And we’re off! From now until basically Christmas, it’s all about football. But as someone who travels as much as I do and reads as many different sources as I do, I learn to appreciate the new pronunciation- FOOTBAW!!! (A tip of the hat to Spencer Hall from EDSBS for that one as it should be said in your favorite Ed Orgeron voice from this moment forward…) But, we did have a lot of action over the weekend and some statements were made. Columbus and Jordan played for the first time after a two-year break in a rivalry that goes back over a century… Friends of GPB, Dave and Kim, start their look with that match-up: In Central Georgia, North Cobb has one of the toughest non-region schedules around for QB Tyler Queen’s senior season before he heads to the Plains. They started off with a match-up against Northside-Warner Robins at McConnell-Talbert. Wes and MJ2 have the highlights ((HT: WMAZ-TV))Here’s how much of a clamp-down it was in Warner Robins, thanks to our friends at the GHSF Daily: Northside put up 499 yards in total offense and controlled the ball for 31:40 of 48 minutes. RB Willie Jordan rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries. QB Tobias Oliver was 6-for-8 passing for 112 yards and rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown. North Cobb QB Tyler Queen, a preseason all-state pick and Auburn pledge, was 9-of-30 passing for 264 yards and three touchdowns. That’s a big statement early from the Eagles and head coach Kevin Kinsler… Dear reader, it’s now your turn. What match-ups are you looking forward to this week? Non-region, in between-states, backyard brawls? Let me know what you’re looking for from this week. And don’t forget: Our “Football Fridays in Georgia” coverage starts this week with Archer and Peachtree Ridge from the Lions Den. The “All-Access Pass” pre-game show starts at 7 with kickoff around 7:38 or so. Follow along all season long on GPB-TV, GPB.org, or, for those of you who like to do it this way, download our GPB Sports app for all the scores you need from all around the state. Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a fast ride from here on out. Your inspirational speech for this week is below.

Play it safe, everyone. I’ll see you Friday night.