ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The 34th annual Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic will kickoff the 2025 GHSA High School Football Season with a four-day, 11-game lineup that is jam-packed with championship contenders and formatted with a non-stop slate of intriguing matchups and first-time clashes.
The games will be streamed live on the Atlanta News First app and broadcast across the Peachtree Sports Network all four days, in addition to Atlanta News First for all four Saturday games. From your home, download the free ANF+ app anywhere you stream — FireTV, AppleTV, Roku and YouTubeTV — simply by searching for “Atlanta News First” on those platforms. If you are on the go, you can download Atlanta News First for free in the app store on your Apple or Android device. You can also watch live here on the WANF – Special Events channel.
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Day 1 was Wednesday, Aug. 13 will start the classic at Kell High School with a double-header that opens with a first-ever meeting between Prince Avenue Christian and Callaway High School.
It was the first-ever game for new Wolverines head coach Jon Richt — who stepped in for Greg Vandagriff this offseason.
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As for Callaway, head coach Pete Wiggins enters his 21st season leading the Cavs and is closing in on the 200-win career milestone with an exceptional record of 187-61 since taking over in 2005.
In the nightcap, South Paulding will took on host Kell in the school’s first meeting since 2011. South Paulding enters year three under head coach Maurice Allen and the Spartans will deploy a massive offensive line to protect senior quarterback Kade Wigginton against a Kell defense that head coach Bobby May and his staff believes is the most talented unit that the school has had in May’s tenure.
West Forsyth hosted Day 2 of the Classic on Thursday, Aug. 14 and featured a pair of first-ever matchups.
In the opening game, defending Class A-3A Private state champion Hebron Christian was led by new head coach Kenny Dallas against the North Atlanta Warriors.
It was the first time in Hebron Christian’s history that the school faced a team that plays in Georgia’s highest classification, and the Warriors are coming off the first region title in school history this past season under their head coach Jamie Aull.
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Thursday’s double-header concluded with Douglass-Atlanta and host West Forsyth in the program’s first-ever meeting. Douglass defeated LaGrange 18-3 last season in its first-ever Corky Kell appearance, but will be tasked with facing a West Forsyth team this year that is bursting with confidence after making a run to last year’s Class 6A quarterfinals and a capacity crowd at ‘The Den’ will provide the Wolverines with a forceful home field edge.
ALL IN
Three games are on the slate for Day 3 to kickoff the first Friday of the 2025 season. The action begins at 2 p.m. live from Buck Godfrey Stadium to showcase Therrell against Cedar Grove. This is the first-ever meeting between the teams.
Therrell has an opportunity to reach three-straight playoffs for the first time in program history this season under fifth-year head coach B.J. Jamison and Cedar Grove is determined to bounce back from last year’s 3-7 finish under new head coach Rich Freeman—who is joining the Saints from his most recent stint at Morehouse College.
After the conclusion of the Panthers and Saints, Rome’s Barron Stadium will deliver a double-dose of matchups starting with LaGrange vs. Cass and concluding with the host Wolves and Creekside Seminoles. LaGrange is 2-0 all-time versus Cass, but the team’s have not faced since 2003 and this will be just the second-time that Rome and Creekside have played with Rome winning the last matchup 16-6 in 2022.
RISE AND SHINE
The 2025 Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic concludes with four incredible matchups at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 16.
This four-game lineup is split with two first-time matchups and the two most familiar matchups of this year’s Corky Kell.
At 10 a.m., rivals St. Pius and Dunwoody will meet for the 11th time in their history. Dunwoody produced a 24-7 win over South Paulding in last year’s Corky Kell and St. Pius will be making its debut in the event, but the Golden Lions are 7-3 all-time against the Wildcats.
Additionally, former offensive coordinator Matthew Schmitz has stepped in as Dunwoody’s new head coach—replacing Mike Nash who left for Chattahoochee County after 10 years as the Wildcats’ head coach.
Following St. Pius and Dunwoody will be the first-ever meeting between Brookwood and Houston County at 1 p.m. and the 10th all-time meeting between McEachern and Walton at 4 p.m.
Brookwood will be led by head coach Chad Nighbert—who was promoted after serving as an interim head coach during the Broncos’ 7-4 campaign last season.
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As for Houston County, head coach Jeremy Edwards replaces four-year starter AJ Hill at quarterback, but the Bears will continue to run a high-tempo offense and Edwards believes this year’s roster is the most talented he has had since taking over in 2022.
The final matchup on Saturday and Game 11 of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic is the first-ever meeting between Douglas County and North Gwinnett. These two Class 6A powerhouses are loaded in all three phases of the game and this is considered one of the best head-to-head matchups in the history of the Corky Kell Classic with many considering it a toss-up.
North Gwinnett is coming off a 12-1 season in 2024 and Douglas County is returning the majority of its production from last year’s 11-3 team that reached the school’s second-straight semifinal.
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For the live stat link for each game, click here.
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