Biggest Corky Kell Classic ever on tap for 2020 with four-day lineup

The matchups for the annual Corky Kell Classic were announced this past Wednesday and, for the first time in the event’s history, it is expanding to four days as well as bringing in a familiar out-of-state team.

That team will be Hoover High of Alabama, owners of 11 state championships since 2000. They will face off in a marquee matchup with Lowndes, who ended the regular season as the No. 1-ranked team in Georgia’s highest classification (7A). The Bucs and Vikings will clash at Atlanta’s MercedesBenz Stadium on the final day of the event, Saturday, Aug. 22.

However, football fans will get a chance to enjoy three days of high school football leading up to the showdown.

The 2020 Corky Kell Classic will start on Wednesday, Aug. 19 this season at West Forsyth High School. Cherokee will do battle with Carver (Atlanta) at 5:30 p.m., to be followed by West Forsyth against Mays at 8:30.

Another new locale for the Classic, Dacula High School, will see two games on Thursday, Aug. 20. Denmark will face off with Tucker at 5:30, followed by Dacula against

Archer at 8:30.

Two games featuring northwest Georgia teams will take place at historic Barron Stadium in Rome on Friday, Aug. 21. as Cedartown and Carrollton square off in the 5:30 p.m. opener. The night will end with Rome taking on Rockmart at 8:30.

The scene will shift to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for five big games on Saturday. Kell will take on Walton at 9 a.m., followed by Brookwood versus Collins Hill (11:45 a.m.), Mill Creek versus Parkview (3 p.m.), Lowndes vs. Hoover (6 p.m.) and North Gwinnett versus McEachern (9 p.m.) to round things out.

“This is the most extensive lineup that we have ever had,’’ said Corky Kell executive director Dave Hunter in a press release. “It is inclusive of several metro counties and championship programs, including Lowndes and Hoover, in addition to playing in Forsyth County, Gwinnett County, Rome and downtown Atlanta. The Corky Kell staff is extremely excited about the 2020 year.”

The 11-game lineup will make next season the largest Corky Kell Classic in history. The Classic began with just two games in 1992.