ATLANTA — When Woodward Academy heads into Atlanta to face off with Marist on Friday night, they'll be looking to build on their series winning streak in a pivotal top 10 classification matchup.
While Marist has been one of the most dominant Georgia high school football teams over the last several decades, Woodward Academy has been on the rise over the past 12 years since head coach John Hunt took over.
Hunt has compiled a record of 120-34 since he took over the helm of the War Eagles in 2011, but he is still in search of that elusive first state title. As a program, Woodward Academy has won two state championships, one in 1970 and the other a decade later in 1980.
If they're going to get back to the mountaintop, this is the team to do it. They have four Power Five college football commits that are inside the Rivals Class of 2024 Top 100 for the state of Georgia -- two on the defensive side of the ball and two on offense.
Their highest-ranked player is four-star defensive back CJ Heard Jr. who is committed to playing for Florida State, who is currently ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25.
The other recruits are all three-stars, with linebacker Andrew Hines and wide receiver Ben Grice committed to Wake Forest and offensive lineman Bradley Johnson committed to Duke, who made national headlines this past weekend by knocking off then-No. 9 Clemson.
Woodward Academy got off to a hot start in Week 1 by beating Trinity Christian (Sharpsburg) 45-8. However, last week they got stood up by McCallie from Tennessee by a final of 41-21.
On the flip side, the hosting Marist War Eagles (yes, they both share the same name) are looking to get back to the state championship in 6-A after winning it in 2020. They've been eliminated in the quarterfinals in each of the past two seasons.
To give the best example of just how dominant Marist has been in the history of GHSA football, the War Eagles' last losing season came all the way back in 1983. They are trying to punch in their 40th consecutive winning season in 2023. Most of those seasons have come under current head coach Alan Chadwick.
Despite joining Marist's coaching staff in 1975, he's been the head coach at the private school since 1985, marking his 48th year at the school this season. Chadwick spent time as the quarterback at East Tennessee State in the late '60s and early '70s before being drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 8th round of the 1974 NFL Draft.
Chadwick has won an astounding 421 football games as head coach of Marist. He's captured three state championships (1989, 2003, 2020). Marist made the jump from 4-A to 6-A after the 2021 season, but that didn't stop them from going 10-3 in their first season in the new classification last year.
After losing to Gainesville 34-26 in the first week, they've bounced back nicely with a 42-14 win over Pike Road and a 21-7 win over Savannah Christian.
Marist lost last year's matchup by just one score in a 28-21 final and has lost two straight in the series.
Both War Eagles will be looking to catapult their season with a big win Friday night. The Team11 Game of the Week kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Hughes Spalding Stadium in Atlanta.