The 64th edition of the Winnersville Classic was one to remember, as the Wildcats took down the Vikings and brought home the Region 1-6A Championship for the first time since 2016. Lowndes started the game strong, as Texas A&M commit Jayce Johnson opened up the scoring, taking a 26-yard QB draw to the house. After the teams traded punts, Valdosta responded with QB Tyrieke Wade connecting with WR Jamarion Mingo, who made a one-handed catch with the defender draped all over him for a 43-yard passing touchdown. From there both defenses took over, imposing their wills and getting every key stop. Just before halftime, Valdosta ended the scoring drought when Wade found RB Deron Foster for a 38-yard touchdown to bring the score to 13-7 at the break. After forcing a punt to begin the second half, Lowndes QB Jayce Johnson again found space on a QB run, getting to the one-yard line before following his offensive line into the endzone on the ensuing play to give the Vikings a 14-13 lead. The rest of the game was controlled by the Wildcats as they responded quickly, marching down the field, as Wade found WR Marquis Fennell for his 3rd touchdown pass of the night, giving Valdosta the lead for good. After the Wildcats defense continued to stack stops, Alans Garcia nailed a 41-yard field goal to push the lead to two scores with just a few minutes to play. Lowndes got the ball back looking to keep the game alive, but a tipped pass on the first play was intercepted, as the Wildcats took over and kneeled the ball to run out the clock. Tyrieke Wade brought home MVP honors as his 257 total yards and 3 touchdown passes led Valdosta to a 23-14 victory in the Winnersville Classic.