High school football predictions for Friday

By Chip Saye

For the AJC

Top-ranked teams haven’t had it easy this year.

Through the first six full weeks of the season, teams ranked No. 1 in their classifications have lost five times. That happened only twice all season in 2008, and both of those were in Class AAAA.

The most recent No. 1 to fall was Lowndes last week, 10-7 against a Northside-Warner Robins team that already had taken down Carver-Columbus, which was No. 1 in Class AAA at the time. Other top-ranked teams that couldn’t hold the spots were Southwest DeKalb and Tucker in Class AAAA and Buford in AA.

This week we’ll look at the five current No. 1 teams, what they face tonight and their prospects for the rest of the regular season.

*Griffin (Class AAAA): The Bears have the most difficult task of any of the No. 1 teams tonight, going on the road to take on fifth-ranked North Clayton at Southern Crescent Stadium. Last year, Griffin stayed around two weeks longer in the playoffs than North Clayton, but the Eagles won their regular-season meeting and captured the 4-AAAA championship. Griffin returns the favor this time. Dutchtown and Alcovy, each with one loss, are the other big hurdles remaining on the Bears’ schedule, but Griffin will clear them all and head into the playoffs 10-0.

*Calhoun (Class AA): The Yellow Jackets’ are No. 1 for the first time since 1953, but to stay there they will have to win on the road tonight against a Chattooga team that is 5-0 for the first time since 2000, which also was the last time Chattooga beat Calhoun. This is Calhoun’s best chance to lose one, at least during the regular season, but Calhoun appears too strong to lose this or any other game before the playoffs.

*Grayson (Class AAAAA): The Rams’ and their opponent, Brookwood, enter tonight’s game unbeaten in Region 8-AAAAA. Unlike Grayson, however, Brookwood already has dropped lopsided decisions to two ranked teams -- 42-32 to No. 6 McEachern and 41-13 to No. 3 North Gwinnett. Grayson will hand Brookwood another loss and for all practical purposes wrap up the region championship. The Rams’ final three opponents -- Berkmar, Meadowcreek and Central Gwinnett -- are winless.

*Gainesville (Class AAA): The Red Elephants have the easiest task of the five No. 1 teams this week, traveling to East Hall, which is 0-5 this season and 2-23 since the start of the 2007 season. Gainesville wins this one easily. Its biggest test will come in the season finale Nov. 6, when it travels to eighth-ranked Flowery Branch with the Region 7-AAA Div. B championship at stake.

*Wesleyan (Class A): It’s going to be hard for anyone to beat the Wolves if nobody can score on them. Wesleyan has allowed eight points in six games, a state-best average of 1.3 points per game. Prince Avenue Christian, tonight’s opponent, has scored only 17 points in its current three-game losing streak. Wesleyan, the only team ranked No. 1 all season, wins this one and keeps its defensive stats sparkling. Wesleyan has perennial playoff teams Commerce and Athens Academy in the next two weeks, but the Wolves are head and shoulders better than the rest in Class A, so a 10-0 season appears likely.

But don’t take my word for it. Of the five games in which the No. 1 team lost this season, I predicted only one of them.

Produced by Georgia High School Football Daily

The weekend predictions

Last week: 124-34 (.785); Overall: 772-225 (.774)

Friday

Winner+Loser

Adairsville+Gordon Central

Alexander+Douglas Co.

Americus-Sumter+Upson-Lee

Apalachee+Habersham Central

Athens Academy+Mt. Paran

Bacon Co.+Pelham

Banneker+Villa Rica

Benedictine+Brantley Co.

Berkmar+Meadowcreek

Bowdon+Gordon Lee

Bradwell Inst.+Windsor Forest

Brooks Co.+Early Co.

Brookstone+Stewart Co.

Brunswick+Effingham Co.

Buford+Cross Keys

Burke Co.+Richmond Hill

Calhoun+Chattooga

Calhoun Co.+Randolph-Clay

Callaway+Lamar Co.

Camden Co.+Groves

Carrollton+Haralson Co.

Carver-Atlanta+Riverwood

Carver-Columbus+Troup

Cedar Grove+McNair

Central-Carroll+Cedartown

Charlton Co.+Long Co.

Chattahoochee Co.+Taylor Co.

Cherokee+Kennesaw Mtn.

Chestatee+Gilmer

Clarke Central+Salem

Claxton+Portal

Clinch Co.+Lanier Co.

Collins Hill+Duluth

Colquitt Co.+Tift Co.

Commerce+Athens Christian

Cook+Mitchell Co.

Crawford Co.+Jordan

Creekview+White Co.

Crisp Co.+Worth Co.

Cross Creek+Harlem

Dade Co.+Sonoraville

Dalton+Cass

Darlington+Bremen

Decatur+GAC

Dodge Co.+Toombs Co.

Dooly Co.+Hawkinsville

Druid Hills+Columbia

Dublin+Vidalia

Dunwoody+Towers

Dutchtown+Ola

ELCA+Mt. Pisgah

East Coweta+Lovejoy

East Paulding+North Cobb

Elbert Co.+Morgan Co.

Evans+Westside-Augusta

Fayette Co.+Northgate

Fitzgerald+Berrien

Flowery Branch+North Hall

Forest Park+Stockbridge

Franklin Co.+Jackson Co.

Gainesville+East Hall

Glascock Co.+Hancock Central

Grayson+Brookwood

Greenbrier+Luella

Greenville+Central-Talbotton

Griffin+North Clayton

Grovetown+Locust Grove

Hardaway+Jones Co.

Hart Co.+Eastside

Heard Co.+Macon Co.

Hebron Christ.+N. Cobb Christ.

Henry Co.+Greene Co.

Hephzibah+Glenn Hills

Hillgrove+Osborne

Hiram+Paulding Co.

Holy Innocents’+Landmark

Howard+Monticello

Jackson+Woodland-Henry

Jefferson Co.+East Laurens

Johnson-Gainesville+West Hall

Johnson-Savannah+Beach

Johnson Co.+Jenkins Co.

Josey+Butler

Kell+Centennial

Laney+Bleckley Co.

Lassiter+Alpharetta

Lakeside-Evans+Richmond Acad.

Liberty Co.+West Laurens

Lithonia+Miller Grove

Lovett+Blessed Trinity

Lowndes+Valdosta

Lumpkin Co.+Pickens

M.L. King+Newton

Madison Co.+Loganville

Marietta+South Cobb

Marist+Forsyth Central

Mary Persons+Eagle’s Landing

McIntosh Co. Acad.+Jeff Davis

Metter+Wheeler Co.

Montgomery Co.+Ga. Military

Mt. Zion-Jonesboro+Jonesboro

Mountain View+Johns Creek

Newnan+Riverdale

Norcross+Northview

North Forsyth+South Forsyth

North Gwinnett+Chattahoochee

North Paulding+Aquinas

Northeast-Macon+Central-Macon

Northside-W.R.+Coffee

O.L. of Mercy+SW Atl. Christian

Parkview+Dacula

Peach Co.+Cairo

Peachtree Ridge+Mill Creek

Pebblebrook+Morrow

Pepperell+Temple

Pope+Campbell

Putnam Co.+Southwest-Macon

Ridgeland+Ringgold

Rockdale Co.+Cedar Shoals

Rockmart+Coosa

Rome+Murray Co.

Roswell+Wheeler

Sandy Creek+McIntosh

Savannah Christian+Bryan Co.

Sav. Country Day+Calvary Day

Schley Co.+Pacelli Catholic

Seminole Co.+Terrell Co.

Sequoyah+Woodland-Bartow

Shiloh+Central Gwinnett

Social Circle+Lakeview Acad.

Spalding+South Atlanta

Sprayberry+Paulding Co.

Statesboro+Glynn Academy

Stephens Co.+Oconee Co.

Stephenson+Redan

Stone Mountain+Lakeside-DeKalb

Swainsboro+Screven Co.

Tattnall Co.+Pierce Co.

Telfair Co.+Turner Co.

Thomas Co. Central+Lee Co.

Thomasville+Albany

Treutlen+ECI

Tri-Cities+Lithia Springs

Tucker+North Springs

Twiggs Co.+Irwin Co.

Walker+Mt. Zion-Carroll

Walton+Milton

Ware Co.+South Effingham

Washington+North Atlanta

Washington Co.+Thomson

Wesleyan+Prince Avenue

Westlake+Creekside

Westminster+Avondale

Westside-Macon+Harris Co.

Whitefield Acad.+Fellowship

Whitewater+Starr’s Mill

Wilkinson Co.+Warren Co.

Winder-Barrow+Monroe Area

Woodstock+Harrison

Woodward Acad.+Jackson-Atl.

Saturday

Chapel Hill+Mundy’s Mill

Grady+Therrell

Jenkins+Savannah

Monroe+Dougherty

Pike Co.+Spencer

Shaw+Columbus

Southwest DeKalb+Chamblee

Union Grove+Douglass

*Games involving out-of-state teams not included