Week 8 Team of the Week: Valdosta

Valdosta is back, and so is the Winnersville Classic, arguably the state’s best football rivalry.

After enduring a 4-6 finish and playoff ban last season, Valdosta is 7-0 and ranked No. 4 in Class 7A. Its 13-6 victory over Lowndes last week was played before sold-out crowd of some 12,000 fans at Lowndes’ Martin Stadium.

GHSF Daily’s Team of the Week was presented to the Valdosta Wildcats at head coach Shelton Felton in the school’s gymnasium on Oct. 13, 2022.

The game was the first in the series since 2010 in which both teams were ranked and playing in the same region. It was the first since 2016 that Valdosta had won.

“I’ve been fortunate to have covered a lot of games and been part of great game-day atmospheres outside the stadium with the fans tailgating and then inside where you could feel the intensity building up during warmups, but nothing like what I witnessed Friday night,” said Phil Jones, a Valdosta radio host and sports podcaster.

Valdosta is GHSF Daily’s state Team of the Week. The award is sponsored by BSN Sports and Titan Electric.