Corky Kell-Dave Hunter Classic Luncheon signals the start of the 2023 GHSA football season

You know the high school football season is here when the annual Corky Kell-Dave Hunter Classic Luncheon rolls around and on Monday, the signature event took place featuring coach and players from teams participating in this year’s event as well as several of the nation’s top recruits out of Georgia. From Walton’s Ashton Woods to Buford’s KJ Bolden, the luncheon was a complete representation of Georgia high school football, which officially kicks off on August 16, with the first two games of the Classic taking place.

Woods and the Walton Raiders are no strangers to kicking off their season in the annual classic having played in the 2022 and 2021 football event, however the opportunity of being able to play at Mercedes-Benz Staduim once again, “is a great time,” Woods told reporters on Monday as he prepares for his third trip to the Benz. The UNC commit also shared that when it comes to the advice he has for teammates that will be stepping on the profession field for the first time, he tells them, “don’t freak out, once the first kickoff, you’re good,”.

And while Bolden and the Buford Wolves will open their season with a national opponent on August 18, when they host St. Francis Academy, Florida State commit is ready to get the season rolling in hopes that he and the Wolves can win what would be his third state title and the program’s 15th should they accomplish the feat. However, Bolden says he and his teammates will have to “stay humble and hungry,” after the 2022 season came to an end with a loss to Woods’ Raiders in the semifinals. “Last year after beating Mill Creek and all those teams, we were undefeated and so we kind of felt like we were the best team out and 7A caught us off guard in the semifinals, when we lost to Walton,” Bolden said.

Now with a different mindset, Bolden says he and his teammates have to have a “one and O every week and just stay hungry, never let your foot off the gas,” he added. The Grayson Rams were also well represented on Monday, as they will be opposite the field of Walton in the Classic’s night cap on Saturday and with a new head coach lead the Rams, UCF commit Kylan Fox says preparation for the season has been about “winning” which Fox added has been a “standard at Grayson. And with this being Fox’s final high school season of football, the standout tight end and defensive end says he’s locked in on playing the 10 scheduled games and wants to “go out and be the best I can be and prove that I am who I am,”.

For complete schedule click Corky Kell Dave Hunter Classic