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.
This week we take a look at the changes awaiting the Coffee Trojans and the Perry Panthers. Both teams won their first ever football state championships in 2023, and both teams will be looking to defend those state titles in 2024.
A New Region and Classification Await Coffee in 2024
The defending state champion of Class 5A, Coffee will move to the “new” Class 5A beginning with the 2024 football season. With the elimination of Class 7A, Class 6A will now be the state’s largest classification, making Class 5A the second largest.
Coffee will also now be a member of Region 2-5A, which may just become the toughest region in the state from top to bottom.
In addition to Coffee, the region will consist of three other teams that have all won state championships within the last decade: Thomas County Central, who won the Class 6A state title in 2023; Lee County, who won the Class 6A state title in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018; and Northside (Warner Robins), who won the Class 5A state title in 2014, their third overall.
Houston County and Veterans make up the rest of the six-team region.
Coffee to Face Defending State Champions From Georgia and Florida in 2024
Coffee opens the 2024 season on the road at Centennial Stadium in Bainbridge against the Bearcats on Aug. 16 before returning home to host the Ware County Gators in Week 2.
The Trojans then have three consecutive home games against Florida teams, one of which is Florida Class 3S 2023 state champion Mainland from Daytona Beach. Mainland will visit Douglas to play Coffee at the halfway-point of the regular season on Sept. 20. Prior to that game, Coffee hosts Columbia from Lake City and Gadsden County.
Coffee then opens their region schedule at home against Northside (Warner Robins) before hitting the road again to play Lee County in Leesburg. Coffee returns home for region games against Houston County and Veterans before ending the regular season at Thomas County Central, who is the Class 6A defending state champion.
Key Players Returning for Coffee in 2024
Starting running back Tyrese Hansley will return to take over the primary rushing duties from ITG Next 2023 Offensive Player of the Year Fred Brown, who has graduated.
Coffee head football coach Mike Coe said that KJ DeBruce, Tyrese Woodgett, and Travis Adams will also make an impact on the rushing attack in 2024.
“Hansley will be the hammer, and the other three can fly,” Coe said.
Coe is especially pleased to have Woodgett returning to the team after missing last season.
“Getting Woodgett back is huge,” Coe said. “Great return man and legit 4.4 speed.”
Other key returners are wide receivers Bray Coe and James Jarrard; offensive linemen Tico Smith, Jaydon Vester, Kyler Smith, and Jaylon Simpkins; defensive lineman Iverson Gifford; and linebackers Chris Reed and Jy Carter.
Coffee Head Football Coach Mike Coe on the 2024 Season
“There are definitely no easy ones on our schedule this year, but the only way to get better is to play the best, and we always want to be in that conversation,” Coe said.
Regarding the Florida opponents, Coe said: “I’ve always played Columbia Lake City (when Coe was the head coach at Madison), and they will provide great competition early in the season. Mainland is well respected, and I thought by scheduling them it would create a great buzz here in Georgia and in Florida.”
Coe said he is concerned about the overall depth of his team and, because of that, sustaining injuries.
“Hopefully we can stay healthy and make a run into the playoffs,” Coe said.
Construction of a new indoor practice facility is expected to be completed by the summer of 2024.
A Challenging Schedule and Region for Perry in 2024
After winning their first state championship last season, Perry will remain a Class 4A team but will move to a new region with all new region foes.
Four of the six region teams have won a state title in the last three seasons: Perry in 2023, Benedictine in 2022, Ware County in 2022, and Warner Robins in 2021. The Demons actually played for the Class 5A state title in 2022, losing to Ware County.
Perry’s 2024 Schedule
Perry opens the defense of their state championship against the Baldwin Braves on Aug. 17 at Fort Valley State.
They then return home to face Peach County and Houston County before traveling to Freedom Field to take on Veterans. Their final non-region game will be at home against East Coweta before hosting their region-opener against New Hampstead.
The remaining schedule has Perry facing three of their final four region foes on the road as they travel to Wayne County, Benedictine, and Warner Robins
Key Players Returning for Perry in 2024
Perry will return six offensive starters and five from last year’s defense.
Despite losing starting quarterback Colter Ginn, Perry head football coach Kevin Smith said the team will have senior Cullen McDaniel and junior Reid Ginn competing for the starting QB job in 2024.
“Cullen filled in for Colter this past year when he got hurt, and Cullen did a great job,” Smith said.
Perry Head Football Coach Kevin Smith on the 2024 Season
Smith said that replacing his QB and two cornerbacks are the main concerns heading into 2024, but that he also likes having many of the contributors to last season’s state championship team returning this year.
“We have a good core of guys back that played and stepped in and contributed last year,” Smith said. “That will be a strength for us this year.”
