Full slate of games on tap for this week
Published 12:00 am Monday, August 8, 2016
LAGRANGE – High-school football returns in full force this week, with the Callaway Cavaliers, LaGrange Grangers and Troup Tigers all in action.
With the start of the regular season a little more than a week away, all three teams will be on the field this week for preseason games.
The week begins with LaGrange visiting Newnan on Thursday for a preseason game.
On Friday, it’ll be Callaway hosting Northside-Columbus at Hendrix Field in Hogansville, and Troup visiting Harris County.
The regular season gets under way on Aug. 19, with Callaway and LaGrange facing off at Callaway Stadium, and Troup hitting the road to play Hardaway.
On Thursday, LaGrange and Newnan will renew a long-standing rivalry that dates back more than 100 years.
The teams have played more than 80 times since 1908, and while they won’t be able to meet in the regular season this year, they’ll at least be able to play a preseason game.
It will be the second and final preseason game for LaGrange, which lost to Heard County 20-13 last week.
Newan is coming off a stellar 2015 season where it went 10-3 and made it to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs, while LaGrange went 5-5 last year and missed the playoffs.
Callaway, as it has been doing for more than 10 years now, will be in Hogansville for its preseason game.
Pete Wiggins took over as Callaway’s head coach before the 2005 season, and he thought having a game in Hogansville would be a great way to recognize the tradition of that program and connect with the community.
Hogansville High played its games at Hendrix Field before that school closed its doors in the spring of 1996.
“The game in Hogansville is very special to our community,” Wiggins said before last year’s game.
The game features two teams coming off successful seasons.
Callaway went 10-2 last season and won a region title and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs, while Northside finished second in its region and hosted a state game.
Troup will tune up for its regular-season opener by visiting Harris County.
It’s a game between teams looking to rebound from difficult 2015 seasons.
Harris County, after some outstanding seasons, struggled to a 2-8 record last year, while Troup was 1-9.
THIS WEEK’S GAMES
THURSDAY
LaGrange at Newnan, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY
Troup at Harris County, 7:30 p.m.
Callaway vs. Northside-Columbus in Hogansville, 7:30 p.m.
Reach Kevin Eckleberry at (706) 884-7311 or on Twitter @lagrangesports