Great Atlanta Bash - Collins Hill, Woodward clash for second time ever as they look to get back on track

The Collins Hill Eagles and the Woodward Academy War Eagles will square off for the second time in both school’s history as the Eagles will travel to Woodward as both teams are seeking their first victories of the season.

Collins Hill will travel to Graham Hixon Field for the first time to take on the War Eagles as the game 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 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.

Last season, in the home-and-home between the two schools the War Eagles traveled to Collins Hill last season, where the Eagles came out on top 21-14 in what was the only previous time these schools have faced each other.

In 2024, the Eagles made it all the way to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual state champion-Grayson, 38-14. Collins Hill defeated the Rams in the first game of the season last year before they faced off again in the quarterfinals.

Woodward Academy faced a similar fate as they lost to Sequoyah in the second round of the postseason, losing 35-20.

Both Collins Hill and Woodward Academy have started the season in the loss column as the two football programs went up against last year's Class 6A state championship matchup as Collins Hill faced Grayson and Woodward Academy traveled to Carrollton to face the Trojans.

Collins Hill fell 51-3 to the defending champion Grayson while Woodward Academy was defeated 48-21 on the road at Carrollton.

While both teams know they have plenty to improve on, they are both filled with plenty of talent to overcome their Week 1 defeat.

Collins Hill is led by head coach Drew Swick who enters his third year with the school. Swick helped lead the Eagles to their first 10+ win season since 2021, where Lenny Gregory and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter won a state championship together, the only state title in the program's history.

The Eagles are loaded with talent from top to bottom but it all starts with Class of 2026 4-star defensive lineman Deuce Geralds as he recently committed to continue his football career at LSU. Geralds is a matchup nightmare for opposing coaches and plays on both sides of the ball. He can either beat you inside or is a force to bring down in the run game with the ball in his hands.

Along with Geralds, Atticus Joseph plays both ways as well where he is able to make big-time plays in many facets of the game. The Standford-commit ranks as a 3-star on 247Sports.com and has around 11 offers to continue to play football at the next level. Joseph is one of the Eagles top receiving options this season.

Joseph along with sophomore wideout Kevin Hughes are major contributors to the Eagles offense as they look to take off following a shaky start to the season.

The Eagles defense is filled with Power 4 commits, just like senior edge rusher Katrell Webb. Webb is a Purdue-commit and had offers from many college football programs, ultimately deciding with the Boilermakers. The combination of Geralds and Webb make for one of the top pass rushing duos in not only Class 6A, but the state of Georgia as well.

Class of 2027 Collins Hill starting quarterback Makyree Cross leads the Eagles in his second year at the helm of the Collins Hill offense. After a rocky start against Grayson, Cross and the Eagles will look to kick the offense into high gear and shake off the rusty start to the season.

”We’ve got to get back to our brand of football,” said Swick. “I'm excited to get down to Woodward to see what it's all about. Some of our leaders didn’t have their best games, but they took accountability and are ready for Friday.”

For the War Eagles, it was a difficult start to the 2025 season with the loss to Carrollton but they look to bounce back on Friday when they welcome Collins Hill.

Head coach John Hunt has been at the helm of the Woodward football program since 2011 and has totaled nine regional titles since he has led the football team. Hunt looks to lead the War Eagles to their first double-digit win season since 2023 and will have to bring Woodward back after the crushing Week 1 loss.

“After last week, there is nowhere to go but up,” said Hunt. “Once we get by this week then we will turn our attention to Marist.”

The War Eagles have plenty of talent on their roster, all starting with senior ATH Blake Stewart.

Stewart is all over the field for the War Eagles, playing on both sides of the ball on top of hauling in five passes for 144 yards and a touchdown against Carrollton in the season opener. Steward is the only Woodward player to be committed to a Power 4 school as he is committed to play at Clemson.

While Stewart’s versatile abilities are one of a kind, he has impressed many so far in the early season, also accounting for seven tackles on defense tying for most tackles on the team in the first week of games.

Junior quarterback Ryan Harrigan is in his first season as the starter after throwing for 230 yards and two passing touchdowns in a solid outing for the junior first-year starter against Carrollton. Harrigan will have to play with his head on a swivel, with a pair of Power 4 pass rushers coming at him every time the ball is snapped.

While Stewart and Harrigan are playmakers for the War Eagles, the 2025 Woodward team is full of young talent on both sides of the ball that are itching to make an impact on the field. Defensive backs Bryce Woods and Elijah Lyles are a pair of Class of 2027 defensive backs that are ready to make an immediate impact in the secondary. Defensive end and tight end Myles Tate is another name in the Class of 2028 that has accumulated numerous offers including Mississippi State, West Virginia, Wake Forest and plenty more.

This Friday, the action will start ahead of the Score Atlanta broadcast of the Collins Hill vs. Woodward Academy matchup at 8 PM with the inaugural Georgia High School Countdown to Kickoff, beginning at 7:30 PM on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and the Peachtree Sports Network. The pregame show, which will feature on-air talent Rusty Mansell, Brandon Adams, Kaylee Mansell and Georgia Chambers, 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 Craig Sager II, Max Wolborsky and Hayden Gilbert 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.

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