High school football fans that enjoy the excitement of local rivalries are in for a treat once the area prep season kicks off in just less than two months’ time.

The 2009 season will be highlighted by what are shaping up to be fierce battles inside and across county lines.

The regular season kicks off on Aug. 28 with the annual Backyard Brawl as Ridgeland will travel to Chickamauga to take on Gordon Lee in newly-renovated Billy Neil Ellis Stadium.

The Trojans will remain at home the following week as longtime rival Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe will pay a visit.

The game will be one-third of a big Friday night in Walker County as LaFayette will entertain rival Trion and Ridgeland will host a Calhoun squad that includes SEC commitments Nash Nance (Vanderbilt) and Da’Rick Rogers (Georgia).

The Trion game will mark the first of four consecutive home games for the Ramblers, who will battle Murray County, LFO and Cartersville to finish out the month of September.

On the flip side, Gordon Lee’s game with LFO will be the Trojans’ final home game until October. Gordon Lee will travel to Heritage and Fyffe (Ala.), then use an off week to prepare for a trip to archrival Trion where they will look to make it five straight over the Bulldogs on Oct. 2.

Ridgeland will tune up for the 6-AAA North stretch run with a trip to Darlington and a visit from Cedartown before battling at LFO on Oct. 2.

Dates to circle on the calendar for October include Ridgeland’s home game against Ringgold on Oct. 9, and LaFayette’s trip to face the Tigers on Oct. 16. Both games last year ended with identical 28-26 scores in favor of the Walker County teams.

Gordon Lee will get to play at home in two of their biggest games of the year, Oct. 9 against Bowdon and Oct. 23 against three-time defending region champion Bremen.

The annual Ringgold-LFO clash will take place Oct. 23 in the Warriors’ backyard while the Walker County Civil War between the Ramblers and Panthers will take place Oct. 30. Last year’s LaFayette-Ridgeland game was for the 6-AAA North subregion title.

Gordon Lee will finish the regular season at home on Nov. 6 while teams in 6-AAA North will travel south in the final crossover games of the year to determine the four spots for the state playoffs, which begins Nov. 13.