Our first Game of the Week of the regular season gives us a return trip to Dahlonega (where we saw the Indians take on Habersham in a scrimmage). This time, Lumpkin County takes on rivals Dawson County in a very intense non-region Week 1 contest!

LUMPKIN COUNTY

The Indians got a FULL game instead of a partial one in their scrimmage against Habersham Central. One thing that was noticeable was the grit and determination after going down 28-0 and never giving up. Coach Heath Webb gave his team some major momentum and motivation by keeping the starters in to experience a comeback. It was a 28-28 tie. The junior group, spearheaded by Kolson Howell (QB), Martin Hulsey (WR), and Joseph Alvarez (RB), and Micah Popko (WR/CB) are the future and the now. Mac Powell is a SR, along with Weston Veater and Xander Dorsey that this team will lean on. None more so than quite literally lean on Mercer commit Rylan Armstrong on the line. This is a solid team, and well coached. The staff includes one of our favorites – Brian Allison (former head coach of Union County and East Forsyth).

DAWSON COUNTY

The Tigers took some growing pains last year with a very young team in Jayob Shaw’s first season over the program. A QB change late in the season from Gunnar Weaver to Brody Sorensen gave Dawson a new look. Both are back this season, as Sorensen is QB1 going into his junior year, and Weaver moving to WR as a senior. Star RB Cody McBrayer is a senior now, and could have a Player of the Year type of stat line if he stays healthy. Look out for Aden Bannister to play a larger role this season, along with Cash Watkins. Josiah Holtzclaw, Jayden Cohen, and Avery Martin are the leading players on defense that return. Additionally, despite a small sample size last year as a freshman, Charles Yarbrough really impressed and could be due in for a true breakout season.

BY THE NUMBERS

LUMPKIN COUNTY

• 0-0 (0-0 IN 8-AAA)
• Region Standings: 1st
• 0.0 OFFENSE AVG
• 0.0 DEFENSE AVG
• N/A State Ranking

DAWSON COUNTY

• 0-0 (0-0 IN 6-AAAA)
• Region Standings: 1st
• 0.0 OFFENSE AVG
• 0.0 DEFENSE AVG
• N/A State Ranking

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GAME HIGHLIGHTS

Be looking for highlights post-game later tonight as well as a story recapping the contest. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get Lumpkin County and Dawson County coverage on the big market show! You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (5G pending).

OUR PREDICTION

We typically make a case for both, with our official pick linked below. Let’s begin with the Indians. The second half against Habersham showed the grittiness that defines this team. The quick passes out to Martin Hulsey and Mac Powell are a fantastic way to nickel and dime your way upfield, and if Joseph Alvarez can produce five yards per tote to go with that, Lumpkin has a great chance to bleed the clock and keep the ball in their hands. If they do that and the defense can limit the big pass plays, they can win this at home. Meanwhile, the Tigers have been looking forward to this meeting for quite some time. Dawson County is anxious and have a chance to make a statement here early on – and on the road no less. The key is going to be if Cody McBrayer is going to be a full go (he missed the scrimmage). Brody Sorensen is a superb athlete at QB, so there are no questions about his ability to extend a play when needed and make the right decision. If he can develop a good rapport with Gunnar Weaver and Cash Watkins early on, that will put pressure on the Lumpkin defense. If Sorensen throws for three TD passes, that’s a great sign that the Tigers will win this one. OFFICIAL PICK

DO WE BRING LUCK?

For Lumpkin County, the Indians have gone 8-17-1 overall in our 26 games covering them. Meanwhile, Dawson County has gone 13-9 in the 22 we’ve been to for the Tigers.

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 7:30 PM
PLACE: Lumpkin County HS – The Burial Grounds at Lynn Cottrell Stadium / Dahlonega, GA
LAST MEETING: 2025: Dawson County 31, Lumpkin County 14
ALL-TIME RECORD: Dawson County leads the series 25-21-2
RECORDS: Lumpkin County Indians (0-0) vs Dawson County Tigers (0-0)
HEAD COACHES: Heath Webb (94-80; 17 Seasons); Jaybo Shaw (58-27; 8 Seasons)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

This is such a great rivalry! After spending the last several years in the same classification and fighting for region titles, they’re not in the same region anymore. However, they honor the tradition with a non-region game. Which is great. Of all the opponents Dawson County has ever played, the 49 games against Lumpkin is 12 more than any other opponent they’ve played. For Lumpkin, only their matchup with White County (57) spans more games. This rivalry dates back to 1968, in which Lumpkin won 21-20 to open the series. The Indians won the first nine matchups through 1982. Dawson then won seven of the next 10. From 1993-2014 (18 games), Dawson went 9-8-1 to edge out Lumpkin. Then the Tigers reeled off wins in eight straight from 2015-2022. Lumpkin reclaimed the edge in 2023 and 2024 with back-to-back wins before Dawson County won last year’s matchup just before Halloween. The coaches have squared off just that one time so far.

TEAM LEADERS (2025 Stats)

*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps

LUMPKIN COUNTY INDIANS (Returning Players Only)

PASSING
Kolson Howell – 0 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT, 0% completion

RUSHING
Caleb Yorkey – 118 yds, 1 TD, 9.8 YPC
Joseph Alvarez – 44 yds, 1 TD, 22.0 YPC
Kolson Howell – 14 yds, 1 TD, 4.7 YPC

RECEIVING
MacLane Powell – 542 yds, 4 TD, 43 rec
Martin Hulsey – 513 yds, 6 TD, 48 rec
Conner Parker – 83 yds, 0 TD, 9 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Weston Veater – 49 TKL, 3 TFL, 2 Sacks
Kolson Howell – 45 TKL, 2 TFL, 2 INT, 1 FR
Xavier Dorsey – 42 TKL, 2 TFL, 1 FR
Luke Nichols – 24 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 FR
Micah Popko – 22 TKL, 1 TFL, 2 INT

DAWSON COUNTY (Returning Players Only)

PASSING
Gunnar Weaver – 1,206 yds, 6 TD, 3 INT, 62% completion
Brody Sorensen – 518 yds, 2 TD, 0 TD, 64% completion (Starter)

RUSHING
Cody McBrayer – 1,162 yds, 13 TD
Gunnar Weaver – 220 yds, 7 TD
Brody Sorensen – 88 yds, 3 TD
Aden Bannister – 83 yds, 0 TD

RECEIVING
Brody Sorensen – 228 yds, 2 TD, 14 rec
Cash Watkins – 131 yds, 1 TD, 15 rec
Gunnar Weaver – 91 yds, 0 TD, 6 rec
Cody McBrayer – 91 yds, 0 TD, 10 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Josiah Holtzclaw – 66 TKL, 0.5 Sacks
Jayden Cohen – 57 TKL, 3 TFL, 2 INT
Aden Bannister – 35 TKL, 2 TFL
Avery Martin – 34 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 1 FF
Charles Yarbrough – 15 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 INT