August 12, 2025– Back to school always brings the expectations of a new football season. 2025 is no different as high schools around the District are preparing for the first games of the season this Friday. For Cobb, the first football weekend actually begins on Wednesday and finishes on Saturday. On August 13, the Kell Longhorns will officially launch the season for the county with a home game against South Paulding in the second game of the 34th annual Dave Hunter + Corky Kell Classic. 

In fact, Georgia high school football will kick off at Kell High School this year, as the Cobb school hosts the first two games of the 2025 season. At 4:30 p.m., Prince Avenue Christian will face Callaway to open the state’s schedule on Kell’s home field. Then, at 8 p.m., the Longhorns will take the spotlight. With home-field advantage and cooler evening temperatures, 4A Kell will look to make a statement against 5A up-and-comer South Paulding.  

The Longhorns finished 7-5 last season, but are returning a lot of that same talent to the field. The 2025 team is stacked with experience and will be a force to reckon with in Region 6-4A. Hosting the second game of the new season to a loud home crowd and a televised audience bodes well for the Longhorns to show what they can do. Tickets can be purchased here. 

68 hours later, on August 16 at 4 p.m., the Walton Raiders will take the field at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta against a familiar crosstown rival. The McEachern Indians have appeared in every Corky Kell Classic since it began in 1992. Both Walton and McEachern have something to prove after getting knocked out of the GHSA playoffs in the first round last season. Expect a competitive, hard-hitting contest in the penultimate matchup of the 11-game 2025 Dave Hunter + Corky Kell Classic. Tickets for this game can be purchased here.

Update: The preseason rankings for Georgia were released on August 13 by GA High School Football Daily. Kell is ranked 7th overall in 4A; Sprayberry is ranked 10th in 5A; North Cobb, McEachern, and Walton were ranked 7th, 12th, and 14th, respectively, in 6A.

The rest of the games for Cobb will take place on Friday, August 15:

• Adairsville at Allatoona 
• Campbell at Chapel Hill 
• Harrison at Kennesaw Mountain 
• Mt. View at Hillgrove 
• Lassiter at Midtown 
• Archer at North Cobb 
• Banneker at Osborne 
• Locust Grove at Pebblebrook 
• Pope at Cambridge 
• South Forsyth at South Cobb 
• Sprayberry at Alexander 
• Wheeler at North Forsyth

Let's go, Cobb! It's kickoff time!