FPD Looks for Third Straight Win Over Crosstown Region Rival Stratford in Rivalry’s 50th Meeting

The 5-2, 1-0 FPD Vikings take on the 5-1, 0-1 Stratford Eagles for The End Zone's Week Eight Game of the Week

MACON, Georgia – (41NBC/WMGT) – As Week Eight of the high school football season approaches, region battles are heating up across Middle Georgia, including a cross-town rivalry showdown in the GIAA.

First Presbyterian Day School enters the week at 5-2, led by third-year head coach Brett Collier, who has guided the Vikings to two straight Class 4A state championship games. FPD is aiming for a third consecutive trip, but Collier says it takes one game at a time.

The Vikings dropped two non-region matchups to Brookstone and Westfield, but opened region play with a 42-7 win over Mount de Sales. Collier credited his senior class for setting the tone.

“The standard of our team is our guys are always going to play hard, play disciplined,” Collier said. “The two games that we’ve lost were to really good teams. We haven’t played our best football yet, but we’re taking steps in the right direction. This Friday night, we hope to do that. We’ve got a great group of seniors around. Those guys have been with the program for a long time and really bleed red and black. There’s just a bond and a family atmosphere that’s created here, and that’s what our school is all about.”

FPD has scored more than 200 points this season while allowing just over 100, with more than 60 of those points coming in their two losses. The Vikings are unbeaten at home at 4-0 on the year, and now look to make it 5-0 in Macon, if they can beat Stratford Academy for the third straight season, this time on the Eagles home turf.

The Vikings defeated Stratford 28-14 at home in 2024 and 35-6 on the road in 2023. Ten seniors return this season seeking a three-peat to the boys two miles down the road.

Collier said while the matchup is always intense, preparation doesn’t change.

“I love it, man. It’s what makes high school football special,” he said. “It’s a big game every year. They have a really good team this year, so we’re excited to go play them. We love challenges, and our team does. They present one, but our guys are going to show up ready to play. They’re solid, physical, with a good tailback and a quarterback who gets the ball to his athletes. They play really hard on defense, and it’s not much different from how we like to play. So it’s going to be a great game to watch. As a coach, I’d like to say it doesn’t mean more, but I’m sure it does to the kids. On Friday night at 7:30, it’s going to mean a whole lot more to a lot of people.”

On defense, Graham Moore anchors the middle with nearly 10 tackles per game, while Harrison Keenan has already recorded four sacks. The unit has allowed just 13 points per game.

The offense is powered by senior quarterback Major Simmons, who has led the way both through the air and on the ground. He’s connected with top target Breck Griffin, averaging more than 55 receiving yards per game, and with running back Brady McHugh, who leads the team in touchdowns after three scores last week.

The Simmons-to-McHugh connection goes back to their days as first graders, when their fathers coached together. That bond has carried onto the field.

“It’s just as good off the field,” McHugh said. “We’ve known each other since we were four. We’ve played football and baseball together since we were really small, and it’s the same relationship off the field as it is on the field.”

Simmons said the team has responded to adversity.

“I think we’re building. Those two losses were reality checks. We got to wake up. We got to do better. Complacency is not the move. We’re clicking on all cylinders and ready to play our best ball every game,” he said.

McHugh added, “We’re hungry. They’re right over there, and we’re ready to beat them. We’ve always been like that. It’s everything.”

Simmons echoed the rivalry’s meaning.

“You just want to beat the other school, but you just want to play with your guys one last time against the in-town rivals, and just win one last time for everything, one last hoorah.”

FPD hopes for win number 24 in this region rivalry, when the Vikings and Eagles meet Friday night in what will be the 50th all-time meeting, the “gold anniversary” of the rivalry. Kickoff at Jones Field in Cantrell Stadium on the campus of Stratford Academy is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Catch highlights from this game of the week, along with several other games, on The End Zone, on Friday night during 41NBC News at 11 p.m. Tune into pregame coverage live from Cantrell Stadium during 41NBC News at 5, 5:30, and 6 p.m.