We are entering Week 5 of the 2026 high school football season here in Augusta. Slowly but surely we’re creeping our way towards the halfway mark of the year, which is wild to say. Many teams are coming off an open week, giving them an opportunity to be fresh coming into this week’s slate of games. And it’s just in time for the start of region play.
A handful of local Augusta-area teams such as Greenbrier, Richmond Academy and Thomson are on the road this week. So if you’re a fan of the team, get ready to travel. But for supporters of teams like Glenn Hills and Aquinas, you’re in luck, as they’ll be holding it down at home this week.
With that being said, here are five games to keep an eye on during Week 5 of the 2026 season:
Jasper County (1-2) at Glenn Hills (2-1)
- When: Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Glenn HIlls High School; 2840 Glenn Hills Dr, Augusta, GA 30906
These two programs
will be facing one another for the first time come Friday night. Glenn Hills is coming off its first loss of the season in Week 4, but they are hopeful that it doesn’t stunt the momentum of their best start in years. A lot of their success so far has been due to the play of senior Amir Gregory. Last time out he had 69 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground. He should be able to get loose against a Hurricanes defense that’s given up over four touchdowns a game.
Jasper County’s offense is powered in large part by senior Chance Ross. The running back averages just under 100 rushing yards a night and he’s been able to find pay dirt twice so far this year. The Spartans ability to negate Ross’ effectiveness in the run game will be the key to them getting back in the win column this week.
Social Circle (3-0) at Aquinas (2-1)
- When: Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Aquinas High School; 1920 Highland Ave, Augusta, GA 30904
It’s been a decade and a half since Aquinas and Social Circle last took the field together. In that game, it was the Fightin’ Irish who thoroughly defeated the Redskins, winning 56-0. Overall though, it’s been Social Circle who’s won more often than not in these matchups. Out of 11 contests going back to 1986, they’ve come out on top seven times.
This matchup will see two of the best running backs in Class 2A go head to head. For Aquinas, it’s junior Elijah Hutchinson. He’s been the Fightin’ Irish’s most consistent producer on the offensive end, consistently threatening to go for 100 plus yards on the ground. Social Circle’s senior halfback Kayden Fears brings a similar element as a dominant force in the run game. He’s averaging 177 rushing yards a night and he’s scored six touchdowns to this point of the season. If you’re a fan of old school, ground and pound football, you won’t want to miss this one.
Richmond Academy (3-0) at Wayne County (1-2)
- When: Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Wayne County High School; One Jacket Drive, Jesup, GA 31545.
Recent history in this matchup doesn’t favor the Musketeers well. The Yellow Jackets have won the last three games in a row. The good news for Richmond Academy is that those contests were in 2007 and 2012-13. It’s a whole new era of ARC football with a team that’s as hot as anyone in the CSRA.
Richmond Academy’s offense is predicated on the dynamic playmaking abilities of running backs Jay’Andre Brown and Vincent Carter. They’re giving the Musketeers nearly 200 yards of offense a night with a combination of tough runs and making defenders miss in open space. Brown’s 5 touchdowns and Carter’s 3 are first and second on the team respectively. This team goes as they go, and clearly, they can go.
For the Yellow Jackets, a name to keep an eye on is sophomore AJ Bennett. The dual-threat quarterback can thread the needle when need be, but he can also use his legs to move the chains as well. He leads Wayne County in rushing yards to this point with about 60 a night. But if Bennett’s squad wants to avoid losing three straight, they’ll have to sure up their defense. They gave up 65 and 56 points over their last two games. That’s not going to get it done against the explosiveness of ARC.
Greenbrier (1-2) at South Effingham (3-0)
- When: Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: South Effingham High School; 1220 Noel C Conaway Rd, Guyton, GA 31312
These squads are even through four games played over the years. The most recent win went to South Effingham when they won 34-28 a year ago. The year before that, Greenbrier dismantled them, winning 56-0.
The Wolfpack will surely be looking for a repeat performance from what they did back in 2024. They are one of the well-rested squads that are coming out of an open week, which certainly bodes well for their senior running back Brennen Bjorkman. He’s good for 130 yards of offense a night for his squad and a minimum of two touchdowns. With fresh legs, don’t be shocked if he goes off for a huge night similar to his Week 2 performance versus Evans
The Mustangs offense is a two-headed monster led by junior wideout Jackson McClure and senior running back Khyran White. White leads the team in touchdowns with four and is good for around 60 rushing yards a night. McClure meanwhile leads the squad in receiving yards with nearly 70 every time he steps on the field.
Thomson (1-2) at Newton (4-0)
- When: Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Newton High School; 1 Ram Way, Covington, GA 30014
It’s been over 40 years since these schools have played each other. So long, in fact, that Newton was named Newton County back then. Thomson won the first two games before their third and final game ended in a tie in 1985. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, this is a very different Rams team they are facing now.
Newton is ranked number eight in the state and 45th nationally by MaxPreps. In addition to being undefeated, they’ve scored 70 points or more in back to back games. The orchestrator of this Rams offense is sophomore Josiah Frazier. He’s already up to 16 passing touchdowns and nearly 900 passing yards through four games. Many of his playmakers already have high major D-1 offers, so wherever he goes with the ball is usually a good option.
Thomson will have an uphill climb in this one, but if they do pull off the upset, they’ll need a monster night from senior Zay Brinson. The running back is already off to his best start of his career rushing the ball, giving the Bulldogs nearly 90 yards of offense a game. But to keep up with the Rams offense, he might have to have the best game of his life, doubling or even tripling his usual output. This will be Thomson’s biggest test of the season, no doubt about it.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Five Augusta-area high school football games to watch in Week 5
