(WALB) - Three region football games Friday have first place or a region title at stake: SGA and Valwood, Westover and Dougherty, and Lowndes and Valdosta.

SGA and Valwood

SGA hosts Valwood on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Haddock Stadium with first place on the line.

Both teams run the ball heavily. SGA uses a strong rushing attack in Colt Williams and Brody Enfinger. Valwood uses running back Kamari Jackson and quarterback Stanton Beverly.

“Winning the line of scrimmage is what we do because we run the ball so much,” Warriors head coach Kerry Morris said. “It’s going to come down to them being physical and us matching that physicality.”

“They have a whole arsenal of great football players,” Morris continued.

“Kamari’s been a guy that’s led our rushing attack,” Valwood head coach Brad Wells said. “Just us being physical on the line of scrimmage as well. Creating those holes and alleys for him to run.”

“This is their region. They’ve ran this region,” Wells said. “If we want to take over the region, we’ve got to go take it.”

“We’re a physical football team if anybody’s come to watch us play,” Morris said. “And we’re just going to hit them in the mouth and see if they like it.”

Westover and Dougherty

Westover and Dougherty play Friday with a region title still available.

“We had a set of goals of being trying to go undefeated in the region,” Dougherty’s Uyl Joyner said. “And to be at a stage where they are now, 8-1, and they was not that great of a team last year, that they were going to be ready this year, and they are ready.”

Asked whether the family connection holds weight personally, Westover head coach Corey Joyner said: “It does. It do put a different type of feel to this game. I just got a whole lot of respect for the things that he’s doing.”

“It’s your brother, and you don’t want to beat your brother, but it’s something that we’ve got to do,” Uyl Joyner said.

Both coaches say they are working to keep their teams from becoming too emotional.

“That’s the part that I’m trying to calm down. I don’t want us going into a, you know, too emotional,” Uyl Joyner continued. “There are several friends and several guys that they hang with that’s on the other side of the door. They’ve already been talking on the chats and all the other things.”

Lowndes and Valdosta

Down in Titletown, the Lowndes Vikings and the Valdosta Wildcats play Friday for the 7A Region 1 title in the 50th annual Wintersville Classic. Kickoff is at 8 p.m.

It is the first time in Wintersville history that both teams enter with perfect records. One team will take its first loss. The other will most likely win the region championship. The Wildcats have won three of the last four meetings.

“They grow up wearing, you know, crimson and white or black and gold from the time they’re four or five years old,” Lowndes head coach Adam Carter said. “And it’s called Wintersville for a reason.”

Marquis Fennell is averaging 100-plus yards rushing for Valdosta. Deron Foster passed 1,000 yards on the season and scored five touchdowns last week. Quarterback Tripp Perry threw for 303 yards in a 53-point win against Camden.

“Well, we like the old Dallas Cowboys, the triplets,” Valdosta head coach Shelton Felton said. “But those three guys are playing with TPs in general. I like our chance of beating anybody.”

Lowndes has Texas A&M commit Jayce Johnson, who is healthy and making his final start in the rivalry under center.

“I mean, he’s a big-time player,” Carter said. “Obviously, you don’t want him to go out there and just play within himself, play within the team, don’t try to do too much just because it’s the big stage.”

“At the end of the day, our goal is to win a region championship,” Carter continued. “And if we win this Friday, we have a chance to reach the championship. So, that’s the goal and that’s the message to our kids all week.”

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