Jenkins quarterback Demetrius Holloway Jr. plans to speak to the team at practice on Thursday, one day before the Warriors’ biggest game of the season in the GHSA Class 3A state quarterfinal playoffs.
“Just tell the guys, eat smart, don’t eat too much, don’t eat heavy,” the senior said this week ahead of Thanksgiving. “You know, after we get this win on Friday, come back and get some leftovers. Leftovers taste good, too.”
While many of us may be indulging in a full day of family, food, and watching NFL games, football teams at four Savannah high schools will complete a week of practice with early morning sessions before spending the rest of the day celebrating the holiday.
It’s an unusual week in a sport that craves routine, with schools on break, practices at different times, and a fun, fulfilling, and potentially disruptive day hours before teams get into game-day mode with seasons on the line.
Viewed from another angle, they must be doing something right to still be playing football the fourth full week in November.
“First thing, it’s a blessing to be able to play football this far into the season,” Calvary Day junior quarterback James Mobley IV said this week. “A lot of teams in Georgia don’t ever get to play this far.”
Mobley, whose Calvary Day squad has reached at least the quarterfinal round in each of his three seasons and six consecutively, is one to count his blessings. He is grateful to spend time with his family as well as his football family -- teammates and coaches who have been building a bond throughout the year.
“Coaches always tell us, have fun, spend time with your family, but also keep in mind that we have a game Friday,” Mobley said. “With this group, we really won’t have to worry about that. This is a really good group from the freshmen to the seniors. We’ve been doing really good this year – everybody staying under control, everybody being positive. Just keeping that mindset, that’s really driven us this playoff run.”
Here's a look at how Calvary Day, Jenkins, Benedictine, and Savannah Christian have approached this week.
Benedictine
The Cadets (9-2) will host the Central Lions (12-0) of Carrollton at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Memorial Stadium for their sixth consecutive trip to the quarterfinals.
Coach Danny Britt said that with classes out for the week, the team practiced starting with a team meeting at 9 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Thanksgiving Day practice will be from 8 to 10 a.m.
“We’ve done that a little bit differently,” Britt said. “We’ve practiced a little bit earlier before, which the kids actually like because they get done sooner. But I don’t like it because there’s so much to prepare for, we’d have to get here at like 4 in the morning as coaches. I’d rather not do that.”
Whatever the schedule, it’s working. This senior class of Cadets has played the day after Thanksgiving in every season.
Last year, Benedictine (7-5) lost at Blessed Trinity in the Class 4A quarterfinals; in 2023, the Cadets (13-1) beat North Oconee in the quarterfinals before falling to Stockbridge in the semifinals.
In 2022, Benedictine (13-2) beat Stockbridge the day after Thanksgiving, then eliminated Troup County and edged Cedartown 14-13 for the Class 4A state championship. The Cadets have won four state titles in Britt’s 15 seasons.
Britt said players and coaches seem “somewhat refreshed” on game day during the holiday break. He’s not going to restrict their full experience of Thanksgiving.
“They’re teenage boys. Go eat. Go get after it,” Britt said of his Thursday message to the team. “It will be, go get after it, enjoy, watch football, go hunting, whatever you do normally, go enjoy it. We’ll see you the next day.”
Calvary Day
The Cavaliers (10-1) will host Whitefield Academy (9-2) of Mableton at 7 p.m. Friday in the Class 1A-3A Private quarterfinals.
The team was together from 9 a.m. to about 12:30 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday, with practice scheduled for 6-7:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving.
Coach Jason Cameron noted that the early start is not unusual for the squad, as it practiced on Wednesdays from 6-8 a.m. during the regular season. The school makes Wednesday a late-arrival day for all students while teachers have meetings.
The football team uses that time to practice, then players have the afternoon free for academics.
“We did that early in the year because of thunderstorms and stuff,” Cameron said of weather patterns in Southeast Georgia and the importance of not missing practice time outside. “You practice in the morning, you’re less likely to get crushed in the afternoon with a thunderstorm or heat. So we did it a lot early in the season. It became who we were the rest of the year every Wednesday.”
The Cavaliers will have played the day after Thanksgiving in each of the senior class’ four seasons. Last year, CDS (10-2) lost to Prince Avenue Christian in the Private quarterfinals.
In 2023, Calvary (13-1) topped Wesleyan in the Class 3A quarters before losing to Cedar Grove in the semifinals. In 2022, CDS (11-1) fell to Cedar Grove in the Class 3A quarters.
Cameron, a veteran head coach in his first season at the helm of Calvary, said a game on Thanksgiving week is an accomplishment in Georgia football, and it’s an honor to still be playing. That won’t curtail the enjoyment of the holiday too much.
“I want them to do their normal routine,” Cameron said. “They’re kids and it’s the quarterfinals. They’ll have fresh legs and be excited to play. More importantly, I think they’ve each got to value that time with their families. We put so much time into this. Any time you get to spend an entire day with your family, some extended family, I think they just soak all that up.”
Jenkins
The Warriors (11-1) will travel to Dexter to face West Laurens (12-0) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in the GHSA Class 3A quarterfinals.
This group of seniors has been to the playoffs every season under coach Tony Welch, who has produced playoff teams in all five of his years at Jenkins.
The Warriors played the day after Thanksgiving in 2023, when they were 5-8 and finished a strong playoff run in the quarterfinals at Cartersville. Holloway recalled how the team traveled from Savannah on Thursday and stayed overnight for the game.
“We left early in the morning, so it was just us as brothers,” he said of his teammates. “We went out to eat at a buffet for Thanksgiving.”
Yes, it was all-you-can-eat, but Holloway knew when it was time to push away from the table.
“I didn’t eat that much,” he said. “I was focused, locked in, ready for the next day, had a big game.”
Welch has kept practice relatively normal this week before a long day on Friday. The Warriors scheduled sessions at 3 p.m. on Monday, then 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, then Thursday at 5:30 a.m. – which is their norm.
“We practice every Thursday at 5:30,” Welch said of the regular-season schedule. “It’s not a change for the kids. Even when school is in, we’re practicing at 5:30.”
Thursdays are when the junior varsity played games, so the coaching staff is available to help out, and the varsity players are free to attend games.
“Our biggest thing is they’re used to it. Now they get more opportunity to rest,” the coach said of this Thanksgiving, when he will talk to the team before sending them home. “They know what’s at stake. We’ve got to be smart. We’ve got to be smart when you are around the coaches and be smart when you’re not around the coaches.”
He's confident that the Warriors, who won the Region 3-3A title at 9-0, will be ready for Friday. They’ll meet for breakfast at 8 a.m., provided by their boosters, and be on the road by 11:30 a.m., stopping in Dublin for the pre-game meal before their destination in Dexter.
“Everybody’s locked in – coaches, players, administrators, our fans and our community supporters,” Welch said. “We know what’s at stake. If you’re high school football coach, you want to be playing after Thanksgiving. If you don’t, then there’s just something wrong.”
Savannah Christian
The Raiders (7-4) have a rematch with Fellowship Christian (9-1) in the Class 1A-3A Private quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Friday in Roswell. The Paladins won a regular-season game 52-21 on Sept. 12 at Pooler Stadium.
Savannah Christian practiced on the artificial turf of Pooler Stadium from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. For that last session – No. 71 of 2025 -- parents of senior players rewarded the team by providing pizza and hot dogs.
The team will practice at the school at 7:15 a.m. Thursday for about 90 minutes before head coach Baker Woodward “cuts everybody loose for Thanksgiving.”
“I kind of say the same thing every year,” said Woodward, in his eighth season. “As far as Thanksgiving practice week, all week, each senior has said something that they’re thankful for and why.
“After practice on Thursday, we want them to go hang out with family, enjoy themselves, go to bed early enough, get them up in the morning (Friday), and keep them moving,” he continued, noting a plan to leave about 8:30 a.m. Friday, pass through Dublin for food, make stops to stretch their legs, stage a walk-through at Mount Pisgah, and have the pre-game meal at a steakhouse in Roswell.
“The words of wisdom, are, look, we’ve practiced enough. You guys have had over 70 practices, 24 summer workouts, 10 spring practices. Now it’s time to enjoy it, enjoy being out there in a game.”
Savannah Christian has qualified for the state playoffs for 20 straight years. This senior class is playing on the day after Thanksgiving for the fourth time. Last year, the Raiders lost to North Cobb Christian in the Private bracket.
In 2023, SCPS beat Lumpkin County in the Class 3A quarterfinals, then topped Carver in the semifinals before losing to Cedar Grove for the state title. In 2022, the Raiders lost to eventual state champion Sandy Creek in the 3A quarters.
Woodward will remind his charges before Friday’s game that a lot of high school football players in Georgia are sitting at home, and some of the Raiders won’t be able to play because of injuries.
“When you cross that white line,” Woodward will tell them, “you need to give us everything that you’ve got, give our team everything you’ve got, give the guys that can’t even play tonight everything you’ve got and enjoy yourself because it’s a privilege to be playing on Thanksgiving week, for sure.”
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Photo Credit: Courtesy SMN Dennis Knight, Calvary Day School Athletic Department, Benedictine military School Communications Department, SCPS Athletics
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