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Sunday, August 17, 2008
AJC High School Football rankings: August 18, 2008
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I read Saturday where only five college teams in the last 30 years have won national championships after starting the season No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. In Georgia high school football, it’s not that unusual. This decade, 15 of the 40 teams that we’ve picked No. 1 in preseason won state championships.
That’s good news for Lowndes, Ware County, Cairo, Buford and ECI — our No. 1 teams to start the 2008 season.
ECI is the closest thing to a lock, but for the rest, I think the chances are less than 50-50. Lowndes should be tremendous, but the return of Northside-Warner Robins and the depth of Class AAAAA will make it tough for anybody. Ware is the team to beat in Class AAAA, but it never has won a state title, and there’s a new coach. I almost put Tucker No. 1.
In Class AAA, everybody likes Cairo, but Carver-Columbus is the defending champion with Jarvis Jones, perhaps the best player in the state. In Class AA, Buford returns only five starters in a classification that picked up Henry County and Westminster from AAA.
OK, let’s hear it: Which teams are overrated? Which teams were snubbed?
Class AAAAA
1. Lowndes
2. Northside-Warner Robins
3. Camden County
4. M.L. King
5. Newnan
6. Grayson
7. Norcross
8. North Gwinnett
9. Valdosta
10. Harrison
Class AAAA
1. Ware County
2. Tucker
3. Westside-Macon
4. Thomas County Central
5. Rome
6. Griffin
7. Chamblee
8. Bainbridge
9. Habersham Central
10. Marist
Class AAA
1. Cairo
2. Carver-Columbus
3. Baldwin
4. LaGrange
5. Shaw
6. St. Pius X
7. Perry
8. Dunwoody
9. Carrollton
10. Flowery Branch
Class AA
1. Buford
2. Charlton County
3. Thomasville
4. Henry County
5. Westminster
6. Fitzgerald
7. Lovett
8. Dublin
9. Cook
10. Greater Atlanta Christian
Class A
1. ECI
2. Clinch County
3. Wilcox County
4. Lincoln County
5. Athens Academy
6. Savannah Christian
7. Bremen
8. Twiggs County
9. Brookstone
10. Wesleyan
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