DRIVE FOR THE GHSA STATE TITLE: Northgate, Langston Hughes to meet in highly-anticipated Region 3-5A matchup

There are three undefeated teams remaining in Region 3-5A and two of them take the field against one another on Friday night in both teams' biggest games of the season as the Northgate Vikings travel to Fairburn to take on the Langston Hughes Panthers.

Friday’s matchup will be broadcast live on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and the Peachtree Sports Network (cable and YouTube TV), and streamed live on the Atlanta News First app. From your home, download the free ANF+ app anywhere you stream — FireTV, AppleTV, Roku and YouTube TV — 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.

In the overall series between the two schools, Northgate is 4-1 against the Panthers, though Hughes got the job done last season with a 46-0 victory on the road at Northgate. Last year was the first matchup between the two teams since 2019 when Northgate won the previous four matchups over the Panthers.

The Northgate Vikings are seeking their first 8-0 start since the 2015 season under then head coach Tommy Walburn that saw the Vikings make their farthest playoff run in program history with a 12-2 record, making it to the semifinals.

This year, in Kevin Whitley’s second season at the helm of the program, the Vikings are rolling on both sides of the ball, making them one of the most dangerous teams in the state.

Sophomore quarterback Ledger Clements has led a potent offensive attack this season for the Vikings, totaling 801 yards through the air and nine total touchdowns on the season (eight pass, one rush). Clements is averaging 16 yards per completion and has fully taken command of the Vikings offense.

The rushing attack, spear-headed by sophomore running back Woody Schettini, has been a huge part of the offense this season for Northgate as he has totaled 1,173 yards and an impressive 16 rushing touchdowns on the season including six games with over 100 yards on the ground.

With 147 carries on the season, Schettini is averaging eight yards a carry, making things really difficult for defenses Northgate goes up against.

Sophomore wide receiver Treveon Gill leads the team in every major receiving category including yards (440), receptions (26), touchdowns (three) and yards per game (62.9).

On defense for the Vikings, senior linebacker Brysen Davies has been one of the most productive seniors on the Northgate roster as he has been all over the field for them, totaling 101 total tackles, six tackles for loss and averaging just over 14 tackles per game.

Davies is set to play football at the next level following his senior season as he has been committed to Marshall since last month.

On the opposing sideline, Andrico Hines is in the midst of his first season as the head coach of the Panthers following the departure of Daniel Williams to Northside-Warner Robins in the offseason. Under Hines, the Panthers are seeking their first 8-0 start since the 2022 season that saw the only state championship the Panthers have won in program history.

Williams and the Panthers made it all the way to the state championship a season ago when they lost to back-to-back state champions, the Milton Eagles, after being tied at halftime.

The Hughes offense is led by senior three-star quarterback Darnell Kelly who is in his second stint at Langston Hughes after transferring over from Peachtree Ridge. Kelly has been a huge piece to the offensive scheme and has been thriving, throwing for 1,139 yards, 16 total touchdowns (14 pass, two rush) and is averaging 163 yards per game through the air on a 67-percent completion percentage. With his legs, Kelly has been more than effective, averaging close to 10 yards a carry totaling 278 yards rushing on the season.

While Kelly has been a difference-maker for this year's team with both his arm and legs, senior four-star running back and Florida-commit Carsyn Baker has been a problem out of the backfield for defenses as he has totaled 539 rushing yards, 114 receiving yards and nine total touchdowns on the season. Baker and fellow senior running back, FIU-commit Qwantavius Wiggins have been excellent this season with Wiggins leading the team in rushing with 599 yards on the season.

Georgia-commit and four-star senior offensive lineman Kelsey Adams is the highest-rated player on the team and is rated as a top-50 player in the nation according to On3.

There are playmakers all around this Hughes offense including four-star tight end Xavier Tiller who has been a touchdown machine so far this season, catching eight total passes with four of them in the endzone. Tiller is a huge target for Kelly to throw to at 6-foot-5, 215-pounds and has been committed to Florida State since June of 2025.

Junior linebacker Anthony Jones leads the team in tackles as he has totaled 25 so far, mid-way through the season. Jones has accumulated nine tackles for loss on the season as well (second on the team).

Senior defensive end Kijon Brown-Braxton leads the program in tackles for loss this season with 10 and he also has the fourth-most tackles for the Panthers this season. Braxton has been committed to Eastern Michigan since August of 2025 ahead of his senior season.

The only other committed player on the Panthers defense this season is cornerback Julian Byrd who has been committed to Tulsa since June. Byrd has been making plays for the Panther-defense including a total of seven tackles and two interceptions on the season.

This Friday, the action will start ahead of the Score Atlanta broadcast of the Northgate vs. Langston Hughes matchup at 8 p.m. with the Georgia High School Countdown to Kickoff, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and the Peachtree Sports Network (cable and YouTube TV) and streaming on the Atlanta News First website/app. The pregame show, which will feature on-air talent Craig Sager II, Brandon Adams and Kaylee Mansell will preview the upcoming matchup with each person picking their winning team, along with interviews from each participating head coach. After the clock hits zero, stay tuned after the game for the Georgia High School Postgame Show, which will be broadcast live from the Score Atlanta Studio, with Score Atlanta’s Max Wolborsky, Hayden Gilbert and Landon Knight featured on the program. The postgame show will run from game’s end till midnight every Friday night, with a full breakdown of each game, call-in guests chiming in to voice their opinions, and updates from other top-tier games around the state. The postgame show, like the pregame show, will be broadcast live on Atlanta News First and the Peachtree Sports Network, and streamed on the Atlanta News First website/app.