Reclassification produces new rivalries, reignites old ones
The state of Georgia is just six months away from kicking off the 2022 football season and the recent reclassification and region realignment will make things will look a lot different for fans around the state, but especially here in northwest Georgia.
Five of the six teams from our twocounty area will all compete in the same region for at least the next two seasons, meaning less travel for the teams, bigger crowds at games, the continuation of some fierce local rivalries and the rekindling of others.
Ridgeland made some big offseason news right after the 2021 season ended by requesting to drop from Class AAAA down to Class AAA and had that request granted by the GHSA in mid-November.
Then Gordon Lee, a Class A school for all but two seasons (2014 and 2015) since 1978, really shook things up in mid-January. After having their appeal to stay in Class A denied, they asked the GHSA, and were unanimously approved, to bump all the way up to Class AAA.
Those moves, along with Rockmart, Murray County and North Murray dropping to Class AA and Sonoraville making the jump to Class AAAA, resulted in the formation of a very different-looking Region 6-AAA.
That region will include holdovers Adairsville, Coahulla Creek, LaFayette, LFO and Ringgold, along with Gordon Lee, Ridgeland and Bremen, who won its appeal to move into Region 6 after being forced to play up from Class AA.
The lone team our local two-county area not in 6-AAA is Heritage, which will remain in Region 7-AAAA with holdovers Cedartown, Central-Carroll, Northwest Whitfield and Southeast Whitfield. With Ridgeland and Pickens moving to Class AAA, the region will be rounded out with the addition of Sonoraville.
Today, we take a closer look at the schedules for each of our six local football-playing schools.
GORDON LEE
The Trojans will take on two of their soon-to-be former Region 6-A rivals right out of the gate. The annual Gordon Lee-Trion grudge match will begin the season on Aug. 19 in Chickamauga, extending the state’s oldest and longest continuously-played rivalry and Armuchee will make the drive up Highway 27 on Aug. 26.
Southeast Whitfield will host the Trojans in the final non-region game on Sept. 2. Gordon Lee has shutout the Raiders in each of their last two meetings.
Following an open date on Sept. 9, Region 6-AAA play begins with home dates against former region rival Bremen (Sept. 16) and Walker County foe LaFayette (Sept. 23). The Trojans will travel to face Coahulla Creek on Sept. 30 for the first game between the two schools since 2013.
October begins with a trip to LFO (Oct. 7) before an open date (Oct. 14). A tough trip to Adairsville awaits on Oct. 21 and Gordon Lee will close out the regular season with a home game against Ridgeland (Oct. 28) and one at Ringgold (Nov. 4).
The Trojans and Panthers have not played in the regular season since 2009, while the Trojans and Tigers have not tangled in the regular season
since 2007.
RIDGELAND
The Panthers, in their first season under new head coach Craig Pritchett, will raise the curtain on the 2022 season with an Aug. 26 trip to North Cobb Christian for the firstever meeting between the two schools. The Class A Eagles will be one of four first-time opponents for Ridgeland this year, along with North Murray, Coahulla Creek and Bremen.
The aforementioned Mountaineers, now in Class AA, will come to Rossville on Sept. 2, followed by a game at Heritage on Sept. 9. It will be the first-ever non-region meeting between the Panthers and Generals.
Region play will begin on Sept. 16 with a trip to Coahulla Creek, followed by a road game at Bremen on Sept. 23. They will close out the month at home against LFO in the first regular season game against the Warriors since 2009.
October will start with home games against Adairsville (Oct. 7) and Ringgold (Oct. 21), sandwiched around an Oct. 14 open date. A final road game at Gordon Lee (Oct. 28) will precede a home date with LaFayette on Nov. 4
LFO The Warriors will welcome
in Gilmer to begin the year on Aug. 19 in their first game with the Bobcats since F.E. Brown was head coach of the Warriors in 1993. Murray County will host the Warriors on Aug. 26 as LFO will be looking to follow up on last season’s win over the Indians.
Then on Sept. 2, county bragging rights will be up for grabs as LFO makes the short drive to Boynton to take on the Heritage Generals.
Region play will begin for LFO following a Sept. 9 open date. Home dates against Adairsville (Sept. 16) and Coahulla Creek (Sept. 23) will precede a game at Ridgeland (Sept. 30), while Gordon Lee will come to Tommy Cash Stadium on Oct. 7, continuing a regular season series that has gone uninterrupted since 2012.
After another open date on Oct. 14, the Warriors close out the regular season with a trip to LaFayette (Oct. 21), a home game with Ringgold (Oct. 28) and the Warriors’ first-ever meeting with Bremen on Nov. 4. That game will be played in Bremen.
LAFAYETTE
The centennial season of Rambler football will start at Chattooga on Aug. 19 before rival Trion comes to Jack King Stadium on Aug. 26. Then, following a Sept. 2 open date, Sonoraville will come to south Walker County on Sept. 9 to conclude the non-region portion of the slate.
LaFayette will host Ringgold
to kick off 6-AAA action on Sept. 16, followed by a trip to Gordon Lee on Sept. 23 and a home game against Adairsville on Sept. 30.
Oct. 7 will see the Orangeand-Black make a historic trip to Bremen. It will mark the first time the Ramblers and Blue Devils will square off on the gridiron since 1945.
Another open date will follow on Oct. 14 and LaFayette will close out with home dates against LFO (Oct. 21) and Coahulla Creek (Oct. 28) before a final road game at Walker County rival Ridgeland (Nov. 4).
RINGGOLD
Fresh off a memorable 10-2 campaign, the Tigers will start at the year at home in a muchanticipated showdown with rival Heritage on Aug. 19. The game should have extra juice this season after last year’s clash had to be cancelled.
Following an Aug. 26 open date, the Tigers will head to Tunnel Hill on Sept. 2 for their first game with Northwest in five years. A visit from Gilmer on Sept. 9 will close out the non-region portion of the slate.
Region 6-AAA play begins with back-to-back road trips to LaFayette (Sept. 16) and Adairsville (Sept. 23), while home dates with Bremen (Sept. 30) and Coahulla Creek (Oct. 7) will follow before a final open date on Oct. 14.
Three longtime rivals will cap the regular season. The Blue-and-White will play at Ridgeland on Oct. 21 and at
LFO on Oct. 28 before a final home game against Gordon Lee (Nov. 4) for the first time in 15 years.
HERITAGE
Some new opponents are also on the docket for the Generals, who will open the season at Ringgold on Aug. 19 looking for their first-ever three-game winning streak against the Tigers. That will be preceded by an intriguing match-up with East Hamilton on Aug. 26, marking Heritage’s first-ever run-in with the Hurricanes.
A significant stretch of games at home will fill the calendar for September. LFO (Sept. 2) and Ridgeland (Sept. 9) will come to Boynton on consecutive weeks and the first-ever gridiron meeting with Chattanooga Prep (Sept. 23) will take place following a Sept. 16 open date.
The Region 7-AAAA slate will begin with a game at Southeast Whitfield on Sept. 30 and a tough home game with defending region champ Cedartown (Oct. 7), who made the state semifinals last season.
Heritage will take off on Oct. 14 and start up again with an Oct. 21 date at Northwest Whitfield before the Generals’ first meeting with Sonoraville since 2009. That game will be played at Jeff Sims Stadium on Oct. 28 and the regular season will end at Central-Carroll on Nov. 4.