The success of three-time defending state champion Bowdon and the level of consistency required to achieve this milestone has made the Red Devils an ideal program for teams outside of Class A Div. II to play in order to test themselves. Last season, Fellowship Christian and Bowdon went at it in their season opener and the Paladins used a two-point conversion to steal a 36-35 victory. That was one of the top matchups of the opening weeks of last season and will be a great rematch this year when Bowdon gets to host the game. Lakeside-DeKalb in Atlanta and its head coach Morris Starr have been inspired by the Red Devils’ ongoing run and made it an priority to scrimmage the reigning state champs in August to prepare them for the season.
“We are really looking forward to scrimmaging with Bowdon and using it as an opportunity to improve and prepare,” said coach Starr. “They are the three-time defending state champions for a reason.
Over the summer, Bowdon has also invited teams to its campus for OTA’s. Model, Pike County and Schley County were in attendance before the dead week to close out the month of June. It has been a busy summer for Bowdon and its many high-level recruits that are working to narrow down visits and offers before the start of the 2025 season. Senior tight end and linebacker Jonah Wilson picked up an offer from The Citadel on June 25 and Jaxson Jones added an offer from Reinhardt to his growing list of collegiate fan mail.
Around the Classification…
Last year’s state runner-up Brooks County—which opens its season at rival Thomasville in an intriguing cross-classification matchup, is one of several teams that will be looking to recapture the title. What makes showdowns like Thomasville versus Brooks County significant this fall is more than just the history shared between the programs and their status as state title contenders. This game–and others like it that pin Class A Div. II against the other classification—will all be factored into the PSR and will shape seeding in those classifications. So the game will be an opportunity for Thomasville to earn an early win that would help them in the Class 2A ratings. Aside from the incentives for the non-Class A Div. II schools, the non-region schedule is going to be critical for Region 2, which includes Atkinson County, Charlton County, Clinch County, Irwin County, Lanier County and Turner County. This past season, Irwin County defeated Brooks County 17-14 in the season finale and Clinch County defeated Irwin County—leaving Brooks, Irwin and Clinch in a three-way tie at 4-1. Region 2 placed three teams in the quarterfinals and sent Brooks County and Irwin County into the semifinals. Ultimately, Irwin County fell to state champion Bowdon 42-28 in the semifinals and Brooks County was defeated 34-14 in the finals.
Class A Div. II Week 1 Schedule
REGION 1
Baconton Charter at Montgomery County
Calhoun County vs. Greenville
Early County at Westover (Hugh Mills Stadium)
Miller County at Columbus (OS 8/16)
Mitchell County at Lanier County
Pataula Charter vs. Windsor Academy
Pelham (BYE) vs. Thomasville 8/22
Randolph-Clay (BYE) vs. Cottonwood, Alabama 8/22
Seminole County at Schley County
Southwest Georgia STEM vs. Abbeville Christian
Spring Creek at FAMU DRS (Scrimmage)
Terrell County vs. Calvary Christian
REGION 2
Atkinson County at Georgia Military College
Brooks County at Thomasville
Charlton County at Brantley County
Clinch County at Bacon County
Irwin County vs. Fitzgerald
Lanier County vs. Mitchell County
Turner County at Worth County
REGION 3
Bryan County vs. Johnson-Savannah
Claxton vs. Tattnall County
Emanuel County Institute vs. Wilcox County
Jenkins County vs. Glascock County
McIntosh County Academy vs. Islands
Metter (BYE) at Tattnall County 8/22
Portal vs. Bulloch Academy (Georgia Southern 8/16)
Savannah vs. Frederica Academy
Screven County at Jefferson County
REGION 4
Dooly County at Toombs County (Booster Stadium)
Hawkinsville vs. Marion County
Montgomery County vs. Baconton Charter
Telfair County at Lamar County
Treutlen at Twiggs County
Wheeler County at Wilkinson County
Wilcox County at Emanuel County Institute
REGION 5
Georgia Military College vs. Atkinson County
Glascock County at Jenkins County
Hancock Central at Glenn Hills
Johnson County vs. East Laurens
Twiggs County vs. Treutlen
Wilkinson County vs. Wheeler County
REGION 6
Central-Talbotton (BYE) vs. Southwest Georgia STEM 8/22
Chattahoochee County vs. Mt. Zion-Carroll
Crawford County at Pike County
Macon County vs. Southwest
Marion County at Hawkinsville
Schley County vs. Seminole County
Taylor County at Jasper County
REGION 7
Bowdon at Fellowship Christian
Greenville at Calhoun County
Manchester at Harris County
Mt. Zion-Carroll at Chattahoochee County
Trion at Gordon Lee
REGION 8
Greene County at Putnam County
Lake Oconee Academy at Mt. Paran
Lincoln County vs. Augusta Christian (Larry Campbell Stadium)
Towns County vs. Murray County
Warren County vs. Morgan County
Washington-Wilkes at Hephzibah
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