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) — Three GIAA Class 3A programs enter 2026 with different challenges and the same October deadline. Deerfield-Windsor follows an undefeated regular season and a state championship game appearance with a roster that has lost most of the senior class that built that run. Terrell Academy is in year two under head coach Jack Harris with a physical identity to establish and prove. Tiftarea returns its skilled players but must grow an inexperienced offensive line fast enough to matter in region play.

WALB Sports broke down all three programs in the third episode of Countdown to Kickoff.

The region schedule is stacked at the back half of the season: Deerfield-Windsor at Terrell Academy on Oct. 9, Deerfield-Windsor at Tiftarea on Oct. 16, and Tiftarea at Terrell Academy on Oct. 30.

Deerfield-Windsor Knights: Earning it all over again

Deerfield-Windsor finished the 2025 regular season undefeated before falling in the state championship game. The senior class that drove that run has graduated, and head coach Jake McCrae said this group will have to find its own identity rather than measure itself against last year’s team.

“We coached on cruise control the last couple of years,” McCrae said. “So now we’re going to earn our money this year.”

Senior returners Mangum Pippen, Turner Simmons, Tony Powell, Gage Tomlinson and Nolan Ivey are expected to anchor the 2026 roster. Pippen lines up at linebacker and running back. Simmons returns at running back after a strong 2025 campaign.

The quarterback room is in transition. Jay Sceals, younger brother of former starter Lane Sceals, is expected to compete for the starting role alongside Maddox Skipper. McCrae said both quarterbacks are young and will need the surrounding roster to protect them early.

“We’re gonna have to steal some plays on special teams and we’re gonna have to shorten some games to stay in them and lengthen some games to stay in them,” McCrae said. “But ultimately we’re gonna make sure that we’re in them.”

McCrae described the team’s formula for 2026 as stop, steal and settle — defense getting off the field and creating possessions, special teams generating hidden yardage, and the offense protecting the ball and avoiding self-inflicted mistakes.

“We’re going to be a defense first team,” McCrae said. “No doubt about it.”

Terrell Academy Eagles: Making physicality the standard

Jack Harris enters his second season at Terrell Academy with a stated priority: physicality. Harris said the Eagles were stronger, faster and better conditioned entering 2026 than they were a year ago, but the physical edge he wants has to show up in games, not just in the weight room.

“Our mantra this year is to be physical, is to try to dominate the line of scrimmage,” Harris said. “Physicality is a mentality. And so what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to create that mentality — when we walk on this field, we want to be the most physical team out there.”

Senior Bryse Peachey is Harris’s offensive centerpiece. Peachey played six games in 2025 before injuries limited his availability. Harris said the offense will run through Peachey, who has been in the program four years and has taken on a leadership role.

“He’s kind of the catalyst. He’s gonna make us go,” Harris said. “He’s been an exceptional athlete for us. He had a tough year last year with a lot of injuries and stuff like that. But he still battled through.”

Harris said starters across the roster are still being evaluated, with competition ongoing at multiple positions heading into the season. The camaraderie built over years within the program is a factor, but Harris said chemistry alone will not determine outcomes.

Peachey must stay healthy for the Eagles to compete in region play. Harris said the practical next step for this program is reaching the postseason and giving a young group meaningful late-season football.

Tiftarea Panthers: Skilled players buying time for the line

Head coach Erik Soliday enters 2026 after losing a senior-heavy class, leaving Tiftarea with returning skill talent but an inexperienced offensive line. Soliday said the plan is to rely on the skilled players to carry the offense while the line develops throughout the season.

“We’re going to lean on them a lot because we’ve got a lot of our skill folks back — running backs and some receivers back and our quarterbacks back — but our line is pretty inexperienced,” Soliday said. “So we’re going to have to rely on those skill guys to make a lot of plays until our line develops. And I think they’ll come around.”

Sophomore Seth Royal is the centerpiece of the Tiftarea offense. Royal played as a freshman in 2025 and saw action against upper-level competition. Case Jones returns at quarterback with a year of experience in the system. Receiver and return man Reed Jackson averaged 31 receiving yards per game last season as a freshman. Hunter Monk, whose older brother Ridley played for the program, is also expected to contribute at receiver as a sophomore.

Will Shelnut is listed as the most experienced returning lineman for the Panthers.

Soliday said the linemen’s accountability and willingness to improve snap by snap will determine how quickly the unit gels.

“Every day, every play, find a way to get better,” Soliday said. “If you mess up, learn from it, find a way to get better the next play. Every day and in every game. And I think if they do that, you know, at some point during the year, they’ll come together, and I think they’ll have it.”

The GIAA season kicks off Friday, Aug. 14.

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