Three of the eight home games in DeKalb this weekend feature head-to-head region matchups with DCSD football teams paired up on their quests for a spot in the state playoffs.

Neighborhood rivals Columbia (3-1, 2-0) and Towers (1-2, 1-0) meet for the 31st time as the pair try to remain undefeated in Region 6-2A action at Avondale Stadium with kickoff set for 7:30 pm. Columbia holds a slim 15-14-1 lead in the series having won the 2020 meeting 27-2.

Columbia is coming off a 34-14 win over the Therrell Panthers last Friday night at Lakewood Stadium keyed by 20 unanswered second half points. Roland Edwin and Royce Tolbert both got into the end zone twice in the win. Preseason All-State defensive end Marquez Harris had a sack for a safety to open the third quarter and leads the defense with over 30 tackles, 6 sacks and 9 tackles for a loss. Linebacker Kadarius Bailey is the second leading tackler on the team.

Towers is coming off a bye-week following a 27-0 Region 6-2A win over KIPP Academy two weeks ago. Junior quarterback Isaiah Logan leads the Titans on offense passing for 510 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 128 and two more. Sophomore receiver Keshawn Weathers had 322 yards receiving and one touchdown. Senior defensive end Tyler Walters leads the defense with three sacks and three tackles for a loss and seven Eagles have 11 or more tackles on the season.

Lithonia vs. SW DeKalb
“Buck” Godfrey Stadium plays host at 7:30 pm to a Region 5-5A opener between the Lithonia Bulldogs (0-3) and the Southwest DeKalb Panthers (1-3).

Southwest DeKalb leads the series 19-2-0 and won the 2020 game 27-9. The Panthers are coming off a 34-9 win over Tucker last Friday. Billy Johnson leads the ground attack with 376 yards rushing while James Carswell adds 209 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore defensive lineman Chase Kerns leads the Panthers with 17 tackles (5 sacks, 8 tackles for a loss) with fourth others contributing 18 or more tackles on the season.

Lithonia is 0-3 despite some excellent play on the defensive side of the football led by senior linebackers Damarion Davis (40 tackles, 9 for a loss) and Keyshawn McCoy (25 tackles, 5 sacks, 13 tackles for a loss) and junior defensive lineman Josiah Peterson (21 tackles, 5 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss). Senior running back Darius Sanders (143 yards, 1 TD) and sophomore quarterback Monte Harden (82 yards rushing, 100 yards passing) lead the Bulldogs on the offensive side of the football.

Stephenson vs. Arabia Mountain
A 7:30 pm kickoff at Hallford Stadium between Arabia Mountain (2-2) and Stephenson (4-0) is a Region 6-4A opener between the DeKalb schools who meet for just the sixth time in the series. Stephenson won the 2020 matchup 7-0 and lead the series 5-0.

The Jaguars are coming off a bye week heading into their first region game of the season having won all four of their games under new head coach Marcus Jelks. Stephenson won 20-14 in a hard fought contest against Tucker two weeks ago.

Sophomore running back Cheik Keita leads the Jaguar rushing attack with 419 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Marte Barton runs the offense and has thrown for 402 yards and four touchdowns while senior receivers Rahim Diarroussaba (8 receptions, 152 yards, 2 TDs) and Cordell Andrews (14 receptions, 168 yards, 1 TD) are his main targets.

The Jaguar defense is led by linebackers Delali Flowers and Dezmond Buchanan who account for 40 tackles on the season.

Arabia Mountain is led by running back Solomon Rayton on offense with 477 yards and five touchdowns. Linebackers Brian Young, Daniel Turpin and Jayden Moore lead the defense combing for over 10 tackles for a loss on the season. The Rams are coming off a tough 26-14 loss to No. 10 ranked Decatur last weekend.

Miller Grove vs. Druid Hills
Miller Grove (3-0, 0-0) faces Druid Hills (0-4) in a 5:15 pm game at Adams Stadium in the opening game of a doubleheader.

Miller Grove is coming off two weeks of not playing after getting off to the good 3-0 start to the season. The Wolverines have not played since September 3 when they picked up a 35-13 road win over Therrell. The past two weeks were a Covid-19 cancellation and an open date.

Running back Jayden Brown leads the Wolverines offensive attack with 56 carries for 454 yards and six touchdowns. Junior linebacker Cayman Spaulding heads up the defense with 37 total tackles (9 sacks, 11 tackles for a loss).

Seniors Jacquez Cullars (19 tackles) and Liam Siltz (18 tackles) lead the defense along with junior Zeek Nshimiriomana (18 tackles). Cullars quarterback’s the offense (113 yards rushing, 395 yards passing, accounting for 3 touchdowns) while Siltz and Nshimiriomana have combined for 283 yards receiving.

Other games in DeKalb on Friday include Tucker (0-4) hosting Parkview (2-3) at 8:00 pm on the turf in Adams Stadium along with Cross Keys (0-3) hosting Flint River Academy (1-2) at 5:15 followed at 8:00 by Dunwoody (1-3) and Archer (0-4) in a doubleheader at North DeKalb Stadium.

The last home game of the weekend is McNair (0-3) hosting KIPP Academy (0-2) at 7:00 pm at “Buck” Godfrey Stadium.

Cedar Grove (2-1) travels to Carver-Atlanta (2-1) for a big Region 5-3A game to top the away game schedule this weekend. Other games include Clarkston (1-0) at Bremen (3-1), Redan (2-2) at Salem (3-1) and Stone Mountain (4-0) at Decatur (4-0).

DCSD FOOTBALL – WEEK 6 SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 24
ADAMS STADIUM
Miller Grove (3-0) vs. Druid Hills (0-4), 5:15 pm
Parkview (2-3) vs. Tucker (0-4), 8:00 pm

AVONDALE STADIUM
Towers (1-2) vs. Columbia (3-1)*, 7:30 pm

“BUCK” GODFREY STADIUM
Lithonia (0-3) vs. SW DeKalb (1-3)*, 7:30 pm

HALLFORD STADIUM
Arabia Mountain (2-2) vs. Stephenson (4-0)*, 7:30 pm

NORTH DEKALB STADIUM
Flint River Academy (1-2) vs. Cross Keys (0-3), 5:15 pm
Archer (0-4) vs. Dunwoody (1-3)*, 8:00 pm

AWAY GAMES
Cedar Grove (2-1) vs. Carver-Atl (2-1)*, 5:30 pm, Lakewood
Clarkston (1-0) at Bremen (3-1), 7:30 pm
Redan (2-2) at Salem (3-1)*, 7:30 pm
Stone Mountain (4-0) vs. Decatur (4-0)*, 7:30 pm

Saturday, Sept. 25
KIPP Academy (0-2) vs. McNair (0-3)*, 7:00 pm

Open: Chamblee 4-1), Lakeside (1-4), M.L. King (0-4)
*–Region Game