When Chamblee plays host to Dunwoody for the 28th edition of the storied rivalry game on October 24, the teams will play for their famed ‘Golden Spike’. But this year, there will be a heightened level of excitement as the game will host the Class of 2025 inductees of the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame for the annual Hall of Fame Game.

“The rivalry is huge,” said head coach Bob Swank, who will lead his team on the field for Chamblee’s television debut. “This IS our rivalry game.”

Alumni from each program will be inducted into the Hall of Fame the day after Chamblee and Dunwoody face off. Steve Wallace, a 1982 graduate of Chamblee, and Harris Barton, a 1982 graduate of Dunwoody, competed fiercely in high school – both as offensive tackles.

Wallace played college football at Auburn and was selected in the fourth round of the 1986 NFL Draft (101st overall) by the San Francisco 49ers. Barton played college ball at North Carolina and was selected as the 22nd-overall pick in the 1987 NFL Draft, also by the 49ers. Each player won three Super Bowls (XXIII, XXIV and XXIX) as teammates in San Francisco.

In addition to the excitement, the game will mark the first broadcast game featuring first-year Chamblee offensive coordinator Ed Reed, who joined the coaching staff in January following an illustrious football career that placed him in both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dunwoody owns a 15-12 margin in the series which dates to 1974. Dunwoody has bested Chamblee in each of the past two seasons which ended a streak of three-consecutive victories for Chamblee from 2020-2022.

This season, Chamblee is 1-3 and is coming off a Region 4-5A victory against Decatur 36-10 while Dunwoody is 2-2 and coming off a 41-14 victory against Tri-Cities, also in their Region 4-5A opener.

“The game is still about a month away,” Swank said. “But just judging off the two teams, I think it should be a pretty even matchup. We’re both going to be vying for a playoff spot and the game will undoubtedly have playoff implications by the time we get there.

”There is another link between the Class of 2025 and the hosting Bulldogs. Americus legend Fabian Walker – who graduated in 1998 and will be inducted alongside Wallace and Barton – coached at Chamblee and his son, Fabian Walker Jr., who is now a freshman at Savannah State, played quarterback for Swank while his father was the quarterbacks coach for the Bulldogs.

“Walker was our quarterbacks coach for three years and his son played the position for us,” Swank said. “So I look forward to the game and the induction ceremony.”  

Follow the links to purchase tickets to the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame VIP Reception and Induction Ceremony, or see the full list of the Class of 2025. The VIP Reception starts at 5 p.m. and will offer all guests an opportunity for a meet-and-greet with each of this year's inductees or a representative from their family if they are no longer with us, as well as an autograph session. A tailgate-style buffet will be available to all, along with access to an open bar. A VIP ticket also includes access to the Induction Ceremony.

The Induction Ceremony will begin at 6:45 p.m. and will include a red carpet walk by each Hall of Famer before they receive their Hall of Fame jacket, medal and plaque. There will also be a dessert buffet afterwards with an opportunity to get selfies and autographs from this year's inductees.

Come October 24, the action will start ahead of the Score Atlanta broadcast of the Hall of Fame Game at 8 p.m. with the Georgia High School Countdown to Kickoff, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and the Peachtree Sports Network (cable and YouTube TV). The pregame show, which will feature on-air talent Rusty Mansell, Brandon Adams and Kaylee Mansell will preview the upcoming matchup with each person picking their winning team, along with interviews from each participating head coach and inductees from this year’s Hall of Fame class who will be featured throughout the evening broadcast.

After the clock hits zero, stay tuned after the game for the Georgia High School Postgame Show, which will be broadcast live from the Score Atlanta Studio, with Score Atlanta’s Craig Sager II, Max Wolborsky, Hayden Gilbert and Landon Knight featured on the program. The postgame show will run from game’s end till midnight with a full breakdown of the game, call-in guests chiming in to voice their opinions, and updates from other top-tier games around the state. The postgame show, like the pregame show, will be broadcast live on Atlanta News First and the Peachtree Sports Network, and will be streamed digitally on the Atlanta News First website/app as well as the National Federation High School (NFHS) Network.