Football Game Preview: McIntosh Chiefs vs. Banneker Trojans + Official Tickets

The McIntosh Chiefs will head out to square off against the Banneker Trojans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for McIntosh and six for Banneker.

It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 68-13, which was the final score in McIntosh's tilt against Langston Hughes on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Chiefs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 178th, while the Panthers are ranked fifth).

Elijah Strader

Passer Rating

08/15/25 @ Fayette County	161.2
09/12/25 @ Morrow	116.5
10/03/25 vs Langston Hughes	116.4
09/26/25 vs Northgate	73.1
08/22/25 @ Sandy Creek	72.4
+ 2 more games

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Elijah Strader, who threw for 308 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 71.4% of his passes. His passing game has become a key predictor of McIntosh's success: the team is 2-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 0-4 otherwise. 135 of Strader's passing yards were hauled in by Cole Herman.

McIntosh didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Brandan Ridley and Skip Smith.

Meanwhile, Banneker fell victim to Lovejoy and their airtight defense on Friday. They were outmatched by the Wildcats and fell 35-0.

McIntosh's loss dropped their record down to 2-5. As for Banneker, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-6.

McIntosh was able to grind out a solid win over Banneker in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, winning 29-22. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Chiefs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.