For the first time on GPB Sports Football Fridays in Georgia we bring you the Battle of Powder Springs as the 10th-ranked Hillgrove Hawks (7-0, 4-0) play host to the fifth-ranked McEachern Indians (7-0, 4-0). Not only is this a huge Region 3-6A showdown but this is also an incredibly intense neighborhood rivalry. 

Join us for all the action from Cobb Energy Hillgrove Stadium tonight starting at 7:30 p.m. on GPB-TV Georgia Public Broadcasting.

These two schools are separated by only three miles and Hillgrove came into being back in 2006 when it opened as an offshoot of McEachern. It’s almost like a big brother, little brother rivalry and maybe why the two sides, players, students and fans alike, aren’t too fond of each other. Coach Kareem Reid, who is in his third season with the Indians, says it’s a bitter rivalry “more than he ever knew” and that even churches divide along rivalry lines.

 This will be the 16th all-time meeting with the Hawks leading the series 8-7, including a 30-23 win at Cantrell Stadium last season. The last time they played at Hillgrove the Hawks eked out a 16-15 victory in 2022. 

Both of these teams are in the midst of significant turnarounds that have returned these programs to a more familiar state-contender status. After going 13-10 in Coach Reid’s first two seasons. McEachern has started the season 7-0 for the first time since 2019 when the Indians went 12-1 and reached the state quarterfinals. A win for the Indians tonight would put them firmly in the driver’s seat to win the region championship for the fourth time in seven seasons. 

The ascent of Hillgrove has been even more dramatic. After going 7-24, 2-11 in the region in Coach Justin DeShon’s first three seasons, the Hawks have gone 18-2, 10-1 in the region the last two seasons and reached the state quarterfinals in 2024 for the fifth time in program history but first since 2018. 

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A win for Hillgrove tonight won’t necessarily put the Hawks in the driver’s seat to win their first region title since that aforementioned 2018 season but they will control their own destiny with another big game at Harrison (6-1, 3-1) next Friday. The Hoyas beat the Hawks last season after Hillgrove’s big road win at McEachern.

These two teams are loaded with college football prospects and even more so on the McEachern side, boasting 11 players with FBS offers compared to three for the Hawks. But Hillgrove isn’t without bragging rights. The Hawks have seven alumni currently playing in the NFL, more than any other public school program in the country, guys like Dolphins OLB Bradley Chubb, Broncos TE Evan Engram, Bengals DE Myles Murphy, Titans TE Chig Okonkwo, and Rams Safety Jaylen McCollough, who’s brother Jameson is a star linebacker and dad Eriles an assistant coach at Hillgrove. 

So should be a lot of fun! That’s the game preview. Now here’s the Top Prospects to Watch.

McEachern Prospects

Nalin Scott, McEachern

Nalin Scott, McEachern

Credit: 247 Sports

#2 Nalin Scott – 6-3, 211, Senior – 4-Star WR 2026 – Committed to Nebraska over 33 other offers including Georgia and Georgia Tech

#6 Casey Barner – 5-11, 192, Sophomore – 5-Star rated as high as No. 1 SAF 2028 – 30 offers including Georgia, Nebraska, and Tennessee 

#1 Darryl Rivers – 6-5, 270, Senior – Consensus 3-Star DL – Committed to Tennessee over 19 other offers including Georgia Tech and Georgia 

#10 Jayreon Campbell – 5-9, 206, Senior – Consensus 3-Star RB – Committed to Indiana over 30 other offers including Ole Miss and Georgia

#24 Nash Johnson – 6-1, 170, Junior – 3-Star CB 2027 – Committed to Alabama over 20 other offers including Georgia Tech and Georgia

#4 Zakir Abdul-Salaam – 6-3, 230, Senior – 3-Star Edge 2026 (Plays DE for Indians) - Committed to Kennesaw State over 26 other offers including Georgia Tech and Jacksonville State

#9 Jacorey Shockley – 6-2, 165, Freshman WR – Eight offers including Georgia State, USF, and Purdue

#20 Kayden Battle – 5-11, 174, Junior CB – Six offers including Georgia Southern, Georgia State and USF

#50 Jourdin Pettaway – 6-3, 319, Senior IOL (Plays LT for Indians) – Committed to West Georgia over 4 other offers 

#21 Ty Nolan – 6-1, 200, Freshman RB – Five offers including Ole Miss, UConn, and Georgia State

#4 Henry Pullen – 6-0, 203 Senior RB – Offered by Jacksonville State and Shorter

#3 Kiyante Ingram – 5-11, 178, Senior SAF – Offered by Wagner 

#8 Brayden Matthews – 6-0, 207, Senior LB – Committed to Jacksonville State

 Hillgrove Prospects

Chris Carbin, Hillgrove

Chris Carbin, Hillgrove

Credit: 247 Sports

#2 Chris Carbin – 6-4, 240, Senior – Consensus 3-Star Edge 2026 (Plays OLB for the Hawks) – 37 offers including Georgia Tech and Florida State – Decommitted from the Yellow Jackets Oct. 5 – Took Official Visit to Florida State October 11th and has OV scheduled for Auburn and Michigan 

#54 Anthony Cater – 6-3, 275, Senior – 3-Star IOL 2026 (Plays RG for Hawks) – Committed to Kennesaw State

#8 Jameson McCollough – 6-0, 225, Senior LB – Committed to Jacksonville State over 14 other offers including Georgia State

#55 Tyler Worley – 6-1, 255, Senior DL – Offered by Charleston Southern and Gardner-Webb

#21 Jaiden James – 5-10, 180, Senior CB – Offered by Clark Atlanta and Shorter

#1 Donovan Mack – 5-11, 175, Senior QB – Offers include Reinhardt

#62 Isiah Marbury – 6-1, 235, Senior DE – Offers include Berry

#7 Carter Rose – 5-11, 180, Senior DL – Offers include Berry

#3 Tyler Galardo – 5-10, 180, Senior SAF – Offers include Millsaps

#74 Pierce Wood – 6-2, 225, Senior LT – Offered by Reinhardt

#10 Sidney Montgomery – 6-1, 185, Senior WR – Offered by Reinhardt

#9 Carter Genchi – 5-10, 165, Senior – Kohl’s Kicking 5-Star No. 13 Kicker 2026 – Chris Sailer Kicking rated No. 4 Kicker 2026 and overall No. 6 in the country - Recruited by Memphis, FAU, and Texas A&MJ

Join Wayne Gandy, Jon Nelson and me for our Emmy Award-winning Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week as the McEachern Indians play at the Hillgrove Hawks. 

Remember, there are many ways you can watch Football Fridays in Georgia. Traditional TV (GPB), online at GPB.org, GPB Sports app, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Twitch. 

Now if you miss the game live or just want to watch it again, don’t worry, we replay the entire Football Fridays in Georgia Game of the Week at 11:15 p.m. or you can watch it on demand anytime at GPB.org. 

Enjoy your Oct. 17, 2025, Football Friday in Georgia.