Region play got into full swing in 5-AAAAAA and 7-AAAAAA this weekend, and Mays and Centennial came up the biggest winners.
Mays (Region 5), playing its first game since coach Corey Jarvis was fired by the Atlanta school board earlier this week, rallied under interim coach Niketa Battle and knocked off undefeated Hughes 47-28. The victory puts the Raiders in an early first-place tie with Alexander, Creekside and Northgate. Creekside plays at Northgate in next week’s big game in the region.
Centennial (Region 7) got off on the right football in region play with a 31-30 victory over preseason favorite Alpharetta. Centennial hasn’t had a winning season since 2007, and the Knights’ only region championship came in 2002. Centennial is joined in first place by Cambridge (a 53-26 winner over Chattahoochee), Dunwoody (14-10 over North Atlanta) and Johns Creek (39-13 over Pope).
Region play begins in earnest in 4-AAAAAA and 6-AAAAAA next weekend.
Here are some of the other big stories in Class AAAAAA from Week 4:
*Best loss in a region opener: Douglas County, which went 2-8 in 2015, still had a lot to prove despite its 2-0 start. The Tigers showed that they can compete with the best teams in a tough region, losing their 5-AAAAAA opener 14-13 to No. 5 Northgate, which rallied from a 13-0 second-half deficit. Douglas County will try to bounce back next week against 0-3 South Paulding.
*A year too late: It looks like Valdosta could've stayed with the big boys, after all. The Wildcats, who are not playing in the highest class this year for the first time in decides, recorded their second decisive victory in two tries against their old region rivals when they beat Tift County 42-13. Valdosta will try to make it 3-for-3 against 1-AAAAAAA when it hosts Colquitt County on Sept. 23.
*Glynn Academy rolling: Glynn Academy won its third consecutive game, beating Camden County by a shocking final score of 56-7. The Red Terrors led 42-0 at halftime and increased it to 49-0 on their first possession of the second half. Camden County is 0-3 for the first time since 1969 (not including forfeits) and suffered its most-lopsided loss since a 58-6 game against Appling County in 1988.
*Stephenson gets much-needed win: Stephenson avoided its first 0-3 start since 2004 with a 21-0 victory over rival Southwest DeKalb. The Jaguars, who open Region 4-AAAAAA play at Lovejoy next week, had lost to Cedar Grove and Mill Creek in their first two games. Stephenson has won six consecutive games against Southwest DeKalb and allowed just 14 points during the streak.
*Fromm watch: His numbers continue to be staggering. Houston County quarterback Jake Fromm passed for 492 yards and seven touchdowns, according to the Macon Telegraph, in a 58-27 victory over Veterans. For the season, Fromm has passed for 1,868 yards (467 per game) and 19 touchdowns in four games and is on pace to break the state's single-season passing in the regular-season finale.
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