The 2026 Augusta-area high school football season is finally at its halfway point as we’ve reached Week 6. Teams now are firmly entrenched in region play, renewing old rivalries, while potentially creating new ones as well.
Similarly, this week will provide many teams with big opportunities to make a statement. One of the biggest games being an undefeated Richmond Academy squad taking on a loaded Benedictine team that is routinely one of the best groups in the whole state. That game, amongst many others, are some of the matchups fans have to look forward to come Friday night.
With that being said, here are five games to keep an eye on during Week 5 of the 2026 season:
Benedictine (3-1) at Richmond Academy (4-0)
- When: Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Richmond Academy High School; 910 Russell St, Augusta, GA 30904
This game will be the first time these two are facing off in over 20 years. When
they last saw each other, Benedictine came out on top, winning 42-17 back in 2005. But these teams go back, way back. According to records, the first game between these two teams was in 1914. Richmond Academy won that game and has an overall record of 26-10-3 against Benedictine.
The Musketeers will look to continue their strong start to the season with a signature win against a state power. Head coach Keenan Grissett said that they wouldn’t be changing up what they do just because it’s a quality opponent. Expect a large emphasis on the running game. Senior running back Jay’Andre Brown added to what’s been a career year with 234 rushing yards and two touchdowns during Week 5. He’s willed himself into being ARC’s number one option on offense. Brown hasn’t been slowed down yet, but it’ll be his biggest test against a well coached Cadets defense.
Benedictine is known for consistently producing Power 4 level recruits, and this year is no exception. The Cadets' two biggest playmakers offensively are Purdue commit Eron Mallard and Virginia Tech commit Stanley Smart Jr. The duo combines for over 320 yards a night and have already scored 13 touchdowns collectively. Slowing down those two will be a tall task, but it’ll have to be done to some degree if the Musketeers are to come out of this game with the win.
Burke County (2-2) at Hephzibah (3-1)
- When: Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Hephzibah High School; 4558 Brothersville Rd, Hephzibah, GA 30815
Burke County usually looks forward to this game as much as Hephzibah looks forward to it being over. The Rebels have never won a game against the Bears, going 0-22 over a nearly 35-year span. Most recently, the two teams played in 2021 where Burke County took care of business at home with a 42-19 win.
To Hephzibah’s credit, though, this looks like the best Rebels team in years. They are off to their best start since 2023 and look to have the offensive firepower as well as the athletes to match up with Burke County. One of those athletes is senior Reante Byrd. Now primarily used as a running back on offense, he’s giving his team just over 100 yards on the ground a game and leads his team with six touchdowns. He’s led the charge for what’s been a relatively potent offense through the first half of the season.
While history bodes well for the Bears, they should still treat this as a must-win game. Their last game was a 35-0 defeat at home to Jones County in Week 4. Expect the Bears to come out hungry, looking to get back into the win column after such a disappointing loss. Senior Landen Wright will be a player to look out for in this one. He’s well on his way to rushing for over 1,000 yards this season. The running back also leads the bears with six touchdowns. After a less than ideal showing last time out, he’ll be ready to go off come Friday night.
Washington County (1-3) at Westside (2-2)
- When: Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Westside High School; 1002 Patriots Way, Augusta, GA 30907
Just as Burke County needed to treat their game as a must-win, so should Westside. Not only is it because they’ve dropped the last two games in a row in disappointing fashion, only scoring a touchdown in each loss, but they also haven’t beaten Washington County in their last seven games. In fact, the last time they won was in 2000.
To get on track, the Patriots will have to figure out what went wrong for their offense over the last two games. They went from averaging nearly 50 points a game to seven points in the span of two weeks. Westside’s bread and butter over the last few seasons has been its run game, so don’t be surprised if they go to senior Kingston Hughes early and often. His nine rushing touchdowns and 110 yards on the ground a night both lead the team. If he can have another big night, it’ll hopefully open up the passing game and unlock that offensive potency we saw early in the year.
The Golden Hawks will be looking to earn its first region win of the season. To do that, they’ll look towards senior Marderius Poole. He leads the team in rushing yards and is as tough to bring down with a full head of steam as anyone.
Wayne County (1-3) at Evans (2-2)
- When: Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Evans High School; 4550 Cox Rd, Evans, GA 30809
These squads are matching up for the first time since the mid-2000s. They played four games from 2004 to 2007. The Yellow Jackets won the first two, while the Knights got the latter pair. Both teams also are coming off their first region defeat of the season.
Evans’ focal point on offense is junior Brycen Gault. The running back is more like a wrecking ball, breaking through the defense routinely for big plays on the ground. Gault gives the Knights just over 160 rushing yards a night and leads his team with seven total touchdowns. Meanwhile for Wayne County, their quarterback is the one that makes it all happen. Sophomore AJ Bennett averages over 200 yards a game, combining his arm talent and his escapability and quickness with his legs.
Aquinas (3-1) at Putnam County (3-1)
- When: Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Putnam County High School; 300 War Eagle Dr, Eatonton, GA 31024
From 1971 to 1995, these two teams played against each other nine times. Aquinas lost all but one of them, and the majority of those losses were blowouts. Nearly 30 years since the last loss, though, and the Fightin’ Irish have become a much more formidable opponent than back then.
Senior Elijah Hutchinson will be the go-to guy for Aquinas. He’s giving his team just shy of 100 rushing yards a night and is good for at least a touchdown every time he steps onto the field. On the other side of the ball is another talented running back in Kumari Thomas. The junior for the War Eagles provides them with 87 rushing yards a night. His three rushing touchdowns on the season are second on the team to this point. If Aquinas is to get in the win column for the first time since 1982, he’s the guy they’ll need to slow down.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Five Augusta-area high school football games to watch in Week 6
