(Editor’s note: This is one in a series about the upcoming high school football season. Columns often contain opinion.)
The best time of the year is on the horizon with high school football kicking off in the CSRA on Friday, August 21. Last season with saw plenty of great games and after reviewing the schedule, I expect that to continue. While there are many other games I could advocate for, I try not have to leave a lot teams out and use as many of the CSRA schools as possible with games that are intriguing to me. Here are ten CSRA High school football games I am most looking forward to this season.
North Augusta at Strom Thurmond Aug. 21
Two of the best football programs in South Carolina lead off the high school football season on Aug. 21 with rivalry matchup that dates back to the 1970s. The Yellow Jackets have dominated the series recently as the Rebels last win in the matchup came in the 2022-23 season.
North Augusta defeated Strom Thurmond 37-13 last season and finished with a 11-2 overall record. The Yellow Jackets will be looking for a championship run as they have come up short the last couple seasons, losing in the third round and the semi-finals of the AAAA South Carolina State playoffs. North Augusta will have big shoes to fill to replace graduate running back Mike Doe and others who have moved on. Seniors this season include quarterback Colin Tillman, running back Jayden Hatcher, James Madison commit defensive lineman Simeon Jones Jr. and many others will lead the way for the Yellow Jackets in the hunt for their first state title since 1989.
Despite falling to North Augusta last season, Strom Thurmond was able to go 13-2 and win the South Carolina High School AA State Championship. Just like many other teams losing players, the Rebels were led by 17 seniors and must have other players step up to win another state championship this year. Former North Augusta quarterback AJ Hillary transferred to rival Strom Thurmond early this year and should be under center for the Rebels for his senior season. A few more of the notable players include senior defensive back Wytrayvious Dugar, junior athlete Kaden Wigfall, junior athlete Zy Rouse and others.
Lincoln County at Grovetown Aug. 21
Lincoln County will battle Grovetown for the first time since 2017 in a non-conference matchup on Friday, Aug. 21. While Lincoln County has had much success in the recent years, Grovetown has struggled, but did look better last season.
The Warriors finished 4-6 last season with wins over Evans, Lakeside, Heritage and Thomson. The Warriors are led by second year head coach Dedrick Mayo. Some of the top returning upperclassmen at Grovetown include linebacker Dallas Johnson, safety/linebacker Elias White, wider receiver/cornerback Cameron Wilkerson and others.
The Red Devils finished 13-1 last season, losing in the Class A Division II State Championship game 35-31 versus Bowdon. Lincoln County will be looking to get over the hump and capture their 12th state championship in school history with the last one being in 2006. Lincoln County football is led by seventh year head coach Lee Chomskis. Some notable returning players include junior running back Aiden Jones, senior running back/free safety Jonathan Norman, junior defensive tackle Kingston Elam and others.
Harlem at Evans Aug. 21
Harlem and Evans face off to start the season, matching up for the first time since 2021. This will be an interesting matchup to start the season as Harlem has been consistently a good team, but many of their top players have graduated. Evans will be looking to improve led by second year head coach Lee Hutto.
The Harlem Bulldogs finished 9-3 last season, falling in the second round of the 3A playoffs. Along with the challenges of losing players, Harlem was also reclassified to 4A. Head coach Mark Boiter will begin his seventh season leading the Bulldogs. Notable players include linebacker/running back Jax Stadler, lineman Jackson Whitt, tight end/linebacker Rod Anderson and others.
Evans finished 3-7, winning their final two games of the season. The Knights will be looking to improve under their second year head coach in Lee Hutto. Notable players include senior linebacker James Kendrick, defensive back senior Brycen Gault, senior wide receiver/defensive back Justin Taylor and others.
ARC at Thomson Aug. 28
Maybe the game of the year last season with Thomson defeating ARC 50-42. While Thomson is a team that has had plenty of success in recent years, ARC is an up and coming team looking for their first winning season since the 2020-21 season.
The Musketeers are led by third year head coach Keenan Grissett. With a lot of young playmakers on the field, ARC was very high scoring team despite finishing 5-6 last season. ARC will have a big challenge ahead as they now have made a major jump in classification from 3A to 5A. They will also welcome back junior quarterback Carson Hand, who transferred to Burke County earlier in the offseason, but transferred back to ARC to start the year. He will be battling now for the starting job with sophomore quarterback Henry Rivers. Other notable players include senior athlete Lo’than McBride, junior running back Mykheal Smith, and more.
Thomson is led by eighth year head coach Michael Youngblood. The Bulldogs finished 9-4 last season for the second straight year. After moving down to 2A in 2022 when they won the state championship, the Bulldogs have now been reclassified back to 3A. Some notable Thomson players in include QB/Athlete senior Zay Brinson, senior running back Noah Merriweather, offensive lineman, senior offensive lineman Jayden Hunt and others.
Lincoln County at Westside Aug. 28
Two of most touted teams in the CSRA face off on August 28. These two teams last played during the 2021-22 seasons where the Red Devils won 23-17.
Under first year head coach Cedric Mason, Westside began last season 9-0 before finishing 10-2 overall on the year. The last undefeated season for the Patriots came 1982. Westside came up short last season in the region title game and are eyeing their first region championship since 2000. A few of many notable players for Westside includes junior wide receiver Elliot Jackson, senior linebacker Leonell Armour, senior cornerback Taveres Gresham and more.
Thomson at Burke County Oct. 2
Everyone knows and says it every year. This will always be a can’t miss rivalry game. Burke County fell to Thomson last season 24-14, but this is always a back a forth type of game.
The Bears finished 11-3 last season, losing in the semi-finals of the AA playoffs. They are led by fourth year head coach Franklin Stephens. Just like Thomson, Burke County was moved up to 3A. Some notable players for Burke County include senior wide receiver William Joyner, junior safety/athlete Ronquavious Morris, senior running back Landen Wright and more.
Laney at Aquinas Oct. 2
A rivalry that dates back to 1967 in a game that was the first integrated high school football game in Richmond County and in the state of Georgia. With Aquinas being reclassified to 3A, this matchup will now be very important region game on the schedule.
Laney finished last season with an 8-4 record, making it to the second round of the AA playoffs before falling to Rockmart. The Wildcats are led by sixth year head coach Ronnie Baker. Some notable returning players include junior quarterback/athlete Keshawn Wilson, senior lineman Kingston Patterson, junior linebacker William Turner-Jones and others.
Aquinas coach James Leonard leads the Fightin’ Irish for his 14th season. The Fightin’ Irish finished 7-5 last season with their year ending in the second round of the playoffs. Notable returning players for Aquinas include junior running back/linebacker Eli Hutchinson, senior defensive lineman Whit Hankson, junior defensive back/wide receiver Julius Moretta-Snell and others.
Midland Valley at South Aiken Oct. 23
Midland valley has dominated this region matchup recently, winning last season 43-14. South Aiken last win versus the Mustangs came in 2022. Although South Aiken hasn’t had much success, they do have some young talented players and this could be an important late season matchup.
Midland Valley finished 7-4 last season, losing to North Augusta in the first round of the AAAA South Carolina state playoffs. The Mustangs are led by second year head coach Brent Dorn. Some returning notable players include junior running back/linebacker Preston Smith, senior quarterback Xavier Geter, linebacker Issack Staley and others.
South Aiken finished 5-6 last season, falling in the first round of the AAAA state playoffs. The Thoroughbreds are led by head coach Chris Hamilton for his 12th season. Notable returning players include senior wide receiver Kyson Mckleod, senior defensive lineman Ray Harris, linebacker Nick Starlings and others.
Greenbrier at Lakeside Oct. 30
A county region matchup late in season between two teams who had tough seasons last year. Greenbrier defeated lakeside last season 21-14 after scoring with under two minutes remaining in the game. Both teams have moved up to 6A and it will be interesting to see if one or both teams can have a bounce back season.
Greenbrier finished 2-8 last season under third year head coach Sean Tiernan. Some Returning notable players include senior defensive lineman Brennan Bjorkman, senior wide receiver Adison Johnson, senior defensive lineman Chance Gunter and others.
Lakeside finished 1-9 last season with their first win coming in last game of the year. The Panthers finished 10-2 in 2024, but had 24 senior graduates on the team heading into 2025. They also welcomed new coach and former defensive coordinator Brett Johnson last season. Some returning notable players include defensive end/tight end John Green, senior linebacker Amir Martin, wide receiver/defensive end Joey Curkovic and others.
Burke County at Westside Oct. 30
These two teams have the potential to be the best in the CSRA. Burke County is always good and competitive for the most part and Westside is on the rise under Coach Mason. With this game being late in the season and region matchup, it could very well decide who will win the region or head to the regional championship game.
Sportswriter Christopher Rickerson is an Augusta University graduate who has covered area sports for publications including Augusta University‘s Bell Ringer, The Augusta Press and Augusta Good News. He won three Georgia Press Association sports awards in 2026. Subscribe to the Augusta Good News’ free weekly newsletter here.
