Bibb County Schools Gather for 2025 Media Day Ahead of Football Season

2025 Bibb County Football Media Day saw all six schools attend to discuss the upcoming 2025 season

MACON, Georgia – (41NBC/WMGT) – As the 2025–26 school year approaches, football season is also right around the corner. To kick off the countdown to fall, the six Bibb County high school football programs came together at the Thompson Complex for this year’s Football Media Day.

This year’s theme: “Filling the GAP” — with GAP standing for Gratitude, Accountability, and Purpose.

Bibb County Athletic Director Kevin Grooms and Communications Manager Jeremy Timmerman led the evening, inviting coaches and players from Central, Rutland, Howard, Westside, Southwest, and Northeast to reflect on the past year and share goals for the upcoming season.

Central and Rutland, both coming off winless 2024 campaigns, expressed a hunger to improve and turn things around in 2025.

Westside and Southwest enter the season looking to build off last year’s middle-of-the-pack finishes, leaning on returning senior leadership. Howard finds itself in a similar position, but with a younger roster stepping up to the challenge.

Northeast, the reigning powerhouse among the group, is aiming to return to the GHSA Class A Division I state championship game after an impressive 12-3 season. Head coach Jeremy Wiggins enters his eighth season at the helm of his alma mater and says his defense will be key to getting back to the title stage.

“We just want to get better each day. Work hard and just, you know, continue to get better,” Wiggins said. “We’re in a tough region, and every week is going to be an important week for us for preparation and getting ready. So that’s why we’ve been working so hard.”

Wiggins said his team is focused on execution and daily progress rather than last year’s outcome.

“Not really focusing on the outcome of last year, but just using that as motivation to get back to what it was,” he said. “Being better up front, being better on the back end, being more balanced in what we do offensively… just focus on the little things. Focus on each game, and just focus on one play at a time.”

With the playoffs in sight, Wiggins knows anything can happen once the postseason begins.

“You never want to get ahead of yourself or get ahead of your opponent,” he said. “Once you get to the playoffs, then anything can happen, and that’s the goal: get to the playoffs and get a chance to get back to the championship.”

Two struggling Bibb County programs, Central and Rutland, are preparing for the upcoming season with renewed energy and determination, both under the leadership of third-year head coaches.

Central High School, led by head coach Jarrett Laws, is aiming to snap a lengthy losing streak. Laws is still searching for his first win since Oct. 21, 2023, the only victory of his tenure thus far. Entering the 2025 season, Laws is focused on improving communication and building consistency.

“To get one percent better every day, but coming from the position that we were in previously, getting one percent better every day is a tremendous jump for us,” Laws said. “Our kids stay committed, especially in a region where you’re playing some of the toughest competition in the state with some of the smartest coaches. But now we’ve got a group that’s actually looking forward to it, and they’re committed to the process of doing the small things.”

Laws added that his players are embracing the academic and mental aspects of the game, including diving into the playbook and adjusting to the evolving nature of football.

Rutland High School, meanwhile, is also looking for a fresh start following a winless 2024 season. Head coach Dr. Anthony Williams said his team is shifting to a more player-led approach, leaning on veteran leadership to foster accountability and drive improvement.

“I know they didn’t like that feeling. Coaches didn’t like that feeling, kids, that’s all they’ve been talking about. We can’t do that again,” Williams said. “They’ve said to me, ‘Coach, we refuse to do that. We’re going to do whatever it takes to get it done.’”

Williams praised his seniors for stepping up, encouraging teammates to stay focused in the classroom, weight room, and beyond.

“Last year, being what it was, it kind of felt like work for the first time for me,” he said. “But the fun came back into it. I can see it in the kids’ eyes. When we played the spring game against Southwest, coaches had a great time. Fans had a great time. Just watching those kids go through that season and not quitting — the buy-in was just great this offseason.”

Both programs hope their offseason progress and internal growth will translate to wins on the field when the 2025 season kicks off.

Two other Bibb County football teams are aiming to build on the strides they made last season as they head into the 2025 campaign, the Southwest Patriots and the Howard Huskies.

At Southwest, 13th-year head coach Joe Dupree returns with a veteran-heavy roster, boasting more than 20 seniors. The Patriots finished 2024 with a 4-7 record, earning all four victories in region play before falling in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual state champions.

Dupree believes the experience and leadership from his senior class could propel the team to greater success this fall.

“Well, you just take the offseason and you look at your strength, look at your areas of improvement, and one of those was in the weight room,” Dupree said. “We just decided to commit to the weight room and try to get stronger as a football team, and get more physical and just continue to prepare. It’s their team. Just wanna see a lot of leadership and them just taking over and doing things next day for us to be successful. Just excited ready to go, and we got Macon County in the Gridiron Classic. So we’re ready.”

Meanwhile, the Howard Huskies enter the year under the steady guidance of second-year head coach Trey Porter, who stepped into the lead role during the 2024 spring game after initially serving as offensive coordinator.

Despite a challenging first season, which included a month-long hiatus from play due to hurricane-related delays and multiple three-hour road trips to Augusta for region contests, Porter is optimistic about a younger roster coming into its own.

“You know, we just focusing on the off-the-field stuff this offseason as far as brotherhood, making them men,” Porter said. “We had a Manhood Monday, but we’re gonna do some off-the-field stuff. We had Pastor Ward come in from Macedonia Baptist Church come in and speak to our guys. So we tapped into the faith side and tried to get deeper into our kids other than X’s and O’s and that allows some of them to start communicating about feelings, emotions and the social emotional state.”

Porter said the focus is on developing trust and accountability among teammates.

“A lot of times, that gets missed or looked over in terms of football,” he said. “You know, for us coaches, they don’t want to play for you until they know how much you care. And the same thing with their teammates, until they know they care about them. They know they really got their back. A lot of times, people say, ‘Yeah, you got a rah rah chant, I got your back, I got your back,’ but do you really mean it? Now we’re trying to get to that point to now I really do mean that.”

Both programs will look to translate offseason growth into on-field performance as the 2025 season gets underway.