Our Game of the Week takes us to The Burial Grounds for the third time in 2026, as the Indians and Franklin County put a bow on the box of the ’26 season.

LUMPKIN COUNTY

By most measures, this team has exceeded expectations. After graduating so much key talent the past two seasons, we all knew the culture and foundation was solid. But some key defensive players Gannon Melanson and Calloway Kingsbury, the QB play of Kolson Howell, and the emergence at RB by Joseph Alvarez have all sped up the timeline for the Indians. Lumpkin is pretty much a lock for the playoffs with six wins, but a seventh over Franklin in the season finale goes a long way in the seeding.
KEEP AN EYE ON (Next Level Prospects): Mac Powell (’27 TE), Martin Hulsey (’28 WR), Rylan Armstrong (’27 OL – Mercer)

FRANKLIN COUNTY

The Lions started out red-hot at 3-0. Then came a stretch of four straight losses, mostly against stiff competition. Now at 4-5 heading into the finale, star QB Knox Whitworth and brother/WR Jett Whitworth are hoping to earn a HUGE win that will both put them at .500 and also MAYBE sneak them into the playoffs. The PSR currently has Franklin just outside the top 32. Franklin has suffered some setbacks with injuries to key players, notably RB Carson Cheek. He’s back knowing this could be his final game, while Jett is officially out for this one as well but could return if they make the playoffs.
KEEP AN EYE ON (Next Level Prospects): Kennan Burtch (’27 3* OL – 20 Offers), Elliott Harbin (’28 LB), Jett Whitworth (’28 WR)

BY THE NUMBERS

LUMPKIN COUNTY

• 6-3 (2-3 IN 8-AAA)
• Region Standings: 5th
• 31.1 OFFENSE AVG
• 26.7 DEFENSE AVG
• N/A State Ranking

FRANKLIN COUNTY

• 4-5 (1-4 IN 8-AAA)
• Region Standings: 6th
• 28.2 OFFENSE AVG
• 29.4 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 and Franklin 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. To win this game, the Indians need another big performance from Joseph Alvarez/the RBs. The passing certainly will open up, and at that point, the most mobile QB in our area (Kolson Howell) has a chance to wreak havoc all over the field. He’ll be able to run at will, hand it off to Alvarez, or find big-time targets Martin Hulsey and Mac Powell. The Lions’ path to a victory also hinges on the run game. Knox Whitworth won’t have brother Jett to throw to in this game, but if Carson Cheek has a big game running the ball, all of a sudden it could be a shootout. Might come down to who has the ball last. OFFICIAL PICK

DO WE BRING LUCK?

For Lumpkin County, the Indians are 9-17-1 in the 27 all-time games we’ve been to, but this season they are 1-0-1. Meanwhile, in the four games we’ve seen for Franklin County, the Lions are 2-2.

DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP

TIME: 7:30 PM
PLACE: Lumpkin County HS / The Burial Grounds / Dahlonega, GA
LAST MEETING: 2023: #6 Lumpkin County 47, Franklin County 7
ALL-TIME RECORD: The series is tied all-time at 4-4
RECORDS: Lumpkin County Indians (6-3) vs Franklin County Lions (4-5)
HEAD COACHES: Heath Webb (100-83; 17 Seasons); Chuck Holland (15-25; 4 Seasons)

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

Lumpkin and Franklin are 4-4 in the all-time series. The first game came in 2010, a 24-14 win for the Indians. The Lions won the next one in 2011, then it returned to Lumpkin with an Indians’ win in 2014. Franklin County won the next three in 2015, 2020, 2021. In the last two, the Indians have won by a combined 95-7 in 2022 and 2023.

TEAM LEADERS (2026 Stats)

*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps

LUMPKIN COUNTY INDIANS

PASSING
Kolson Howell – 1,319 yds, 8 TD, 4 INT, 62% passing

RUSHING
Joseph Alvarez – 813 yds, 11 TD
Kolson Howell – 712 yds, 14 TD
Weston Veater – 377 yds, 5 TD
Xander Dorsey – 296 yds, 1 TD

RECEIVING
Mac Powell – 587 yds, 5 TD, 44 rec
Martin Hulsey – 479 yds, 1 TD, 34 rec
Joseph Alvarez – 135 yds, 2 TD, 6 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Gannon Melanson – 81 TKL, 6 TFL
Calloway Kingsbury – 60 TKL, 2 TFL
Cohen Carden – 46 TKL, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 1 FR
Weston Veater – 46 TKL
Xander Dorsey – 40 TKL, 2.5 TFL, 2 INT, 1 FR
Caleb Soles – 39 TKL, 4 TFL, 2 Sacks
Grayson Coker – 34 TKL, 4.5 TFL, 2 Sacks

FRANKLIN COUNTY LIONS (some partial published stats)

PASSING
Knox Whitworth – 1,594 yds, 14 TD, 6 INT, 63% passing

RUSHING
Carson Cheek – 385 yds, 7 TD
Knox Whitworth – 327 yds, 5 TD
Elliott Harbin – 184 yds, 1 TD
Gavin Wells – 147 yds, 1 TD

RECEIVING
Jett Whitworth – 788 yds, 6 TD, 46 rec
Gavin Wells – 217 yds, 2 TD, 12 rec
Elliott Harbin – 88 yds, 0 TD, 8 rec

DEFENSIVE LEADERS
*No Published Stats

Elliott Harbin (75 TKL), Jett Whitworth (42 TKL, 1 INT) top defensive players