In Countdown to Kickoff, WALB Sports’ Aaron Meaux and McKenzie Blaze break down everything you need to know before football season in South Georgia. Watch LIVE and view previous episodes on WALB.com, the WALB News 10 app and on streaming apps at 7 p.m. every weekday from July 28 to Aug. 12.

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — Four GHSA Class A programs enter 2026 with different missions and the same October deadline.

Schley County carries eight returning starters and championship expectations back into Region 6. Turner County brings back its entire offensive line and a returning quarterback into Region 4. Dooley County is in year two of a culture rebuild and says the buy-in has already changed. And Wilcox County is replacing 19 seniors while leaning on one of the region’s most experienced front sevens.

Schley County Wildcats: Chasing the standard back

Schley County returns eight starters on both offense and defense and added special teams continuity heading into 2026 — a significant base after a second-round playoff exit last season. Head coach Darren Alford said the program’s mission is unchanged.

“Our expectation, it never changes,” Alford said. “It’s win the first game, then win the next game. Win one week at a time, win every day. We were a second-round team last year with eight starters returning on offense and defense. We expect to be a top-10 team as the year goes on.”

The Wildcats’ most important offseason priority was stopping the run. Schley surrendered 40 points in last year’s postseason loss to Jenkins and Alford pointed directly to run defense as the area the program has addressed this summer.

“Defensively, we’ve been really focused on trying to stop the run,” Alford said. “We couldn’t finish the season because we couldn’t stop the run right there at the end. And we’ve been really focusing on trying to get better at that through this summer.”

Senior Amir Nelson anchors both sides of the ball as an outside linebacker, Halfback and tight end. Nelson was an all-state selection last season and recorded seven sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss. He also totaled more than 300 rushing yards on offense. Running back Jeremiah Johnson led the team in rushing with nearly 1,000 yards last season and is expected to carry a heavy workload again.

The question at quarterback is the biggest unknown. Clay Hicks, an incoming sophomore, enters as the projected starter with a strong arm and an impressive summer. He has not yet played in a varsity game.

The current senior class was on the Schley roster as freshmen during the program’s 2022 state runner-up appearance — a point of context Alford acknowledged as meaningful even for players who did not see the field at the time.

Turner County Titans: A returning core ready to deliver

Turner County head coach Demario Barber enters his third season in Ashburn with something he has not had before: the same quarterback back-to-back years. Trey King returns after throwing for 10 touchdowns and totaling more than 1,000 yards in 2025.

“This is the first time I had the same quarterback two years in a row in my three years there,” Barber said. “So that’s going to be big for us in the program, him along with King Bateman. I think we can get a lot of stuff done with those two.”

Barber also returns all five offensive linemen — Braylon Porter, Cameron Hodge, Jamelon High, Jeremiah Hillman and Kamaz King — and said the line will be the identity of the offense.

“We’re going to be tough up front,” Barber said. “We got all five guys back from last year. We’re going to run the football at people, and our O-line is going to be the anchor for this team.”

Receiver King Bateman is expected to step into the primary pass-catching role after the graduation of Curtis Grant, who averaged 96 rushing yards and 42 receiving yards per game in 2025. Running back Jarius Vail is expected to grow into an expanded role as the season progresses.

The area of concern is the secondary. Turner County lost three of its four starting defensive backs, leaving an inexperienced group on the back end of the defense. Barber acknowledged the challenge.

“Secondary — we’re younger at secondary,” Barber said. “I lost three out of the four. So we’re working, we’re getting there, but it’s going to be some tough days.”

The Titans open Aug. 21 at home against Schley County in a scheduled blackout game.

Dooley County Bobcats: Culture taking shape in year two

Dooley County head coach Tony Alexander said the difference between his first and second seasons in Vienna is visible.

“After last season, I feel like we set the foundation,” Alexander said. “Going into year two, the culture is really taking shape. Players are buying in. It’s night and day from last year in terms of the culture.”

The Bobcats return five key contributors Alexander calls the program’s core: receiver and defensive back Kibion McCray, safety and running back Montay Taylor, lineman Charles Nance — a Western Michigan commit — along with Sonora Sutton and Jaquan Burke.

Sophomore Jaiden Sanders starts at quarterback after leading the team through the final three games of the 2025 season. Alexander described Sanders as a dual-threat with instincts and athleticism, but said the program is still in an evaluation phase heading into the opener.

“Quarterback position, we’ve got a sophomore, very talented, Jaiden Sanders,” Alexander said. “He started the last three games last year. He was just great instincts, great athlete, great passer, great runner. He got some stuff he need to work on, but we’re very confident in him.”

Former Dooley County quarterback Antwan Clayton has joined the staff as a quarterback coach, giving Sanders a position-specific mentor who played for the program during a previous run of success.

Alexander said the offensive identity is built on the perimeter.

“We’re really good on the perimeter,” Alexander said. “And we’re going to get back playing the Dooley County football — real physical, real explosive, real fast.”

The Bobcats open the season Aug. 21 on the road at Macon County in Montezuma, followed by a home game against Crisp County on Aug. 28. Region 4 play includes a home game against Wilcox County on Oct. 2 and a road trip to Turner County on Oct. 30.

Wilcox County Patriots: Ten toes down after losing 19 seniors

Wilcox County enters 2026 having graduated 19 seniors, including several multi-year contributors. Head coach Stephen McDuffie said the response to that turnover has been built through the summer.

“We lost 19 guys, and we don’t have a whole lot of guys returning with experience,” McDuffie said. “So we’ve been trying to get a lot of reps. We’ve been trying to condition depth-wise in some certain areas. We’ve got to make sure that they can go both ways in single A.”

McDuffie said his approach with the new group is deliberate.

“We’ve got to make sure that we’re real patient with them,” McDuffie said. “We’re teaching them. Not fussing at them, getting frustrated, but correcting them and building them up.”

McDuffie’s stated program motto for 2026: “Ten toes down. It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.”

Lorenzo Denner Jr. takes over at quarterback. Malachi Murphy is expected to move into a featured role as a two-way playmaker on offense and in the secondary. Three senior linebackers — Talon McKinney, Deacon Harper and Owen Carmichael — anchor the front seven and provide the most experienced unit on the roster.

Wilcox County’s defense, which has been a program strength in recent seasons, is expected to set the tone while the offense develops around Denner and Murphy.

The GHSA football season begins Friday, Aug. 21.

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