This week's local high school football matchups at a glance

This week's local high school football matchups at a glance. Adairsville and Cartersville open the season Friday night with non-region road games, while Woodland will kick off the 2019 season with a home game against Southeast Whitfield. Cass is idle in this opening week and will open the season August 30 at Adairsville.

CARTERSVILLE at ALLATOONA

Cartersville is 3-2 against Allatoona and has won the last three matchups in 2016 through 2018. Allatoona won the first two meetings in 2011 and 2010. Cartersville was the home team in 2018, 2016, and 2010.

Coach Gary Varner has the Buccaneers ranked fifth by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in the preseason following last season's 8-4 campaign that saw Allatoona fall in the second round of the Class 6A state playoffs. Varner is 95-35 in a dozen seasons at Allatoona and is the only head coach the Bucs have ever had. Cartersville is ranked second in Class 4A by the AJC and will take the field for the first time under former defensive coordinator -- now head coach -- Conor Foster. The Hurricanes were 14-1 last season under departed head coach Joey King, falling to Blessed Trinity in the state championship game. Cartersville won back-to-back state titles in 2015 and 2016 under King. His teams were 67-4 in five seasons. The Canes have won seven consecutive region championships.

Cartersville plays in Region 5-AAAA. Allatoona is a member of Region 6-AAAAAA.

2018 — Cartersville 35, Allatoona 0

2017 — Cartersville 35, Allatoona 14

2016 — Cartersville 30, Allatoona 14

2011 — Allatoona 10, Cartersville 0

2010 — Allatoona 18, Cartersville 13

Projections:

CalPreps — Cartersville by 29 Maxwell — Cartersville by 19

ADAIRSVILLE at CHATTOOGA

Adairsville is 5-6 against Chattooga in a series that dates back to 1990. Adairsville won a one-point decision last season at home, but the Indians have won four of the last five meetings. Adairsville won four of the first six matchups between the two schools. Adairsville was the home team in 2018, 2009, 2006, 2004, 2002, and 1990.

The Tigers, members of Region 6-AAA, are coming off a 4-6 season in 2018 after making the state playoffs in 2017. Adairsville also made the state playoffs for five straight seasons between 2011 and 2015 when the Tigers reached the quarterfinals. Coach Eric Bishop begins his seventh season as head coach at Adairsville. His teams are 41-26.

Coach Charles Hammon begins his sixth season at Chattooga where his teams have gone 32-26. He was previously at Dade County 2005 through 2007. Chattooga, a member of Region 7-AA, was 9-3 last season and made the second round of the state playoffs. It marked the fifth straight state playoff appearance for the Indians -- all under Hammon. Chattooga made the state quarterfinals in 2016 and was eliminated in the first round in 2014, 2015, and 2017.

2018 — Adairsville 21, Chattooga 20

2009 — Chattooga 27, Adairsville 7

2008 — Chattooga 39, Adairsville 25

2007 — Chattooga 35, Adairsville 7

2006 — Chattooga 33, Adairsville 14

2005 — Adairsville 28, Chattooga 15

2004 — Chattooga 43, Adairsville 14

2003 — Adairsville 27, Chattooga 26

2002 — Adairsville 7, Chattooga 0

1991 — Chattooga 22, Adairsville 13

1990 — Adairsville 12, Chattooga 6

Projections:

CalPreps — Chattooga by 14

Maxwell — Chattooga by 9

SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD at WOODLAND

Woodland and Southeast Whitfield meet for the fourth time Friday night and for the first time since 1998 the game will be played on the "banks of the Etowah." The Wildcats have won each of the last three meetings. Woodland was 4-6 last season, winning their first four games before dropping the final six. Head coach Tony Plott enters his fifth season leading the Wildcats who are 8-32 with him at the helm. The Woodland program has one state playoff appearance. It occurred in the school’s second year of varsity competition in 1999 under head coach John Camp. The Wildcats two other non-losing seasons were in 2000 and 2003 when they were 5-5. The ’03 campaign included a forfeit from Osborne. Southeast Whitfield was 3-7 last season, including an opening night loss to Woodland. The Raiders, under head coach Sean Gray entering his 12th season at the school, just missed the state playoffs in 2017 and 2015. Both of those seasons the Raiders lost mini-games to Pickens and Ridgeland, respectively. The last state playoff appearance for Southeast was in 2014 when the Raiders won a mini-game over Heritage-Catoosa, but fell to Buford in the first round, 63-0. Southeast Whitfield is 49-63 during Gray’s tenure.