ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The GeorgiaConstructionCareers.com Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic, presented by IBEW Local 613, is primed for the ultimate 35-year anniversary party to kick off the 2026 GHSA football season, commemorating the event’s storied history throughout a thrilling 11-game lineup.
This celebration of the enduring legacy of the Classic since its inception in 1992 could not come at a more appropriate time as the Corky brand continues to break new ground while going above and beyond, the promise made by colleagues Dave Hunter and Jimmy Dorsey to co-founder Corky Kell to keep the event going after his passing from lung cancer in 1995.
Not only has the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic withstood the test of time to become the longest-running event of its kind in the country, but it has achieved that distinction while constantly growing and maximizing its impact on an astonishing scale.
Each day of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic will be broadcast live on Atlanta News First, in addition to being streamed digitally on the Atlanta News First apps.
From your home, download the free ANF+ app anywhere you stream — FireTV, AppleTV, Roku and YouTube TV — simply by searching for “Atlanta News First” on those platforms. If you are on the go, you can download Atlanta News First for free in the app store on your Apple or Android device. You can also watch live here.
Lasting legacy
While Coach Kell was unable to witness how impactful the event would become, his widow Carole embraced that opportunity and remained involved until her passing in October at the age of 85—getting the opportunity to see players like 2024 Heisman Trophy winner and Collins Hill alumni Travis Hunter in addition to Georgia High School Football Hall of Famers Jeff Francoeur, Matt Stinchcomb, Jon Stinchcomb, Quincy Carter, Rennie Curran and Reggie Brown all play in the classic.
This year’s event will honor Carole and kick off the 2026 football season with a lineup that features five separate days of matchups starting with back-to-back double headers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 12-13.
Kell High School will host a double header the following Wednesday on Aug. 19 and the following day Blessed Trinity will host the fourth double-header. The final day of the classic will feature a triple-header at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium on Friday, Aug. 21.
Since the inaugural 1992 classic that featured a double-header at the Georgia Dome, the event has grown into a multi-day event and has been played every year—despite the obstacles.
When COVID inundated the event with challenges (both big and small) in 2020, the Classic innovated by playing nine games at nine separate locations and revolutionized its broadcasting capacity to deliver high school football to thousands of grateful fans. Since 1992, there have been 79 different high schools represented in the Classic with 197 total football games played.
New & familiar faces
This year will introduce nine more schools to that list that will be making their Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic debuts (Lanier, South Gwinnett, Cambridge, Pebblebrook, Clarke Central, Centennial, Blessed Trinity, Decatur and Coffee), bringing the total to 88 teams.
There are 13 of the 22 teams this year that have previously played in Corky Kell and those returning teams include powerhouses North Gwinnett, Grayson, Brookwood, Roswell, Walton, Kell, McEachern, Dunwoody, Carver-Atlanta, Hebron Christian, West Forsyth and Houston County.
Additionally, the kickoff between Cambridge and Brookwood on Day 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be the 200th game in the classic’s storied history and that total will grow to 208 when West Forsyth and Houston County close out the Classic at Center Parc Stadium.
South Gwinnett and Lanier will play the first football game in the nation when they kick off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 12 and it is an opportunity for the Comets to stay perfect against Lanier after winning both previous matchups. Grayson is 1-3 all-time versus North Gwinnett and looks to snap a three-game losing streak to the Bulldogs.
Thursday begins with the first-ever meeting between Cambridge and Brookwood as the Bears make their Corky debut and Brookwood appears in its 35th. A rematch of Roswell’s 30-28 victory over Walton last season awaits for the nightcap to close out the Mercedes-Benz Stadium lineup.
Continuous coverage
The action picks back up on Wednesday, Aug. 19 at Kell High School with Pebblebrook and Clarke Central squaring off for the first time since 2006 and McEachern taking on host Kell in the first and only meeting between the schools since 2021.
Blessed Trinity hosts the following day and that double-header begins with a showdown between Centennial and Dunwoody in the seventh all-time meeting between the programs.
Following that kickoff, the host Titans will take on Decatur in what will be the first clash between the programs since 2020. The final day of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic returns to downtown Atlanta and has a must-see triple-header with three first-ever meetings to close it out.
In the opener, two-time defending state champion Hebron Christian will battle Carver-Atlanta before Adam Clack-led Parkview takes on 2024 state champion Coffee for the first time. In the final game, Class 6A Houston County and Class 7A West Forsyth meet for an intriguing showdown and first-ever meeting between the schools.
In 2025, Corky Kell’s Saturday games at Mercedes-Benz were featured on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and the ANF website/app as well as the Peachtree Sports Network for the first time. This year, all 11 games will be provided that full-scale platform to ensure that millions of fans around the world can access and share the excitement of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic.
For more information on how to watch/listen to this year’s Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic, along with a link for play-by-play and live stats, please click here!
For game previews for each day of this year’s Classic, please click the dates below for each link!
2026 Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic Schedule
At Mercedes-Benz Stadium
5 p.m. – South Gwinnett vs. Lanier
8 p.m. – Grayson vs. North Gwinnett
At Mercedes-Benz Stadium
5 p.m. – Cambridge vs. Brookwood
8 p.m. – Walton vs. Roswell
At Kell High School
4:30 p.m. – Pebblebrook vs. Clarke Central
7:30 p.m. – Kell vs. McEachern
At Blessed Trinity High School
4:30 p.m. – Centennial vs. Dunwoody
7:30 p.m. – Decatur vs. Blessed Trinity
At Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium
2 p.m. – Hebron Christian vs. Carver-Atlanta
5 p.m. – Coffee vs. Parkview
8 p.m. – West Forsyth vs. Houston County
Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.