Previewing every region in 6A: Region 4

Ahead of the 2025 season, Score Atlanta’s Wesley Powell will be previewing every single team in Georgia's 6A classification. Every team from down south in Valdosta to metro Atlanta that is in the highest class in the state. Each region will be its own article, and this article will cover the 7 teams in Region 4: Archer, Grayson, Grovetown, Heritage, Newton, Rockdale County, and South Gwinnett.

Archer

Last Season: 4-8 (3-3, 4th in region)

Archer has only missed the playoffs twice since 2013 and have gone all the way to the state championship since. Head coach Dante Williams has the Tigers lined up for another great season in 2025.

“We are trying to find out who we are as a team before we talk about our opponents,” Williams assured.

Archer had a rather interesting season last year. The Tigers went 3-7 in the regular season, but pulled off a major upset over Harrison in the first round of playoffs 46-42.

Jordan Do is Powell’s player to watch for Archer. The three-year starter at quarterback threw for 2,639 yards and 27 touchdowns as a junior last season. Also, he threw four touchdowns in Archer’s second round loss to West Forsyth.

“He understands his role as leader of the team and he has embraced it well,” Williams said on Do.

Archer will make the trip to North Cobb on August 15th as the Tigers begin their 2025 season. They will stay on the road the following week as they take on Seckinger. Archer’s home opener will be versus the 2023 7A state champions Mill Creek. Archer will end its non-region schedule against 4A power Eastside.

Archer begins its region schedule by taking on another Covington power house in Newton (away). The Tigers next three games (following a bye) are at Rockdale County, vs. Grovetown, and an all-important game for potential playoff seeding at South Gwinnett. Archer will return home for its final two games of the season vs. Heritage and Grayson.

Grayson

Last Season: 14-1 (6-0, first in region)

Key Losses: Josiah Victor, Jaylen Bell, Elijah Miller

The defending 6A champions are primed and ready to go back-to-back in 2025. What is even crazier is that Grayson was relatively young last season. Its roster is arguably the best out of any public school in the entire country and will be almost impossible to stop this season.

Coach Bryant’s team went 14-1 last season and only lost by one in its first game to Collins Hill. They dominated opponents all season which ended by beating one of the most loaded Carrollton teams of all time in the state championship.

Powell’s player to watch is Tyler Atkinson. Atkinson is an easy choice here, despite Grayson’s loaded roster. Atkinson is one of the best players in the country and one of Grayson’s best ever. A few of Atkinson’s accolades are state champion, Navy All American, Sports Illustrated Defensive Player of the Year, MaxPreps Junior of the Year, signed by Adidas, and many more. As a junior, Atkinson tallied 166 total tackles, 32 tackles for loss, and double-digit sacks. Atkinson is not yet committed, but holds offers from every school you can think of.

“Tyler is such a special player, which is something you can see from the sideline. I’ve been lucky enough to coach kids like him, including (former Heisman winner) Travis Hunter,” Williams said about Atkinson.

Grayson will have a tough road ahead if the Rams want to go back-to-back.

They will open up at Collins Hill, who was the only team to beat Grayson last season. The Rams will then play host in their next three games vs. Rabun Gap, Thompson, AL., and Mallard Creek, NC. Playing two out of state opponents will be tricky, but if Grayson could do it last year, there is no telling what they can do this year.

As for Region 4, Grayson will take a bye after the non-region games before beginning at Grovetown. Then, they will take on Newton in what could be the region championship. After another bye the Rams will take the trip to Heritage and return back the following week versus Rockdale County to begin October. They will take their final bye the next week and will close out the season against South Gwinnett and an away game against Archer.

Grovetown

Last Season: 1-9 (1-5, 6th in region)

Key Losses: Damon Edwards Jr.

Dedrick Mayo takes over as head coach of the Warriors for the 2025 season. He is looking to take Grovetown to the playoffs for the first time since 2021, following four seasons with coach Cory Evans.

Mayo inherits a rather young team that is ready to make some noise in 6A. If all goes well Mayo can get a Grovetown team that is hungry for success at new heights.

Powell’s player to watch for Grovetown is 2026 athlete Jaquez Ivey. Ivey was a second-team all-region selection last season. Although he is an all-region receiver, he can also play defensive back where he locks down receivers. Ivey is very shifty and can make players miss him in the open field. He will be key for Mayo’s Warriors in 2025.

Grovetown begins the season at Lakeside (Evans) in 5A. The Warriors play at home against two more 5A schools over the next two weeks in Greenbrier and then Evans. They finish out their non-region schedule at 2A school Thomson.

After a second bye in the span of three weeks, Grovetown begins with a challenge by taking on the defending champs Grayson at home. The Warriors play away again versus South Gwinnett the next week and then return back home against Newton. After those three monster games, Grovetown plays two-straight away games at Archer and then at Rockdale County. The 2025 finale for the Warriors is at home versus Heritage-Conyers.

Heritage-Conyers

Last Season: 2-8 (0-6, 7th in region)

Key Losses: Titus Whitfield Jr., Dillion Latimore, Chris Giles

Rodney Cofield has left Heritage after just one season to take over B.E.S.T Academy. His departure means that Heritage will be searching for a new coach to bring them to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.

However, Heritage returns a lot of key players in order to go on a run. Heritage’s 2028 class is one of the best in the state and they will just be getting better with more experience.

Speaking of the 2028 class, Powell’s player to watch for Heritage is quarterback Jaycob Jones. Jones is the returning starter for Heritage and was a star both through the air and on the ground. Jones earned multiple Player of the Week honors at Heritage including a 100-plus yard performance and two touchdowns in a 20-3 win last season. The dual-threat quarterback is primed and ready for a major sophomore season.

“I have been working with quarterback trainers to sharpen my skills,” Jones said.

The Patriots will open up their season versus the two teams they beat last season in M.L. King and Salem. They will end non-region play on the road against Miller Grove and Hapeville.

In region, they will have to come out swinging as they take on Rockdale County, Grayson, and South Gwinnett as their first three games. They return home for another big game vs. Newton. Heritage will end its 2025 regular season at Archer and at Grovetown.

Newton

Last Season: 7-5 (5-1, 2nd in region)

Key Losses: Zion Johnson, Malik Brightwell, Christian Ingram

Newton is in a unique spot as one of the few teams in history to lose a 2,000-yard rusher (Zion Johnson), and 1,000-yard receiver (Malik Brightwell). It is rare enough to have both of those in the same season, but to lose both will hurt Newton massively. The Rams also lost 4-star defensive lineman Christian Ingram.

Coach Skelton is entering into year three at the helm. He has gone 8-3 and 7-5 in years one and two and made the playoffs in both. This year, he is looking to take Newton past the second round for the first time since the 80s.

Powell’s player to watch for Newton is running back Kevin Hartsfield. Hartsfield was a freshman last season and formed arguably the best running back duo in the state with Zion Johnson. Despite the senior rushing for over 2,000 yards, Hartsfield still got 724 yards and eight touchdowns. He has picked up offers from nearly everywhere in the country and is one of the top players in the country in 2028. Honestly, you could put the duo of him and freshman Karter Lumpkin in this spot as the pair could be just as dominant as Hartsfield was with Zion last season.

“Kevin Hartsfield has been a great leader this offseason. He has been putting in the work on and off the field. He has gotten tremendously stronger, faster, and more agile. I think he separates himself with how well he catches the ball as well. Karter Lumpkin is an incoming 9th grader that has made a huge impact so far. He is extremely strong, has great vision, and does a great job in pass protection. They are the best RBs in their classification,” Skelton noted.

Newton starts the season at Eastside, a team that beat them last season. Next, the Rams will travel to Alcovy and again vs. the 6A power Douglas County. They have one non-region spot still to be determined.

After that game, they will begin region play vs. Archer. Followed up by a visit to Grayson as they look to take down the defending champs. Newton will stay on the road the following two weeks at Grovetown and Heritage. The Rams will end the season on a two-game homestand vs. Rockdale County and South Gwinnett.

Rockdale County

Last Season: 5-5 (2-4, 5th in region)

Key Losses: Jalen Moreland, Legend Williams, Jayden Whidbee

Rockdale County looks to build off a solid 2024 season when it was the closest it has been since 2014 to making the playoffs. Coach Bonner has turned this team from a one-win team the year before he got there, to a team that has a chance to make the playoffs and beyond.

Bonner’s boys have depth all around the field and have the high-end talent to take a playoff spot from anyone. This will be Bonner’s third year as head coach and the last coach that took Rockdale to the playoffs did so in his third season (Venson Elder). However, Rockdale will have a long and hard road to go down if they want to achieve this.

Powell’s player to watch for Rockdale is Gary Borders. The defensive back led the team in tackles (which is very rare for a defensive back), with 60 total tackles last season. He also had one pick on the season as well as multiple pass break ups.

Rockdale begins its 2025 season against Salem (away). The Bulldogs host their first home game against Forest Park and follow it up against Miller Grove at home. They end region play at Alcovy.

Region games start out against South Gwinnett following a bye week. The Bulldogs continue on at Heritage, versus Archer, and then at Grayson (Thursday). Their final two games come against Grovetown (home) and then at Newton. Rockdale will be on a bye the final week of the season.

South Gwinnett

2024 Results: 7-4 (4-2, 3rd in region)

Key Losses: Eric Ramsey, Jaiden Braker, Jackson Cook

South Gwinnett will have to deal with the loss of a lot of starters from 2024. Replacing them will be hard and to make things worse its starting quarterback/running back Xavier Brown transferred out. This is disappointing following the school’s first winning season since 2016, but that is not to say the Comets will not do so again in 2025.

South Gwinnett is on the rise and coach Bryan Lamar has this team heading in the right direction. Lamar took over in 2021 and has since turned the program around. Lamar will look to continue the success of 2024 into 2025.

Powell’s player to watch for the Comets is quarterback CJ Peoples. Peoples is the son of Georgia Tech defensive back coach Corey Peoples. He recently transferred from Archer where he was the backup, but he has made great strides over the offseason. He balled out at multiple camps this offseason and looks to be one of the best quarterbacks in the state.

South Gwinnett begins its 2025 season against Shiloh. The Comets will hit the road the following week to face Dutchtown and its talented young roster. They will close out non-region play against two historic 6A schools; vs. Brookwood and at Valdosta (bye in between).

The Comets will start region play away from home against Rockdale County. They return home for three-straight weeks of games against Grovetown, Heritage-Conyers, and Archer. Even if they can make it through that, the Comets will have probably the hardest two games of their schedule to end the season. Not only that, but they will be on the road for both, when they face off with Grayson and Newton (Halloween) to end their regular season.

Powell’s Final Region Predictions

1. Grayson

2. Newton

3. Archer

4. South Gwinnett