High School Football: Great Atlanta Bash: Carver (Atlanta) vs Calhoun

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – The fifth annual Great Atlanta Bash returns to Eddie. S Henderson Stadium at Midtown High School with a two-day (Aug. 25-26), four-game lineup that will feature five Atlanta Public School programs, in addition to Douglas County, Miller Grove and Calhoun High School.

How to watch Great Atlanta Bash live:

The action will be televised both days on PeachtreeTV and digitally on the Atlanta News First app. You can also watch it on the ANF+ app on Roku, FireTV, AppleTV or by clicking HERE.

Game Preview:

8:00 p.m. Carver (Atlanta) vs Calhoun

Carver (Atlanta) made it to the semifinals last year before losing to Sandy Creek and set the tone coming into 2023 with a 28-12 victory against LaGrange in Week 1. Calhoun has reached three-straight quarterfinals and has made 23-straight playoff appearances with eight finals appearances and three state titles in the same span. Calhoun suffered a tough 17-7 loss in their season opener against Blessed Trinity and look to get back on track this week.

Calhoun will make its debut in the Great Atlanta Bash as the first non-Atlanta team in the event.

“We are super excited to come down there and play. We’ve heard about the bash the last couple of years. I think we are the first non-metro Atlanta team to get to play in it,” said head coach Clay Stephenson. “We are looking forward to the opportunity to play in front of people we don’t normally get to. You look at Carver and they are a great playoff team. Year in and year out they are at the top. It doesn’t matter what classification they are in, they have athletes that can compete and the coach does a great job down there.”

Carver (Atlanta) will replace a lot of their playmakers from last year including Zyeek Mender and Deandre Buchanon. The Panthers also graduated star quarterback Bryce Bowens and will have a new voice under center this season.

“The young guys that were on the team that are now seniors we are hoping they can be very productive along with the guys that are sophomores this year that will play some key starting roles. Adam Sheely will be the starting quarterback this year,” said head coach Darius Myles. “We are looking for Taurin Kemp to step up and be one of those guys. He will be playing the slot for us this year. Our leading rusher will be replaced by Amari Russell and he will carry the load for us. He will also get some help from Lataious Stepp. Kind of like a 1-2 punch.”

The Yellow Jackets have a stud running back in Caden Williams (Liberty Commit) who is dynamic in the open field and a physical runner at the point of attack.

“He’s been a three year starter for us. He can do a little bit of everything. We can line him up anywhere. He’s worked really hard at his route running and hands this last year or so,” said Stephenson. “The on-field stuff takes care of itself. He’s a tremendous athlete and works super hard. He’s a 3.9 student in the classroom. It really transfers over to the football field and we are really looking forward to his senior year.”

Emaree Winston is another player to watch in this game and is a heavily recruited prospect that has a commitment decision looming. Winston is great tight end in the Calhoun offense and a matchup nightmare.

“It’s not what you necessarily see on Friday Nights. He earned his way to where he is. I was mentioning him to our Scout team the other day that he is not content where he was last year,” said Stephenson. “We had to fight to get him off of the scout team. He just wants to play football and he enjoys getting out there and competing. On the field, he is a matchup problem for a lot of people.”

On defense, the Panthers have a talented secondary that makes a lot of plays on the ball and will play multiple positions including corner and safety. Joshua Stone and Rodrick Hunter headline the backline of the defense.

“We have Rodrick Hunter who is a preseason All-American that is committed to Akron and Joshua Stone who is on everybody’s radar and has a lot of offers,” said Myles. “He is committed to Arkansas State right now and both of those guys are going to be starting at the safety position. They also will be playing a little bit of cornerback as well.”

Great Atlanta Bash Schedule:

Friday, Aug. 25

8:00 p.m. Carver (Atlanta) vs Calhoun

Saturday, Aug. 26

10 a.m. Maynard Jackson vs. Miller Grove

12:45 p.m. Mays vs Douglas County

3:30 p.m. Douglass vs. Booker T. Washington

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