By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com
 

          Afternoon rain no doubt sent coaches into some meetings to talk about the rain game plan and to find ponchos.

          But the bottom line is that the high school football season begins in earnest.

          For the Academy of Classical Education, it’s the program’s beginning, in earnest. The Gryphons travel to Treutlen in Soperton, a nifty road trip, to get going.

          Head coach Jason Stephens is playing mostly Class A opponents this season, with two Florida teams and GISA teams Notre Dame Academy and Fullington.

          Their first home game will be tough, Class AA Lamar County on Aug. 31, the first of four home games.

          The area’s marquee game is Tift County and Warner Robins at McConnell-Talbert.

          The Blue Devils went 11-2 last year and reached the Class 7A quarterfinals. Their last losing season was in 2012 under then-head coach John Reid, who is now at Rome, which beat the Demons last year in the 5A title game.

          Tift County is in the top 10 in both the Georgia Sports Writers Association and Atlanta Journal-Constitution preseason polls, as is Warner Robins in Class 5A.

Central Georgia teams: remember to email game information and boxes to centralgasports@gmail.com as soon as possible after the game.

          ECI and Dublin at the Shamrock Bowl is another quality battle among teams in different classifications.

          Dublin is unranked in AA and ECI is No. 3 in the AJC Class A private poll and sixth in the overall Class A GSWA rankings.

          Dublin has won all seven meetings. Of course, the teams haven’t played since 1955, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.

          ECI has three straight 11-win seasons and averaged at least 41 points game in that span.

          Freedom Field will be rocking with Houston County hosting Perry in a battle of teams hungier than average to get off to a good start.

          And be able to talk about it for a day or two.

          Northeast’s game with new GHSA member Trinity Christian-Sharpsburg is now at Thompson, because of construction and a new field at TCS.

Thursday’s Scores

Calhoun 45, Ridgeland 21

Jones County 34, Howard 28

Rome 51, Marietta 41

Shaw 48, Kendrick o