Madison County’s 2010 football schedule isn’t official yet, but coach Randell Owens has a pretty good idea how it will look.
Owens released a tentative schedule for next year that has the Red Raiders facing nine of the 10 teams they played in 2009.
Flowery Branch, Region 8-AAAA’s new team, is the only new opponent on the unofficial schedule, in place of Monroe Area which dropped out of Class AAAA.
Madison County will welcome Flowery Branch to Region 8-AAAA Aug. 27 when the Red Raiders host the Falcons in the season opener.
With the Flowery Branch joining the fold and Monroe Area leaving, 8-AAAA gains a Falcon team that advanced to the Class AAA semifinals this year, while losing a Purple Hurricane squad that went 0-20 over the last two years.
The only other change on the Red Raiders’ schedule comes in the preseason.
Madison County will scrimmage Hart County Aug. 13, instead of Franklin County, which served as the Red Raiders preseason foe for the past two seasons.
Madison County’s other nine other opponents are Salem (Sept. 3), Winder-Barrow (Sept. 10), Loganville (Sept. 17), Habersham Central (Sept. 24), Apalachee (Oct. 1), Rockdale Co. (Oct. 15), Clarke Central (Oct. 22), Cedar Shoals (Oct. 29) and Heritage (Nov. 5).
Madison County and all other Region 8-AAAA schools will play a straight region schedule as has been done the past two years.
The Red Raiders’ 2010 schedule shapes up to be a tough one with Madison County playing a state finalist (Clarke Central, two semifinals teams (Rockdale County and Flowery Branch) and a quarterfinals team (Apalachee).
The schedule and region realignments aren’t official until the GHSA Executive Committee meets in January to hear the appeals of those wanting to move laterally to regions within their classifications.
If this schedule becomes final, Madison County will play the same teams on the corresponding 2011
dates, reversing the home and away site.
Aug. 13 @Hart Co. (scrimmage) 8-3
Aug. 27 Flowery Branch 10-4
Sept. 3 @Salem 6-4
Sept. 10 @Winder-Barrow 2-8
Sept. 17 Loganville 6-5
Sept. 24 @Hab. Central 4-6
Oct. 1 Apalachee 12-1
Oct. 15 @Rockdale Co. 10-4
Oct. 22 Clarke Central 12-2*
Oct. 29 @Cedar Shoals 3-7
Nov. 5 Heritage 4-6
*Clarke Central plays for the state title this weekend.
