The winner of this week’s North Cobb contest at North Paulding will have a leg up in the race to win the Region 5-6A championship – and it will be broadcast on GPB-TV. The game is featured on this week’s Football Fridays in Georgia.

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North Cobb (3-2) bounced back from an upset loss to Cass to hammer Walton 41-7 on Friday. The Warriors have been the class of the region, winning the title in four of the last five seasons and posting double-digit wins in three of those years.

North Paulding (4-1) has won two straight since falling to unbeaten Harrison. The Wolfpack outscored Cherokee 59-43 last week in the region opener. North Paulding is chasing its first region championship since 2022.

North Cobb leads the series 6-3 and has won the last five meetings, including 42-18 a year ago.

Benedictine at Westminster: Two of the team’s most accomplished private schools compete in a game that will be streamed on GPB.org.

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Benedictine (1-2) is ranked No. 8 in Class 4A despite losses to a pair of powers from Class 6A – No. 2 Buford and No. 9 Colquitt County. The Cadets had last week off after beating Burke County 41-0.

Westminster (2-3) has lost three straight since opening the season with wins over rivals Lovett and Pace Academy. The Wildcats are coached  by Nelson Stewart, who compiled a championship resume in Louisiana before taking when Gerry Romberg retired.

Benedictine leads the series 3-0 and won last year’s game 31-3.

Southwest DeKalb at St. Pius: This is an important contest in Region 5-4A, with the loser facing an uphill battle to win the regular-season championship.

Southwest DeKalb (3-1, 2-0) has won three in a row since dropping its season opener against Class 2A No. 6 Carver-Atlanta. The Panthers beat North Springs 49-0 last week. St. Pius (4-0, 2-0) rolled past Druid Hills 38-6 last week.

St. Pius leads the all-time series 7-0 and prevailed 28-27 in overtime in 2024.

Northeast at ACE Charter: Teams continue to scramble for position in the deep, competitive Region 2-ADI. Northeast (3-1, 3-0) has won three in a row since the season-opening loss to Peach County. ACE Charter (4-0, 3-0) is coming off a 44-19 win over Wilkinson County.

Northeast leads the series 3-0 and won last year’s game 46-0.

Fitzgerald at Worth County: No. 1-ranked Worth County (4-0) should get tested this week when they host Fitzgerald (2-1) in a key early contest in Region 1-AD1. Fitzgerald has won 11 straight games against Worth.

Worth has been overpowering, averaging 41.7 points on offense and 6.3 on defense, which includes three shutouts. The Rams did not play last week after blitzing Brooks County 44-25. Fitzgerald (2-1) will try to bounce back after dropping a 21-3 decision to Brooks.

The old series began in 1962 and Fitzgerald holds a 21-10 edge. The teams met twice last year, with Fitzgerald winning 28-21 in the regular season and 42-38in the state quarterfinals.