Clarke Central High School varsity football players pose for a photo in the Billy Henderson Strength and Conditioning Center on Sept. 13 during the ODYSSEY Media Group’s Fall Media Day. The Gladiators have been preparing to play Loganville High School on Oct. 23. “Last year, we were able to get the win against Loganville, and that gave us confidence going into this matchup,” senior and defensive back Collin McIntosh said. “We know they’re going to come ready to compete, so we have to stay locked in, play physical, and make sure we handle business again.” Photo by Maypop Wren
The CCHS varsity football team will take on Loganville High School under the Billy Henderson Stadium lights on Oct. 23.
Coming off a bye week, the Clarke Central High School varsity football team (6-1, 4-0 in Region 8-AAAAA) prepares to take on Loganville High School on Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Billy Henderson Stadium for their 5th region game.
Last year, the Gladiators beat Loganville 28-9, finishing their 2025-26 season with a 4-2 region record. CCHS is 3-0 against LHS since the 2023-24 season, when LHS won 51-50.
“We’ve beaten them a lot. Now they’ve had a couple good wins up there, (but) they haven’t had any success here,” CCHS varsity head football coach David Perno said. “(They’re) not really explosive offensively, and just okay defensively, from what I saw (in their game against Walnut Grove High School). I’m sure we’ll get into a little more detail and in depth (as we prepare), but right now, I think we match up extremely well.”
Currently, LHS has a 3-4 overall record, carrying a 1-3 region record after their most recent game against Mountain View High School, which ended in a loss for Loganville 26-14.
“Games against Loganville have been competitive, and we know they’re a team that’s going to come out and compete,” senior and defensive back Collin McIntosh said. “We know we have to be physical, stay disciplined, and play four quarters of football to get the job done.”
“We played the top third of our schedule, we played the middle third. This is that last third, and it needs to be clean. It needs to be crisp.”
— David Perno,
CCHS head varsity football coach
CCHS has two main offensive threats, quarterback Trey Bryant III, a senior, with 685 passing yards and 505 rushing yards this season and senior running back Faustino Rangel contributing 604 rushing yards, bringing versatility to the Gladiators’ offense.
“(Tino runs) the ball extremely well. Hard. He’s physical. He’s tough to tackle. He gets better as the game goes on,” Perno said. “For quarterback, we have stuck with Trey. He’s just so good at running the football, and it’s such a weapon with Tino.”
As Friday’s game against LHS approaches, the Gladiators are on the road to the upcoming region playoffs against the Jackson County High School Panthers on Oct. 30. The Panthers currently boast a 7-0 record, with 4-0 in the region, after beating the Gladiators’ only loss, the North Oconee High School Titans 20-14.
“We played the top third of our schedule, we played the middle third. This is that last third, and it needs to be clean. It needs to be crisp,” Perno said. “We need to be playing our best football going into the playoffs.”
