Fayette County Tigers (0-1) vs. Houston County Bears (1-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Coming off their first loss since 2006, Fayette faces a Houston County squad that crushed Groves 41-0 in its season opener last week. It was a sign of progress for Houston County, which won only one game last season. But Fayette should pose a stiffer challenge this week for Houston County, which is under the direction of a new head coach, Greg Robinson. Fayette features one of the top running backs in the area in Tim Pettaway and a defense that has seven returning starters, including active linebacker Evan Reid.

Houston County has a dangerous offense led by quarterback Jeff Thompson, who threw for 1,223 yards and six touchdowns last season, and all-state wide receiver Craig Presley, who caught 35 passes for 637 yards and five touchdowns last season. And its defense is experienced; seven starters return.

“Houston County can run the football, and their defense is stout,” Fayette coach Tommy Webb said. “It’s going to be a big test for us. We still have a lot of learning to do, and we have to make some changes for our next game.”

McIntosh Chiefs (1-0) at Newton Rams (0-1), Saturday, 7 p.m.

Excitement is high at McIntosh after the Chiefs defeated Forsyth Central 28-7 in their season opener. It was the most points scored by McIntosh since a 61-35 loss to Fayette County in 2006. It will be interesting to see if first-year starting quarterback Cam Porter, a sophomore, can come close to repeating last week’s 249-yard, three-touchdown passing performance. Also, McIntosh’s defense will be looking to duplicate its impressive first-game performance, in which it held Stockbridge to 180 yards of total offense.

Newton lost a hard-fought game to Alcovy last week, 3-0. Newton’s last winning season was back in 2003.

This could be the perfect week for McIntosh to continue to build momentum and pick up their second win in as many weeks.

“This week is another opportunity for us to step forward,” Griffin said. “We are looking to show improvement.”

Sandy Creek Patriots (1-0) vs. Shaw Raiders (0-1), Friday, 7:30 p.m.

The ninth-ranked Raiders have had double-digit wins six straight seasons, and they have gone 4-0 against Creek. Fourteen returning starters (nine on offense, five on defense) return for a Shaw team that lost only two games last season, both of which were against the teams that played for the Class AAA state championship last season, Carver, Columbus and Cairo.

“Shaw is a very good football team,” Creek coach Chip Walker said. “They are very athletic."

Shaw’s Kyle Griswould will be one of the top running backs Creek faces all season. Griswould, a senior, ran for 1,319 yards and had 466 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns last season. Creek linebacker Matt Solomon, defensive end Brandon Putnam, defensive tackle James Hervey and safety Russell Bonner will do their best to slow down Griswould and Shaw’s spread offense.

Shaw’s experienced linebacker corps is another team strength. Wilson Davenport, a senior, led Shaw with 106 tackles and three forced fumbles last season. He is flanked by two other seniors, Wilson Davenport and Marquarious Cherit. They will have their hands full with a Creek offense that features talent at the skill positions — quarterback Rio Johnson, running back Ragion Neal and wide receiver Devon Hughes, among others — and a big, experienced offensive line.

Starr’s Mill Panthers (0-1) at Villa Rica Wildcats (1-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Villa Rica has moved up a classification, from Class AAA to AAAA. Not helping the transition is the fact that the Wildcats lost 13 starters to graduation. But that didn’t appear to pose a problem last week for Villa Rica, which pounded Central, Carroll 34-0. Starr’s Mill has an advantage in that it has had two weeks to prepare for Villa Rica and attempt to solve some issues that popped up in a season-opening loss to Etowah.

A key matchup will be Starr’s Mill’s inexperienced offensive line against Villa Rica’s strength, its defensive line, which includes Omar McLendon, who had four sacks, nine tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries in 2007.

If quarterback Myles Jaye is given enough time to pass to his talented receiving corps, led by Terrell Tripp, Starr’s Mill’s offense will likely be productive. Starr’s Mill’s defense must play better than it did in the season opener for the Panthers to record their first victory, as well.

Whitewater Wildcats (1-0) vs. Upson-Lee Knights (0-1), Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Upson-Lee has one of the most dynamic running back tandems in the state in Phillip Searcy and Dare Coker. Searcy rushed for 1,245 yards in 10 games last season, the highest-per-game average of any GHSA running back in Middle Georgia. Coker rushed for 775 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Whitewater linebackers Zac Mann and Davis Knowles will be asked to stop Upson-Lee’s one-two punch.

Whitewater has a talented stable of running backs of its own, including speedsters Thomas Frierson, who is coming off a two-touchdown game, and Austin Faulkner. And Whitewater quarterback Chase Penland stood out in his first career varsity start last week, completing 10 of 15 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown.

Landmark Christian War Eagles (0-1) at Warren County Screaming Devils (1-0), Thursday, 7:30 p.m.

With or without star quarterback Tanner Bryant, who suffered a back injury before the regular season, this should be a tough game for Landmark. Warren County’s offense lacks experience — only three starters return — but it has a fast backfield that includes running back Coby Reynolds, who averaged 9.8 yards per carry as a freshman last season.

Preseason all-state linebacker Andrew Glaize and the rest of Landmark’s defense will have their hands full.

Defensively, Warren County has six returning starters, including linebacker Johnathan Lewis, who had 91 tackles last season. Landmark running back Blake Wyatt, quarterback Carson Barnett and Glaize will look to build a much-needed early lead against the Screaming Blue Devils.