Hebron Christian and North Atlanta to meet for first time in the Corky Kell & Dave Hunter Classic

The Hebron Christian Lions and North Atlanta Warriors will face off for the first-time ever, and being in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic brings high stakes to this inaugural matchup. The two teams will kick off the second day of the 34th annual edition of the ‘Classic’.

The game is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff at West Forsyth High School and will be broadcast on the Peachtree Sports Network on August 14th.

Both teams are relatively new in the Corky Kell with Hebron making its second appearance and North Atlanta appearing for the third time in the season kickoff tradition.

The Lions made a ferocious introduction at the Classic last year as they dominated Therrell 48-0, including 24 points in the third quarter of that game. Devon Caldwell rushed for three touchdowns on eight carries while KJ Thomas and Jarvis Mathurin each caught a touchdown pass. Thomas had two receptions for 117 yards and Mathurin recorded four receptions for 77 yards. On defense, Sichan John and Nick Wade were the leading tacklers as John put up seven total tackles with three tackles for loss and Wade recorded six total tackles along with two sacks. Regarding pass defense, Stroud Morris had an interception as he, Gerritt Kemp, Thomas, Jairus Washington, and Tanner Bowen each had a pass defended. On the ground, Max Steve and Jack Mostiler both recovered a fumble.

The Warriors suffered their first-ever loss in the tournament, falling 29-15 to Kell last year. The offensive attack was fueled by Josh McCullough who scored touchdowns on two of his four receptions in the game and totaled 132 receiving yards. Some key players on defense for North Atlanta in that game were Dean Paulson and Tobi Adewoyin. Paulson had nine total tackles and a tackle for loss as Adewoyin tallied eight total tackles. The turnovers for the Warriors consisted of Grant Thompson and Quinn Herring both recovering a fumble and Bryce Willingham intercepting a pass from the Longhorns. The issue the defense had in that game was stopping the rush attack from Kell as the Longhorns rushed for 300 yards on 38 carries and scored three touchdowns on the ground en route to victory.

A key to victory in this game for Hebron will be how their run game performs against the Warriors. Two large contributors to the ground game last year in Devon Caldwell and Jarvis Mathurin. Caldwell recorded 1,458 rushing yards on 179 carries while scoring 23 touchdowns and Mathurin collected 365 yards on 53 carries with six touchdowns. This game is a big test for the start of the Kenny Dallas era as he looks to lead the Lions to back-to-back state titles.

What will be crucial for North Atlanta in order for them to win is how the passing game looks against Hebron’s defense. They have a big hole to fill this year after last year’s Region 6-6A player of the year Ian Reynolds graduated. The man who has to step up for the Warriors is senior quarterback Ryan Edwards as he looks to continue the connection that Reynolds had with McCullough last year.

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