Georgia High School Football: Benedictine and Ware County Battle for Region Crown
The No. 5 ranked Benedictine Eagles face an unranked but defensive Ware County team in a title decider, while other top matchups feature undefeated squads in the state's top ten.
By Giulia Marshall ·
The Region 1-5A football title will be decided this Friday in Waycross when the No. 5 Benedictine Eagles host the Ware County Warriors. Benedictine enters the game with an 8-1 record, while Ware County is 7-2 and unranked. Both teams are 6-0 in region play, making this contest the final say for the division crown.
The series between these two schools dates back to 2020 and is currently tied 3-3. Benedictine has won every odd year, including the 2025 meeting where they defeated Ware County 30-27. That previous victory came on a 12-yard run by Stanley Smart with 9:42 remaining. Smart, who is committed to Virginia Tech, has rushed for 959 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior.
Benedictine has won eight straight games following an opening loss to Toombs County. They rank fifth in Class 5A for points per game, averaging 41.6. Their offense has produced high-scoring wins against Richmond Academy and Jenkins, both of which Ware County has shut out. On the other side, Ware County is third in the state for points allowed, holding opponents to just 9.7 per game. The Warriors have started slowly, dropping their first two games to bigger schools in Richmond Hill and Coffee, but they have since found stability.
Ware County’s offense is balanced around senior quarterback Isaiah White, who has thrown for 1,149 yards. The team averages a 30-10 score against the 33rd toughest schedule in 5A. In contrast, Benedictine’s average score is 42-24 against the 36th toughest schedule. Eron Mallard, a commit to Purdue, leads the Eagles with 1,522 all-purpose yards, combining 358 rushing yards, 865 receiving yards, and 299 return yards.
Other top-ten matchups take place this weekend. Lowndes (9-3, No. 2) hosts Colquitt County (2-9, No. 1) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Moultrie. Lowndes won the last meeting 41-13 in 2025. Model (9-1, No. 1) faces Heard County (8-9) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Franklin. Model defeated Heard 82-45 in 2025.
Parkview (8-1, No. 4) travels to North Gwinnett (7-1, unranked) on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in Suwanee. North Gwinnett won the 2025 meeting 35-6. Peach County (9-0, No. 3) plays Troup (9-0, No. 2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in LaGrange. Troup won the 2021 meeting 82-6.
Pierce County (8-1, No. 1) hosts Appling County (9-0, No. 3) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Jesup. Appling won the 2025 meeting 41-13. Roswell (8-1, No. 4) visits Milton (7-2, unranked) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Milton. Roswell won the 2025 meeting 41-39.
Savannah Christian (8-1, No. 2) plays Calvary Day (5-4, unranked) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Poolman. Calvary Day won the 2023 meeting 42-21.
