Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic Returning To Rome

The beginning of any high school football season is full of anticipation, but being a part of a prestigious early-season event makes the stakes even higher.

The Corky Kell-Dave Hunter Classic has evolved into the most significant season-opening high school event in Georgia, if not the country. Founded in 1992, the 33rd edition this year will feature 22 teams across the state playing at five sites across four days, including games next Friday, Aug. 16 at Rome’s Barron Stadium.

Two Classic kickoff luncheons were held this week, Monday in Marietta and Tuesday at the Forum in Rome. Organizers said the partnership with Rome and Floyd County has been beneficial to all parties involved.

“We are very excited to be back in Rome again. This is a special place, a fabulous city, and a great haven for high school football,” said IJ Rosenberg, the executive director of the Classic and president of Score Atlanta. “This is our 33rd year of the Corky Kell-Dave Hunter Classic, and it’s been important for us to cover more than just the metro Atlanta area and to broaden the reach of the event. Rome is a great host, and Barron Stadium is a great place to play. The atmosphere last year when Rome and Cass played was just tremendous. We appreciate the city, the county, our corporate sponsors, and the community for making this such a great event. We’re proud to be here.”

One of the anchor sponsors of the Classic (along with the Georgia National Guard) is Sports Turf, which helps schools and municipalities all over the Southeast with playing surfaces and athletic facilities.

“Events like this enable us to forge more close relationships with coaches, schools and communities,” said Megan Brown, director of marketing for Sports Turf. “It’s a great way to make connections and find out ways to meet their needs with our new technology and our synthetic and natural field products. What we’ve seen over the years is that more fields are becoming multi-purpose facilities, and we’re able to make their playing surfaces more sustainable.”

Rome High School will be a host site once again this year, with Cass and Callaway playing at 5 p.m. at Barron Stadium on Friday, Aug. 16. Following that game, the Rome Wolves will kick off against Creekside at Barron at 8 p.m.

Both Rome and Creekside made deep playoff runs last year, with the Wolves reaching the quarterfinals in Class AAAAAA and Creekside making the state title game in Class AAAAA.

“What’s unique about an event like this is the focus it brings to your team, knowing the great challenge you have right away,” said Rome head coach John Reid. “It’s tremendous for our school and our fans and our players, having that opening game televised all across the state and playing such great teams in that first week. We kind of have a tradition now of being a part of something like this, and it’s part of the expectations we have in our program. Our kids work extremely hard, and we know that being a part of the Classic is a huge deal.”

The Corky Kell-Dave Hunter Classic will open Wednesday, Aug. 14, with the Kell Longhorns hosting two games. On Thursday, Aug. 15, West Forsyth High School in Cumming will host two games, and Hebron Christian in Dacula will host a game on Friday, Aug. 16.

The event will wrap up Saturday, Aug. 17, with four games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

For more information about any of the scheduled events, visit www.corkykellclassic.com. The games will be televised on Peachtree TV.