Day 1 Thoughts From the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic
High school football is officially back, and Day 1 of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic gave us plenty to talk about.
Top 25 Public HSFB8/13/20266 min read
Day 1 Thoughts From the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic
High school football is officially back, and Day 1 of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic gave us plenty to talk about.
We got two very different games to open the 2026 season. South Gwinnett and Lanier spent much of the opener trying to find a rhythm in a game filled with penalties, while North Gwinnett made a major statement against Grayson.
Here are my biggest takeaways from the first two games, plus a quick look ahead to today's matchups between #40 Roswell and Walton and #73 Brookwood and Cambridge.
South Gwinnett vs. Lanier: A Penalty-Filled Opener
South Gwinnett 29, Lanier 3
If there was one thing that stood out early in the first game, it was the flags and special teams
It was a penalty fest with the teams combining for 31 penalties totaling 214 yards, needless to say, it took a while for either South Gwinnett or Lanier to settle into any kind of rhythm. That's probably not all that surprising in the first game of the season, but there were stretches where it felt like every time one side started putting something together, another flag or costly turnover brought everything to a stop.
Lanier especially looked like a team playing its first game.
That said, I came away intrigued by Lanier's quarterback. You can see the ability. He looks capable of making all the throws and creating plays when things break down. There were several moments where you could see exactly why Lanier is comfortable putting the offense in his hands.
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The problem was that he never really got a chance to settle in.
And South Gwinnett's defense deserves a lot of credit for that.
They consistently made his life difficult, disrupted the timing of the offense and never allowed Lanier to get comfortable for an extended stretch. Even when Lanier's quarterback flashed what he can do, South Gwinnett kept finding ways to answer.
On the other side for South Gwinnett, their 3-star Kennesaw State commit Quarterback, CJ Peoples looked every bit the part of a division 1 quarterback. His final stat line doesn't due his game justice but he finished 11/20 108 yds and a touchdown, as well as picking up 54 yards on the ground.
For an opening game, that's probably my biggest takeaway: Lanier has some pieces that should look better as the season goes on, but South Gwinnett deserves credit for making sure we didn't get to see them operate comfortably in Game 1.
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North Gwinnett vs. #15 Grayson: Okay, I Get It
North Gwinnett 37, Grayson 22
MASSIVE credit to North Gwinnett.
And yes, thank you guys for wasting absolutely no time proving me wrong in Game 1 of the season.
I had questions about North Gwinnett coming into this one, especially against a Grayson team with the talent it has, but they made me look and feel like a clown, shoutout their DC Mike Healy, you were right.
The Bulldogs absolutely dominated the first three quarters and built a 37-0 lead with the varsity on the field before Grayson eventually made the final score look much more respectable at 37-22.
That final score doesn't tell the story of this game.
For three quarters, North Gwinnett controlled it.
And more than anything else, I came away impressed with the coaching job.
It was an absolute master class.
North Gwinnett consistently looked like it had the right answer. The Bulldogs dictated the game, capitalized on opportunities and never allowed Grayson to get comfortable until the outcome was essentially decided.
There will be plenty to evaluate with both teams as the season develops, and I'm not going to overreact to one game, but one team came out looking like they prepared for this game like it was a national championship, while the other looked like they expected to show up and win. Now, don't get me wrong, obviously not the best first game for first year head coach Greg Carswell, but Grayson needs to not overreact, it was one game. The defense had several plays where they were in the wrong position or made the wrong read, and with more reps its something they can definitely turn around throughout the season.
They don't have much time to figure it out though. They go to Sandy Creek on the 21st, then one of the toughest stretched in the country going to Langston Hughes and Brunswick before hosting Buford and Miami Carol City. If Grayson takes too long to figure things out, 2-4 could be staring this team right in the face.
But again, credit to North Gwinnett, when you go up 37-0 on Grayson in the opener, you have my attention.
Consider me corrected.
Up Next: #40 Roswell vs. Walton
Today's action gives us another matchup I'm really interested in with #40 Roswell taking on Walton.
Both programs enter the season with expectations, and this is exactly the kind of early matchup that can tell us quite a bit more than playing an overmatched opponent in Week 1.
I'm interested in seeing which team establishes itself physically early and, just as importantly after what we saw yesterday, which one plays cleaner football.
The first game of the season is always going to come with mistakes. The question is which team can settle in first and avoid allowing those mistakes to dictate the game.
For two programs that expect to be playing meaningful football later this season, this is a pretty good measuring stick right out of the gate.
Prediction: #40 Roswell 31 - 13
#73 Brookwood vs. Cambridge: I'm Excited to See This Offense
I'm excited to see what #73 Brookwood's offense can produce.
Three-star Gary Chatman and four-star Brayden Tyson have looked great in the film I've been able to see, and the coaches I've spoken with seem to be very happy with where this team is heading into the season.
Now we finally get to see what that looks like in a real game.
There's enough offensive talent here that I think this could actually end up being the highest-scoring game of the four-game set.
Cambridge will get the first opportunity to show whether it can slow that group down, but Brookwood's offense is one of the things I'm most interested in watching today.
Prediction: #73 Brookwood 41 - 24
Football Is Back
After months of rankings, previews, questionnaires, film and predictions, we finally have actual football to talk about again.
Yesterday gave us a messy opener, a South Gwinnett defense that deserves credit, and North Gwinnett immediately making me reconsider some things after going up 37-0 on Grayson.
Today we get #40 Roswell vs. Walton and #73 Brookwood vs. Cambridge.
And we're just getting started.
Thanks for reading,
Alex | T25PS
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