Winnersville Classic to feature two 8-1 teams in Lowndes and Valdosta

The longstanding rivalry between the South Georgia schools is already sold out

Valdosta High School enters the 2024 football season with the most wins in U.S. history. / Zach Edmondson, SBLive

The hottest ticket in the state of Georgia this Friday night will be down in Valdosta when the Lowndes Vikings host their crosstown rivals, the Valdosta Wildcats, in a game that sees that stakes higher than in year's past.

Between the two storied programs, they've combined to win a total of 29 state championships and are setting their sights on winning one this winter because of the trajectory of each respective school.

Not to mention this year's edition is already sold out to fans and it's not even 'Hump Day' portion of the week.

When you look at where this game was last season, the Vikings were just hoping to get to the .500 mark awhile the Wildcats were prepping for a playoff run. This time around, however, both schools will be planning to prepare for postseason runs.

Adam Carter, in his third season coaching Lowndes, came to the school with major expectations and in his first two campaigns, was trying to get the program turned around. Going through multiple seasons falling below .500, it seemed like an important 2024 campaign for Carter and the Vikings based on what the Wildcats across the street have been building.

Lowndes (8-1) has responded this season with impressive win after impressive win, with their lone loss being a Oct. 4th 38-35 decision to Colquitt County. Other than that, the Vikings have really proven themselves to being one of the better clubs in Class 6A.

Sophomore quarterback Jayce Johnson has done a splendid job under center for Carter through nine games, completing 92-of-134 passes for 1,374 yards, 14 touchdowns and just a mere two interceptions. Right next to Johnson is a pair of running backs that have really fueled the offense on a weekly basis in seniors Marvis Parrish (682 yards, 15 touchdowns) and Aalim Brown (571 yards, seven touchdowns).

Valdosta (8-1), who holds the upper hand in the all-time series 38-23, limps into the game after suffering its first loss of the season a couple weeks ago to Richmond Hill, 35-14, and barely edging out Tift County, 14-7. It's been a tough stretch of games as of late for the Wildcats after they got off to a hot start to the season, which included victories over Jesuit (Florida), Camden County and South Gwinnett.

The Wildcats will need a big game from senior signal caller Todd Robinson, who has thrown for 1,489 yards, 15 touchdowns and also rushed for 434 on the ground and 10 scores. Running back Marquis Fennell has been the go-to-back as of late, with the sophomore so far rushing for 672 yards and scoring seven times.

When looking at the way these two teams have been playing as of late, the trajectories have been good heading into the 6A postseason upcoming, but clear on who has been better lately.

It would be a nice jolt for whomever could pull off a win at the 'Concrete Palace' as the playoffs are right around the corner.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivega