While most Northside teams have yet to begin region play, Lovett and Pace Academy are getting a jump ahead of the rest of the local squads as they begin their Region 6AA schedules.
Lovett hosts Therrell, while Pace goes on the road to take on Columbia in a pair of 6AA games on Sept. 10.
The Lions and the Knights begin their quests for state playoff berths in 6AA and are also among the top contenders for the region title.,
For Lovett, it will be its second 6AA contest of the season after having hosted Washington in its region opener Sept. 3.
The Lions (1-1 going into their game with Washington), started out the 2021 season with a 17-7 loss to archrival Westminster on Aug. 20, but bounced back with a 16-12 win over Greater Atlanta Christian.
Senior tight end/linebacker Stevie Bracey, who has committed to Virginia, leads a group of returning starters for Lovett that includes senior wide receiver/defensive back Logan Givens, senior offensive linemen/defensive linemen William Stimmel and Luke Graham, junior running back/linebacker Anderson Beavor and sophomore quarterback Preston Lusink.
The Lions will play a Therrell team that is trying to improve on last year’s 2-6 record. The Panthers opened the season with a 34-6 loss to North Atlanta on Aug. 27.
While Lovett already had one region game under its belt as of press time, this will be the 6AA opener for Pace Academy.
The Knights (0-1) opened the 2021 season with a 47-14 loss to Rabun County, a Class AA state semifinalist a year ago on Aug. 28 and also played at home against Westminster on Sept. 3.
Pace is led by a strong senior class, which includes defensive tackles Xavier Agostino and Hunter Rocker, wide receivers Justin Bowick and Jae Williams, running back Lawrence Jordan, defensive end Jayden Gasque, linebacker Nile Bennett and offensive guard/tackle Grant Shaw.
Other key players for Pace are junior offensive guard Trovon Baugh, junior safety Frank Caldwell, sophomore linebacker Ashton Wiley, sophomore safety George Little and sophomore defensive tackle Hevin Brown-Schuler.
The Knights will travel to Panthersville Stadium in Decatur to take on Columbia, which opened its season Aug. 20 with a 31-0 loss to perennial south Georgia powerhouse Camden County.
