The fifth annual Great Atlanta Bash returns to Eddie. S Henderson Stadium at Midtown High School with a two-day (Aug. 25-26), four-game lineup that will feature five Atlanta Public School programs, in addition to Douglas County, Miller Grove and Calhoun High School. The action will be televised both days on PeachtreeTV and digitally on the Atlanta News First App and kicks off Friday night with the first-ever meeting between Carver-Atlanta and Calhoun.
“It’s amazing that it’s been five years since Jasper (Jewell) and I got together to put together the Great Atlanta Bash,” said I.J. Rosenberg, the President of Score Atlanta. “And what makes me the happiest is it gives exposure to kids that typically don’t get the exposure. The Bash has become very competitive.”
Saturday returns with a triple-header starting featuring Jackson-Atlanta vs. Miller Grove at 10 a.m. Class 6A Douglas County and Class 5A Mays will meet for a rematch of last year’s 49-42 thrilling win by Douglas County at 12:45 p.m. before APS rivals Douglass and Washington meet at 3:30 p.m. for the 41st time in their history.
“That Douglass vs. Washington game is probably one of the oldest rivalries in our district,” said Atlanta Public Schools Director of Athletics Jasper Jewell. “It’s called the Westside Classic and that should be a glorious matchup to close out the Saturday lineup.”
Washington’s roster boasts rising senior Kameryn Fountain—a 6-foot-6, 240-pound edge rusher and the No. 8 rated prospect in the state, that committed to the USC Trojans this month. Douglass will have the No. 7 rated rising junior in the state taking the field with Ohio State-commit Jontae Gilbert—a 6-foot-1 safety with more than 20 power five offers.
Friday’s premiere matchup between Calhoun and Carver-Atlanta will be an outstanding way to kick off Year 5 of the Bash as Calhoun makes its first appearance in the event and becomes the first program outside of the metro Atlanta area to participate.
“We are definitely looking forward to the event first off and getting an opportunity to play in front of people we normally don’t get a chance to play in front of,” said Calhoun head coach Clay Stephenson. “And getting to play a team like Carver that is tremendous year in and year out is wonderful for our team. Two years ago at the state finals, they were the game right before us. We did not start a lot of seniors last year, so we are really excited about the experience we have returning this season.”
Calhoun has reached three-straight quarterfinals and has made 23-straight playoff appearances with eight finals appearances and three state titles in the same span. This year’s Yellow Jackets team features Auburn-commit Martavious Collins and running back Caden Williams—who is committed to Liberty.
“Midtown and Henderson Stadium has been there forever,” Rosenberg said. “I think it’s a very traditional place for a game like this. I dont think Calhoun has played a lot of football games in this city of Atlanta. They are an excellent football program. They are a much bigger school than Carver, but at the same time, I think that if there’s a school that could really match up with Calhoun, it’s Carver-Atlanta.”
Carver-Atlanta returns to the Bash and is coming off back-to-back semifinal appearances for the first time in program history. The Panthers’ roster features defensive back Joshua Stone—who has been a multi-year starter that tallied an interception in the state finals as a sophomore starter and has been a major factor in Carver’s success.
“This is a great opportunity for us and Calhoun is an outstanding program,” said Carver-Atlanta head coach Darren Myles. “We know Calhoun is going to show up ready to play and we are going to have to do the same or they will hit us in the mouth. We have been preparing hard and are looking forward to competing and facing a schedule that will help us reach our potential this season.”
Class 5A Jackson and Class 4A Miller Grove will face in Saturday’s opener and are 1-1 all-time in the series with Miller Grove earning a 24-7 win last season. Jackson went on to have a strong 7-4 campaign that included a 35-13 Region 5-5A victory over Mays. Miller Grove defeated Douglass 16-9 after its win over the Jaguars and was extremely competitive in Region 6-4A with victories over Westminster and Southwest DeKalb.
Saturday’s second matchup before the Westside Classic closes out the Bash pins Douglas County and Mays after the two teams combined for 93 points last season. Class 5A Mays achieved its first quarterfinals appearance since 2017 last season and Douglas County will be a major contender in Class 6A this season with senior quarterback Sire Hardaway returning under center after accounting for 410 yards and four touchdowns in last year’s victory.
2023 Great Atlanta Bash Schedule
At Eddie S. Henderson Stadium at Midtown High School (Formerly Grady High School)
Friday, Aug. 25
Carver-Atlanta vs. Calhoun, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 26
Jackson-Atlanta vs. Miller Grove, 10 a.m.
Mays vs. Douglas County, 12:45 p.m.
Douglass vs. Washington, 3:30 p.m.
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