Meadowcreek brings new look, new region into games with Chamblee, Dunwoody

Chamblee and Dunwoody will both face a Meadowcreek program that looks different from the team that went 1-8 last season.

The Mustangs, now in Region 4-6A alongside both local squads after the GHSA's reclassification cycle dropped them from Class 7A, return a batch of playmakers and a 6-foot-3 sophomore quarterback in Carter Bryant. Chamblee hosts Meadowcreek on Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m. at North DeKalb Stadium. Dunwoody draws the Mustangs on Nov. 6 in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Head coach Johnny Burdette enters his second year at the Norcross school after a career as a Gwinnett County assistant that began at Berkmar. His overall record stands at 1-23, but the program's trajectory shifted in October 2025 when Meadowcreek rallied to beat Berkmar 21-14, snapping a 17-game losing streak that dated to 2024.

That lone win kept the Mustangs from posting consecutive winless seasons. It also changed the locker room.

Burdette told Rough Draft Atlanta on Aug. 8 that the offseason has been transformative. "We are definitely ahead of schedule and way ahead of where we were last year with it being my first year and I was still leading the track and field team," Burdette said. "This year I didn't have to do that, so we were able to be in the weight room and out there doing field work."

The Mustangs played Osborne in a spring scrimmage and Burdette said the coaching staff saw encouraging results.

Who to watch

On defense, seniors Patrique Prioleau and Savion Mitchell return after leading the team in tackles in 2025. The secondary and linebacker corps will need to hold up against Chamblee's deep skill group and Dunwoody's offense.

The receiving corps features Ty Samuel, Demetrius Hardy, Brian Hicks and Dontarius Sanders, a quartet Burdette has called "phenomenal athletes." Bryant, the sophomore signal-caller, has three years of eligibility remaining and gives the offense a long-term centerpiece.

New region, new opponents

The GHSA's reclassification placed Meadowcreek in a region that also includes Alcovy, Decatur, Heritage-Conyers, Midtown, Shiloh and Woodward Academy. MaxPreps currently lists the Oct. 1 Chamblee-Meadowcreek game as a non-region contest, while Meadowcreek's own schedule shows it as a region matchup. The Nov. 6 game against Dunwoody appears on both as a region contest.

As we reported Aug. 7, Chamblee opens its season Aug. 21 at Miller Grove under sixth-year coach Bob Swank. Dunwoody opens Aug. 20 at the Corky Kell Classic against Centennial.