Cumming, Ga. - The stage is set, literally and figuratively, as the Hebron Christian Academy football team is ready to take on North Atlanta High School in the 34th-annual Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic today, Thursday, Aug. 14 at West Forsyth High School. 

Kickoff between the reigning GHSA Private State Champion Lions and the 6A Warriors is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.. 

The Week 1 match up will broadcast on the Peachtree Sports Network, and can be streamed on the Atlanta News First app . 

Matt Stewart (Georgia Public Broadcasting, ESPN) and Chris Millman of the Atlanta Falcons will be on the call - the stage is truly set. 

Born within the confines of the then newly-built Georgia Dome in 1992, and created by former Wheeler High School head coach Carlton "Corky" Kell and legendary Brookwood High School head coach Dave Hunter, this state-renowned grand affair has since spread its list of host sites to Mercedes Benz Stadium and local schools like HCA. 

Additionally, the 'Classic' has featured some of the top program's in Georgia. 

This year's 11-game schedule includes Prince Avenue Christian, Houston County, North Gwinnett and other state-contenders, along with historical sites like Buck Godfrey Stadium (Decatur) and Rome's Barron Stadium. 

The Lions' bout with North Atlanta will be the third game of the weekend. 

"It is exciting ... everybody knows of the Corky Kell [Classic] in the state of Georgia," Hebron head coach Kenny Dallas said. "It's exciting to be a part of it, to be one of those teams getting to play in it and our guys are excited to go. When you play this early, there's a lot of nervousness around it ... but for us it's just going to be a tremendous learning process. When you play a great opponent, you're going to end up learning the truth about where you stand." 

North Atlanta had a strong campaign in 2024, finishing the season 9-2 with a perfect region record (7-0). 

However, the Warriors made an early exit from the 6A state tournament, losing to Peachtree Ridge in the opening round. 

This season, they open up as the 84th-best team in Georgia (Maxwell Rankings). 

"I love playing great competition early ... there's not a lot of 2A programs that would be willing to step on the field with a 6A program, especially an outstanding 6A program, like we're going to have to face today," Dallas said. "[North Atlanta] is very athletic, very well-coached, and they're not going to beat themselves either. We're going to have to go out there and play a great ball game." 

Dallas added that the goal is always to be playing the best football in November, not mid-August, but the Lions want to play the best they possibly can against the Warriors. 

A lot of bottled-up excitement is buzzing around the HCA community right now, and it will be unleashed at 4:30 in the 'Classic'. 

"We want to see perfect effort, there's going to be plenty of mistakes," Dallas said. "Our stress to our guys today is [that] 'we're not going to play perfect, but we want to give perfect effort on every snap."