The Contenders Are Starting to Separate Themselves
We’re far enough into the 2026 high school football season now that we’re beginning to learn who is for real.
And if you’re talking about football in Gnat Country, you’d better make room for Lowndes, Valdosta and Colquitt County along with Tift County, Fitzgerald, Worth County, Cook, Berrien, Irwin County and Turner County.
So let’s take a ride around Gnat Country and see where everybody stands.
🟣 LOWNDES — 5-0 AND FLAT-OUT DOMINANT
You want a team that has our attention?
Start with the Vikings.
Lowndes is 5-0 and has outscored its opponents 186-14. The Vikings have beaten Jenkins 31-6, Harris County 38-0, Lithonia 22-8, Blanche Ely 42-0 and Long County 53-0. (MaxPreps.com)
Do the math on that defense.
Fourteen points allowed in five games.
Lowndes has recorded three shutouts and hasn’t allowed more than eight points in a game.
Region 1-7A hasn’t even started yet, which means the biggest tests are still ahead: Camden County, Richmond Hill, Valdosta and Colquitt County are waiting down the road. (MaxPreps.com)
But right now, the Vikings are making a mighty loud statement.
🟡 VALDOSTA — 5-0 AND SCORING POINTS BY THE BUSHEL
If Lowndes has been suffocating people with defense, Valdosta has been doing its damage with an offensive sledgehammer.
The Wildcats improved to 5-0 Friday night by pounding Stockbridge 58-21. (MaxPreps.com)
And there are some serious playmakers wearing black and gold.
In the most recently reported individual statistics, senior running back Deron Foster was averaging 138.5 rushing yards per game and had 10 rushing touchdowns.
Senior Marquis Fennell was averaging 116 rushing yards and 89 receiving yards per game with 12 total touchdowns.
Senior receiver Jamarian Mingo was averaging 78.5 receiving yards per game with six touchdown receptions.
Quarterback Tripp Perry had completed 75.4 percent of his passes with seven touchdown passes in the reported statistics. (MaxPreps.com)
Those individual numbers were last updated before Valdosta’s latest games, so the totals have almost certainly changed — but they tell you plenty about the weapons the Wildcats have.
And mark this one down:
October 30 — Valdosta at Lowndes.
That’s one we’re going to be talking about.
🐗 COLQUITT COUNTY — DON’T LET 3-2 FOOL YOU
The Packers are 3-2, but context matters.
Colquitt lost to Thomas County Central 57-21 and Lee County 48-30 — two serious South Georgia football programs.
The Packers have answered with victories over Monroe 52-0, Cook 38-6 and Lincoln, Florida, 45-17. (MaxPreps.com)
That means Colquitt has scored 186 points through five games, an average of better than 37 per game.
And look at what’s coming:
October 16 — Valdosta at Colquitt County
November 6 — Lowndes at Colquitt County
Throw Richmond Hill and Camden County into that region schedule and Region 1-7A is going to be a weekly fistfight. (MaxPreps.com)
Nobody around Gnat Country should be writing off the Packers.
🌪️ FITZGERALD — FIRST LOSS, BUT STILL VERY MUCH IN THE FIGHT
Fitzgerald started 4-0 with victories over Clinch County, Irwin County, Dodge County and Worth County. (MaxPreps.com)
Then Jeff Davis came to Fitzgerald Friday night and handed the Purple Hurricane its first loss, 29-20. (MaxPreps.com)
So Fitzgerald is now 4-1, and the Region 1-AA race just got considerably more interesting.
One loss doesn’t erase a 4-0 start.
What matters now is how Fitzgerald responds.
🔵 TIFT COUNTY — TIME TO BOUNCE BACK
Tift County had put together some good football, including a 42-13 victory over Crisp County, before running into Coffee Friday night.
Coffee beat the Blue Devils 35-14. (MaxPreps.com)
But we’ve already seen one player capable of changing a game in a hurry: Dai’jon Hayes.
His explosiveness as a receiver and return man gives Tift the kind of weapon opposing coaches have to account for every time he touches the field.
The Blue Devils took a punch Friday.
Now we find out how they respond.
🐏 WORTH COUNTY — THE SCHEDULE HASN’T BEEN KIND
Worth County opened with wins over Brooks County and Early County before running into a much rougher stretch.
The Rams lost a close one to Fitzgerald, 25-20, and Friday night Cairo defeated Worth 42-14. (MaxPreps.com)
That record needs some context.
Worth has been playing some pretty good football teams.
There is still plenty of season left for the Rams to turn those hard lessons into wins.
⚡ TURNER COUNTY — 40 POINTS GETS OUR ATTENTION
Turner County deserves some ink this week.
The Titans beat Wilcox County 40-23 Friday night. (MaxPreps.com)
Earlier in the season Turner lost 22-21 to Irwin County.
That’s a one-point difference between winning and losing, and now the Titans have hung 40 on Wilcox.
Keep watching Ashburn.
🔴 BERRIEN — REGION PLAY WILL TELL THE STORY
Berrien made some noise by hammering Irwin County 42-13 on September 18. (Valdosta Today)
Then came Thomasville.
The Bulldogs beat Berrien 56-21 Friday night. (MaxPreps.com)
That’s life in South Georgia football.
One Friday night you’re celebrating. Seven days later somebody reminds you that you’ve got work to do.
🏹 IRWIN COUNTY — LOOKING FOR THE NEXT RUN
Irwin has already shown flashes this season, including that 22-21 victory over Turner County.
But the Indians were hit hard by Berrien, losing 42-13 on September 18. (Valdosta Today)
Irwin has a proud football tradition, and this is the point in the season where we’ll see whether the Indians can put together another run.
🐝 COOK — NOW THE IMPORTANT GAMES BEGIN
Cook has taken its lumps against some strong competition, including a 38-6 loss to Colquitt County. (MaxPreps.com)
But non-region records only tell part of the story.
Region 1-AA is where Cook’s season will ultimately be decided, and that neighborhood includes Fitzgerald, Thomasville, Jeff Davis, Berrien, Brooks County and Bacon County.
There aren’t many Friday nights off in that bunch.
🔥 GNAT COUNTRY PLAYERS TO WATCH
Here are some names already demanding attention:
Marquis Fennell — Valdosta
Running back. Receiver. Touchdown maker. He had 12 total touchdowns in Valdosta’s most recently published individual statistics. (MaxPreps.com)
Deron Foster — Valdosta
Averaging 138.5 rushing yards per game with 10 rushing touchdowns in the Wildcats’ reported statistics. (MaxPreps.com)
Jamarian Mingo — Valdosta
Averaging 78.5 receiving yards per game with six receiving touchdowns in the latest published individual numbers. (MaxPreps.com)
Tripp Perry — Valdosta
The senior quarterback was completing 75.4 percent of his passes with seven touchdown passes in the latest reported statistics. (MaxPreps.com)
Dai’jon Hayes — Tift County
One of the most dangerous open-field weapons in our coverage area and a threat as both a receiver and return man.
And we’re going to keep expanding this list.
If there’s a player at Lowndes, Colquitt County, Fitzgerald, Worth County, Cook, Berrien, Irwin County, Turner County, Tift County or anywhere else around Gnat Country putting together a big season, send us the name and the numbers.
We’ll check him out.
🦟 THE GNAT COUNTRY BIG PICTURE
Here’s what we know heading toward October:
Lowndes is unbeaten.
Valdosta is unbeaten.
Fitzgerald finally has a blemish.
Colquitt County is battle-tested and dangerous.
Tift County needs a bounce-back.
Turner County just put 40 on the scoreboard.
Worth, Berrien, Cook and Irwin are entering the portion of the season where region games begin telling us what these teams really are.
And then there’s Region 1-7A.
Lowndes.
Valdosta.
Colquitt County.
Richmond Hill.
Camden County.
Good grief.
Somebody is going to come out of that region with a few bruises.
From Tifton to Moultrie, Valdosta to Fitzgerald, Sylvester to Nashville, Adel to Ocilla and Ashburn…
We’ll be following it.
Because this is Gnat Country.
🦟🏈
Who are we missing?
Give us the name of a player having a big season, his school and whatever stats you’ve got. We’ll verify them and keep building our Gnat Country Players to Watch list.
#GnatCountry #SouthGeorgiaFootball #FridayNightLights #GHSAFootball #Lowndes #Valdosta #ColquittCounty #TiftCounty #Fitzgerald #WorthCounty #Cook #Berrien #IrwinCounty #TurnerCounty
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