With the GHSA reclassification process reducing the total number of classes from eight to seven starting with the 2024 season, the landscape for many Georgia high school football teams has changed. Along with changing classifications, many teams will see changes to their existing regions as new teams join and longtime region foes leave. Among those teams that will inherit changes are Milton and Thomas County Central, the defending state champions of the state’s two current largest classifications. Here’s a look at their 2024 schedules, including matchups that many fans will have circled as “can’t miss” games this season.
Milton’s New Region Foes
With the removal of Class 7A, the Milton Eagles will move down by what is effectively one classification to Class 5A beginning with the 2024 football season.
Milton will now be a member of Region 7 with new region opponents Gainesville and Roswell, who both won their respective regions in 2023 and advanced to the Class 6A state quarterfinals last year; former Class 6A teams Johns Creek and Lanier; former Class 5A team Chattahoochee; and Seckinger, who was a member of Class 4A last year and, as the newest school in Buford, Georgia, will be fielding a team for the third season since starting a program in 2022.
Milton Kicks Off 2024 Football Season With 3 Nationally Ranked Powerhouses
Despite dropping to Class 5A, don’t expect things to get much easier for the defending state champions. Milton will start the 2024 season off with a warmup of sorts as they host Newton in a preseason scrimmage on Aug. 9.
The Eagles will find out a lot about themselves early in the regular season as they open up with the Buford Wolves at home on Aug. 16.
Then just six days later, Milton will make a return trip to the Broward County High School National Football Showcase in South Florida as they take on the American Heritage Patriots in Plantation, Florida. Milton head football coach Ben Reaves and the Eagles are hoping this year’s event will turn out better than last year’s game, as Milton fell to the Western Wildcats of Davie, Florida, 14-10 in a defensive battle.
Key Players Returning for Milton in 2024
Starting QB Luke Nickel will be back to direct the Eagles’ offense. He will have fellow 2025 offensive standouts TJ Lester and Amauri Anderson, both running backs, joining him in the backfield.
Just about every defensive starter will be back, led by the secondary’s Ty Redmond, Dylan Lewis, Tristan Lester, and Ma’khi Jones.
Milton Head Football Coach Ben Reaves on the 2024 Season
“The 2024 season will be an exciting but extremely challenging season,” Reaves said. “Moving to Class 5A is going to be no joke, and our schedule will start off with arguably the toughest first two games in the state playing Buford and then traveling to Miami to play American Heritage, which I have learned will be broadcast on ESPN. Plus, we have region games against Roswell and Gainesville, who are each coming off tremendous seasons in 2023.”
A New Region, But (Mostly) the Same Faces for Thomas County Central
Thomas County Central rolled through their 2023 football season with an undefeated 15-0 mark, including a dominant 49-28 win over Woodward Academy in the state championship game that saw the Yellow Jackets jump out to a 28-7 halftime lead and never look back.
Heading into 2024, head football coach Justin Rogers and the Yellow Jackets will remain in the state’s second-largest classification, which is now Class 5A.
Even though Thomas County Central will move from Region 1 into Region 2, their region foes will largely remain the same as Lee County, Houston County, Northside (Warner Robins), and Veterans all move with them.
The one big exception is Tift County, who leaves the region and will be replaced by 2023 Class 5A state champion Coffee. Tift County will return to the state’s highest classification as part of Region 1-6A in 2024.
“The region got even tougher this year with the addition of the 5A champ Coffee, so whichever four teams make it to the playoffs will definitely be battle tested,” Rogers said.
Thomas County Central’s 2024 Football Schedule
Thomas County Central will open up the defense of their state championship at home against Monroe of Albany, Georgia, on Aug. 16, followed by Cairo the next week on Aug. 23. Week 3 will see Tallahassee powerhouse Florida High visit the Jackets’ Nest.
The first road trip of the year will take the Yellow Jackets about a mile down the road to Veterans Stadium to face their crosstown rivals, the Bulldogs of Thomasville High School.
Thomas County Central’s region schedule includes a game against two-time state champion Lee County and ends with a trip to Douglas to close the regular season against fellow defending state champion Coffee.
“We are fortunate to have three natural rivals in Thomasville, Bainbridge, and Cairo,” Rogers said about Thomas County Central’s schedule. “We bought out Monroe and Florida High for the two years, and Florida High will bring in a very talented roster to give us a great test.”
Key Players Returning for Thomas County Central in 2024
Rogers acknowledged that the offense is thin as far as returning starters from last year.
“Our QB, Jaylen Johnson, is the only starter returning on offense,” Rogers said. “And on defense we will have safety Kendarius Reddick and DE Cam Brooks back.”
Having Johnson back for his junior season to run the offense again is huge for the Yellow Jackets. He threw for right at 1,800 yards last year with 19 TDs against just six interceptions. He also ran for nine TDs.
Don’t overlook kicker Drew Reneau, who will be back for his senior season in 2024. Reneau came up huge last season, hitting 11 of 15 field goals, including the game-winner at Rome’s Barron Stadium late in the state playoffs.
