Prior to the start of the 2024 season, the GHSA released the football schedules for all teams. I determined that Veterans High School had the toughest road to get through in 2024. In trying to determine who would have the toughest schedule, I used a few basic criteria, which included:
- Opponents’ records from the previous season
- Opponents’ success during the previous season, including region titles, playoff success, and state titles, if any
- Opponents’ returning starters
- Number of away games versus home games
With the 2025 Georgia high school football season looming, here are the Top 10 teams with the toughest regular season schedules.
10. Carrollton (Region 2, Class 6A)
The Carrollton Trojans of head coach Joey King kick off the Mason Holtzclaw era at home versus defending Region 4-5A champion and eight-game winner Woodward Academy.
Carrollton then hosts Columbia, who advanced to the second round of the Class 2A playoffs last season.
Carrollton makes its first road trip to Barron Stadium to face the Rome Wolves before coasting back home to face Lithia Springs.
The final couple of non-region matchups are tough ones, starting with a trip to City Park at Bobby Gruhn Field to take on the Gainesville Red Elephants.
Carrollton will have to recover quickly, as the Thundering Herd of Parker High School from Birmingham, Alabama, comes calling. Parker was 14-1 last season en route to winning the AHSAA Class 6A state title.
After games at Westlake and against Chapel Hill at home, Carrollton takes on East Coweta before closing out the season at home against Douglas County.
Carrollton’s 2025 Football Schedule
- 8/15 vs Woodward Academy
- 8/22 vs Columbia
- 8/29 at Rome (Barron Stadium Rome, GA)
- 9/05 vs Lithia Springs
- 9/12 at Gainesville (City Park)
- 9/19 vs Parker High School
- 10/03 at Westlake (Westlake High School)
- 10/10 vs Chapel Hill
- 10/17 vs East Coweta
- 10/31 vs Douglas County
9. Swainsboro (Region 3, Class 1A-Division I)
After playing for a state championship in 2023 and finishing 12-3, the Swainsboro Tigers played one of the toughest schedules in the state in 2024 and struggled to a 3-8 season.
Now Swainsboro will try to navigate that same rough patch of winning teams week after week in 2024, hoping for better results.
Swainsboro and head coach Scott Roberts open up at Dublin’s Shamrock Bowl to face the Fighting Irish, who went 13-1 last season.
Other opponents include another 13-1 team from a year ago in Class 1A-Division I state champion Toombs County.
Swainsboro faces two 10-win teams from last season in Metter, who went 10-2, and Savannah Christian, who went 10-1.
After Swainsboro returns from a road game at Appling County to battle the Pirates and new head coach Tucker Pruitt, the Tigers face a nine-win Thomson team in Week 5, with Crisp County and new head coach Justin Newman visiting after that.
Swainsboro’s 2025 Football Schedule
- 8/15 at Dublin
- 8/22 vs Emanuel County Institute
- 8/29 at Metter
- 9/05 at Appling County
- 9/12 vs Thomson
- 9/19 vs Crisp County
- 10/03 vs Toombs County
- 10/10 at Savannah Country Day
- 10/17 vs Vidalia
- 10/24 at Savannah Christian
8. Douglas County (Region 2, Class 6A)
“Pray for us. Our schedule is tough.”
That’s what Douglas County head coach Johnny White said a few weeks ago when he and I were discussing the Tigers’ upcoming season. One look at Douglas County’s schedule proves White wasn’t kidding.
Things kick off with Douglas County facing North Gwinnett in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic.
Next comes a road game at Jonesboro, an eight-game winner last season, followed by the first home game against the Newton Rams, who finished 7-5 in 2024.
Douglas County hits the road for back-to-back away games at 2024 Class 5A state finalist Langston Hughes, then at Buford in their new, expansive stadium.
Things slow down a bit for Douglas County over the next few weeks with four games against Columbia, Westlake, East Coweta, and Chapel Hill before closing out the regular season against Carrollton.
Douglas County’s 2025 Football Schedule
- 8/16 vs North Gwinnett (Mercedes Benz)
- 8/22 at Jonesboro (T)
- 8/29 vs Newton
- 9/05 at Hughes
- 9/12 at Buford
- 9/26 vs Columbia
- 10/03 vs East Coweta
- 10/10 at Westlake
- 10/24 vs Chapel Hill
- 10/31 at Carrollton
7. Northside (Warner Robins) (Region 2, Class 5A)
New Eagles head coach Daniel Boone Williams will begin rebuilding the once mighty and proud Northside football program in Warner Robins, Georgia, but the task won’t be easy in his first season.
The former Hughes head coach led the Panthers to the Class 5A state title game last season and the 2022 state championship. He will lead his new Northside program against some of the toughest week-over-week competition in 2025.
In addition to battling tough region foes in Region 2-5A, Williams and his team are going up against a non-region schedule of teams that includes Baldwin, a seven-win, second-round state playoff team in 2024; crosstown rival Warner Robins; and Burke County, a 13-win team that played for the Class 2A state championship last season.
Northside then faces the 2024 Region 1-3A champion and 11-2 Peach County Trojans at home before the region schedule begins with Coffee, who went 11-3 and was a Class 5A semifinalist last season.
Back-to-back away games at another 2024 Class 5A semifinalist in Lee County, who went 13-1 last season, and quarterfinalist in Thomas County Central, who went 11-2 last season, will make this 2025 season a challenge for Northside.
Northside’s 2025 Football Schedule
- 8/16 vs Eagles Landing
- 8/22 vs Baldwin
- 8/29 at Warner Robins (MT)
- 9/12 vs Burke County
- 9/19 vs Peach County
- 9/26 vs Coffee
- 10/03 vs Houston County
- 10/17 at Thomas County Central (The Jackets’ Nest)
- 10/24 at Lee County
- 10/31 vs Veterans
6. Buford (Region 8, Class 6A)
The Buford Wolves face off against some of the state’s best QBs in the first month of the season, making their 2025 schedule one of the toughest in Georgia high school football.
Buford kicks off the season in the much-anticipated debut of Phillip Beard Stadium at Dexter Wood Field in what promises to be a monumental contest against the two-time defending state champion Milton Eagles, who will have a debut of their own in new quarterback Derrick Baker.
There’s no time to exhale as Buford travels to Benedictine for a big Week 2 matchup in Savannah against the Cadets, led by head coach Stephen Cannon.
The Roswell Hornets are the Week 3 opponent, and they’ll roll out dual-threat quarterback Trey Smith as they travel to Buford on Sept. 5.
The Wolves then stay at home as they welcome in yet another top Georgia high school quarterback in Douglas County’s Michael Johnson.
After opening the region schedule against Discovery at home, Buford travels to Collins Hill to take on the Eagles of head coach Drew Swick and yet another top-flight quarterback in Makyree Cross.
After a three-game stretch against Dacula, Central Gwinnett, and Mountain View, Buford closes out the regular season against Mill Creek at home.
Buford’s 2025 Football Schedule
- 8/14 vs Milton
- 8/22 at Benedictine (SM)
- 9/05 vs Roswell
- 9/12 vs Douglas County
- 9/19 vs Discovery
- 10/03 at Collins Hill
- 10/09 at Dacula
- 10/17 at Central Gwinnett
- 10/24 vs Mountain View
- 10/31 vs Mill Creek
5. North Gwinnett (Region 7, Class 6A)
The North Gwinnett Bulldogs of head coach Eric Godfree open up a tough 2025 season against the Douglas County Tigers and their explosive offense in the final game of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic.
North Gwinnett hosts the Colquitt County Packers in Week 2 in the battle of North Georgia versus South Georgia powerhouse programs.
Speaking of powerhouses, next up for the Bulldogs are the Mill Creek Hawks of head coach Josh Lovelady.
North Gwinnett’s first away game of the year, outside of the Corky Kell game, is against Brookwood in Snellville, Georgia.
Peachtree Ridge and Norcross are the two remaining away region games for North Gwinnett.
North Gwinnett’s 2025 Football Schedule
- 8/16 vs Douglas County (Mercedes Benz)
- 8/29 vs Colquitt County
- 9/05 vs Mill Creek
- 9/12 at Brookwood
- 9/19 at Parkview
- 9/26 vs Berkmar
- 10/03 at Peachtree Ridge
- 10/17 vs Meadowcreek
- 10/24 at Norcross
- 10/30 vs Duluth
4. Benedictine (Region 1, Class 4A)
Benedictine Cadets head coach Danny Britt is known to never back down from playing any opponent anywhere.
Britt will back that up when he takes his Benedictine team to the Hawg Pen to take on the Colquitt County Packers to open the season. It will be the first time Benedictine has played at Mack Tharpe Stadium, and it will be the start of a tough 2025 regular season schedule for Britt’s team.
The next week, Benedictine hosts Buford in its home-opener. The Cadets had the Wolves on the ropes in last year’s match before Buford mounted a furious, last-minute comeback to win by a point.
The next game will be at Burke County’s Bears Den. Burke County finished 13-2 and played for the Class 2A state championship in 2024.
After a game at Westminster to close out the non-region slate, Benedictine kicks off region play with a trip to Ware County, followed by home games against Warner Robins and Wayne County, before closing out the regular season at Perry and New Hampstead.
Benedictine’s 2025 Football Schedule
- 8/15 at Colquitt County (Mack Tharpe Stadium)
- 8/22 vs Buford (SM)
- 8/29 at Burke County
- 9/19 at Westminster
- 9/26 at Ware County
- 10/03 vs Warner Robins (SM)
- 10/17 vs Wayne County (SM)
- 10/24 at Perry
- 10/30 at New Hampstead (Pooler)
3. Veterans (Region 2, Class 5A)
Last year’s toughest schedule belonged to the Veterans Warhawks. Although new head coach Steve DeVoursney won’t have that facing him this year, it’s still going to be a challenging season.
Two-of-three opening opponents for Veterans are 10-2 Jones County in Week 1 and 10-2 Starr’s Mill in Week 3. Sandwiched in between in Week 2 is Statesboro, who went 4-6 last season. The final non-region opponents are Perry, who went 8-4 in 2024, followed by Warner Robins, who was 7-4 last year.
Region play opens with Houston County, followed by Thomas County Central, Lee County, Coffee, and then the regular-season finale with Northside (Warner Robins).
Veterans’ 2025 Football Schedule
- 8/15 vs Jones County
- 8/22 vs Statesboro
- 8/28 vs Starr’s Mill
- 9/12 at Perry
- 9/19 vs Warner Robins (F)
- 9/26 at Houston County
- 10/03 vs Thomas County Central
- 10/17 at Lee County
- 10/24 vs Coffee
- 10/31 at Northside (Warner Robins)
2. Wayne County (Region 1, Class 4A)
The Wayne County Yellow Jackets makes our Top 10 toughest Georgia high school football schedules for the second straight season. Head coach John Mohring took over last year, and with this being the second year of the GHSA’s two-year schedule cycle, he will try to navigate his team through another gauntlet of top-tier opponents.
To be fair, Wayne County happens to be in one of the state’s top regions in Region 1-4A, with Perry, Warner Robins,Ware County, and Benedictine all as region foes.
The Yellow Jackets’ non-region schedule is not much easier; they start the season playing three of the first four non-region opponents away. Wayne County opens at Glynn Academy, then goes to Brunswick, who went 10-2 last year. The first home game is Week 3 opponent Appling County with new head coach Tucker Pruitt. Wayne County goes back on the road to Pierce County, an 11-2 squad last year. The final non-region opponent is Richmond Hill at home.
Wayne County’s 2025 Football Schedule
- 8/15 at Glynn Academy (GL)
- 8/22 at Brunswick (GL)
- 8/29 vs Appling County
- 9/05 at Pierce County
- 9/12 vs Richmond Hill
- 9/26 vs Warner Robins
- 10/03 vs Perry
- 10/17 at Benedictine (SM)
- 10/24 vs New Hampstead
- 10/31 at Ware County
1. Blessed Trinity (Region 6, Class 4A)
The Blessed Trinity Titans’ schedule includes all playoff teams, except two, from last season and a mid-season stretch of four consecutive games against powerhouse programs that either won or played for a state title in 2024 and 2023.
After opening the 2025 season with a Tri-Cities team that won six games last year, Blessed Trinity then plays Holy Innocents’, which is one of the top teams to watch in 2025 with almost every starter from last year returning.
After that Week 2 matchup with the Golden Bears, things get tough.
Here are the four opponents that Blessed Trinity must play in consecutive games: Prince Avenue Christian went 10-4 a year ago and was the Private Class state runner-up. Milton is the 15-0 Class 5A state champion from 2023 and 2024. Hebron Christian went 12-2 and was the Private Class state champion last year. Savannah Christian went 10-1 last year and played in the 2023 Class 3A state title game.
That’s a month-long stretch against opponents with a combined 46-7 record from 2024, and there’s really no reason to expect these four opponents to be anything but powerful, winning programs in 2025.
Blessed Trinity’s 2025 Football Schedule
- 8/15 vs Tri-Cities
- 8/22 vs Holy Innocents
- 8/29 vs Prince Avenue Christian
- 9/12 at Milton
- 9/19 vs Hebron Christian
- 9/26 at Savannah Christian (GSU)
- 10/03 vs Kell
- 10/17 at Westminster
- 10/24 vs Centennial
- 10/31 at Cambridge
