Chattahoochee Valley high school football schedule, predictions: Who wins this week?
It’s the third week of high school football in the Chattahoochee Valley.
Georgia High School Association member schools can officially start this week, while most of the Chattahoochee Valley’s Alabama schools are in full swing.
Central and Smiths Station face off this week with both sides needing a win. Central dropped to 0-2 after losing to Eufaula last week, while Smiths Station lost its first game to Gardendale.
High school football returns to Georgia this week, too, with several big games in the L-E’s coverage area.
Here’s what you should watch for in this week’s games, along with the L-E’s staff predictions.
Prediction: Harris County 24, Troup 21
It’s yet another difficult season opener for GHSA 5A Harris County, as they host 4A Troup Friday night.
The Tigers, led by quarterback Cooper Corey, will deploy a more pass-heavy approach on offense than in years past. Whether that will be enough to upset Troup, which won last year’s game 27-21, is yet to be seen.
Confidence is running high at both programs, and this matchup should produce one of the better games this week.
- When: 7:30 p.m. EST Friday
- Where: Durham Field, Hamilton, Georgia
- All-time series: Troup leads 28-5-1
Prediction: Northside 30, Columbus 20
Dubbed by former Northside quarterback Chandler Blanton as the “Iron Bowl of Columbus,” the annual Northside-Columbus rivalry returns, this time on opening week for the two schools.
Neither team saw much success in 2019, with both suffering losing seasons and missing out on the playoffs. Now in class 5A, Northside’s path to the postseason gets a bit more difficult, while Columbus remains in 4A.
The Patriots should not have issues scoring with offensive mind Andrew Oropeza — who makes his head coaching debut Friday for the Patriots — at the helm. That should be enough to carry Northside to its second-straight win over the Blue Devils.
- When: 7:30 p.m. EST Friday
- Where: Kinnett Stadium
- All-time series: Northside leads 12-4
Prediction: Jordan 21, Pacelli 14
Jordan was largely better than its winless record showed last year, as the Red Jackets took Brookstone, Kendrick and Lamar County all down to the wire.
The Red Jackets face tougher competition in region 2-4A this year, but should beat Pacelli on talent alone.
This is the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
- When: 6 p.m. EST Friday
- Where: Pacelli
- All-time series: n/a
Prediction: Spencer 17, Villa Rica 10
Spencer moves into region 2-4A this year, meaning the Greenwave face more in-city rivalries than in years past. Before that, they travel to Villa Rica for opening week.
The Greenwave missed the playoffs for the first time in four years following last year’s 3-7 season.
The Greenwave lost a lot of production following the departures of Malachi Morris and Ja’Kobi Smith, but should jump to 1-0 before next week’s highly-anticipated Heritage Bowl rivalry with Carver.
This is the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
- When: 7:30 p.m. EST Friday
- Where: Villa Rica
- All-time series: n/a
Prediction: Marion County 31, Washington-Wilkes 10
The only Georgia team in the Chattahoochee Valley to make a state championship appearance last season, Marion County opens the season Friday with a new coach, Billy Law, against Washington-Wilkes.
Law is an experienced coach, and a familiar one within the Marion County ranks. He served as an assistant at Macon County for three years before moving to Marion, where he spent the previous 20 years as an assistant coach.
This will be his first stint as a head coach, and this week’s game is the first ever between the two programs.
- When: 5:30 p.m. Friday
- Where: Marion County
- All-time series: n/a
UPDATE: This game has been canceled due to COVID-19 issues.
Prediction: Chattahoochee County 24, Miller County 14
ChattCo was originally supposed to play Stewart County this week, but the latter canceled all sports due to COVID-19. Enter Miller County.
ChattCo won last year’s game 20-15, and finished two spots ahead of Miller County in region 1-1A public.
- When: 7:30 p.m. EST Friday
- Where: Chattahoochee County
- All-time series: ChattCo leads 3-1
Prediction: Mount Paran Christian 28, Brookstone 24
Brookstone’s opener against Calvary Christian was canceled after the latter closed campus until Tuesday due to COVID-19.
Instead, the Cougars will face Mount Paran Christian, a team that made the quarterfinals of the 1A private playoffs last year.
- When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
- Where: Brookstone
- All-time series: tied 1-1
Prediction: Central 48, Smiths Station 3
Patrick Nix’s first two games at Central have not gone according to plan, and the Red Devils desperately need a win in this year’s Backyard Brawl.
Smiths Station, which looked unconvincing in its loss to Gardendale, has not beaten the Red Devils since 2008. Given the talent disparity between the two rivals, that likely won’t change this week.
- When: 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CT Friday
- Where: Smiths Station, Alabama
- All-time series: Central leads 23-5
Prediction: Park Crossing 17, Russell County 14
Russell County returns this week following the district’s decision to delay fall sports due to COVID-19.
The Warriors were handed a forfeit loss to Smiths Station due to the delay, and look to notch their first win of 2020 against Park Crossing.
- When: 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CT Friday
- Where: Montgomery, Alabama
- All-time series: Park Crossing leads 6-0
UPDATE: The Russell County-Park Crossing game has been canceled due to COVID-19 issues.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 11:12 AM.
