last year’s region runnerup Ringgold would put them in a great spot for a shot at the region title and the state playoffs. A win here also puts them in the driver’s seat for the region title.

The Purple Hurricanes fell to Calhoun in overtime last season, paving the way for the Jackets to grab the region title. This year this game is at

Calhoun, and the Jackets return the bulk of last year’s squad. Cartersville has to replace a lot of players from last year’s state semifinal team, but this game will be good. The winner has the inside track to win the Region 7-5A title.

The Jackets have a lot of firepower coming back from last year’s squad, but so do the Blue Devils. This is an early Region 7-AA match-up for both squads and the winner will most likely be the favorite to win the region title.

This might be one of the best Region 7-4A games of the season and it comes on the opening week of region play for both teams. The Bulldogs have been in charge of the region tile for a few years and Central is looking to knock them off the ledge.

This is another interesting early match-up in Region 7A, Division 1 between squads hoping to secure enough wins to sneak into the playoffs. With both teams having new coaches and both schools bringing back some talent, it will be very interesting to see how it plays out. Depending on how Armuchee fares the week before, this game could have huge meaning for them.

This Bartow County rivalry has been one-sided the past several years, but Cass enters the season with a solid team that went to the second round of the Class 5A playoffs last season and is looking to make another run into the playoffs. Cartersville will have played at Calhoun the week before, so the winner of this game could be setting themselves up for a shot at the region title.

This game could go a long way in helping determine if either squad has a chance at a region title and the state playoffs. Both teams are used to being region contenders and state playoff bound, so this matchup should be at playoff intensity with the winner looking strong for a possible region title.

A week after the Dragons face Darlington they hit the road to face the Bulldogs in what will be another big game in helping determine region standings and playoff seeding. Just like the week before for the Dragons, this game will play a big role in which team might win the region crown.

Depending on how the rest of the region games play out, this game should factor into who wins the region crown. The pre-season hype is super high on both of these squads and if things go as pundits believe, both teams will be gearing up for what they hope will be deep playoff runs.

The Tigers won the Region 7A, Division I title last year, upending the Bulldogs. Trion returns a lot of talent from last year’s squad that reached the second round of the state playoffs. Both teams will most likely be playing to better their playoff seeding. If things go their way, the winner of this game could end up being the region champion.