The Elbert County Blue Devils will head out to challenge the Athens Academy Spartans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Elbert County sitting on four straight wins and Athens Academy on seven.
Elbert County is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They breezed past Banks County to the tune of 45-0 on Friday. The Blue Devils pushed the score to 38-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Leopards had no chance of recovering from.
Brody Baker
| 10/10/25 @ Banks County | 155.8 |
| 08/15/25 @ Hart County | 106.5 |
| 10/03/25 vs Providence Christian Academy | 99.9 |
| 08/22/25 vs Stephens County | 80.6 |
| 09/12/25 vs Lincoln County | 75.5 |
A big part of Elbert County's victory came down to the chemistry between Brody Baker and his top target Dakhovin Dk Winn. Baker threw for 224 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 77.8% of his passes while Dk Winn picked up 71 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance also gave Baker a new career-high in passer rating (155.8). Another big playmaker for Elbert County was Jose Rodriguez, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
Elbert County didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Reunte Tucker and Destin Gray. Tucker also made five total tackles, which is notable because Elbert County is 4-1 when he posts at least three total tackles, but 0-3 otherwise. The Blue Devils received some extra help from Jerrell Sims, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Elbert County, racking up 15 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Rodriguez, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Athens Academy against Providence Christian Academy on Friday as the team secured a 69-13 win. The contest marked the Spartans' most dominant victory of the season.
A big part of Athens Academy's win came down to the chemistry between Chap Chapman and his top target Keyon Standifer. Chapman threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 15.4 yards per attempt while Standifer gained 223 total yards and six touchdowns. Standifer showed off some serious burst, cutting upfield on a catch for 61 yards.
Athens Academy didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Providence Christian Academy to a completion percentage of just 25%. The Spartans weren't nearly as limited: they posted one of 66.7%.
Athens Academy's record now sits at 7-1. As for Elbert County, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Elbert County and Athens Academy were almost perfectly matched up when the teams last played back in October of 2024, but Elbert County suffered an agonizing 35-34 defeat. Can the Blue Devils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
