The 2026 high school football season will open with a historic matchup as Gordon Lee visits Trion on Friday, August 21, in the latest installment of what is considered Georgia’s oldest high school football rivalry.
The game kicks off at 7 p.m. and will be televised across the Chattanooga area on The CW Chattanooga as part of the 2026 season of Friday Night Rivals.
The broadcast will mark the first time the Gordon Lee-Trion rivalry has been televised regionally, bringing one of Northwest Georgia’s longest-running football traditions to a regional audience.
Friday Night Rivals began in 2013 and features 10 high school football games broadcast live each season. This year’s schedule includes 10 games spread across 11 weeks, with several other Northwest Georgia matchups featured.
The schedule includes Heritage at Ringgold on August 28, televised on MyNetworkTV; Northwest Whitfield at North Murray on September 11; and LFO at Christian Heritage on October 30.
Chris Goforth and Scott McMahan return in the broadcast booth, marking their 11th season together.
The complete Friday Night Rivals 2026 schedule is below: (All games on The CW Chattanooga unless noted)
8/21- Gordon Lee @ Trion start 7
8/28- Heritage @ Ringgold start 7:30 (MyNetwork TV Chattanooga)
9/4- Signal Mountain @ Soddy Daisy start 7
9/11- Northwest Whitfield @ North Murray start 7
9/25- Rhea County @ East Hamilton start 7
10/2- Bradley Central High School @ Cleveland High School start 7
10/9- Red Bank @ Hixson start 7 (TBD)
10/16- Sale Creek @ South Pittsburg start 8
10/23- Sequatchie County @ Walker Valley start 7 (MyNetwork TV Chattanooga)
10/30- Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe @ Christian Heritage start 7