Week 6 of the high school football season featured two of the state’s biggest crosstown rivalries, and the Class AAAAAA teams involved did not have a good night.
Top-ranked Valdosta (5-1) lost to Lowndes 24-0, the Wildcats’ third consecutive loss in the series and their 12th in the past 16 meetings. The shutout was Lowndes’ second in three years against the Wildcats.
Lowndes came in ranked No. 2 in Class AAAAAAA and is in prime position to take over the No. 1 spot next week after Grayson, this week’s No. 1 team, lost to Colquitt County 31-7. Valdosta beat Colquitt County 50-49 on Sept. 13.
Valdosta is off next week and begins Region 1 play on Oct. 11 against 10th-ranked Houston County.
In Warner Robins, Northside lost to Warner Robins 39-0. It was the Demons’ third consecutive victory in the series after losing 16 of the previous 21 meetings, and the 39-point margin of victory was their largest ever against their rivals. Warner Robins (4-1), ranked No. 6 in Class AAAAA, has its longest winning streak against the Eagles since winning seven straight from 1989 to 1995. Northside is 3-3 heading into Region 1 play on Oct. 11 at Coffee.
- Elsewhere in Class AAAAAA, region play is in full swing in four of the eight regions, and fourth-ranked Harrison came up with the biggest victory of the night. The Hoyas put up 509 yards of total offense, scored on their first six possessions and beat No. 7 Dalton 42-21. The Hoyas “limited” Dalton’s Jahmyr Gibbs, the state’s leading rusher, to 223 yards (63 below his season average). Harrison (6-0, 4-0) is in sole possession of first place in Region 6, a half-game ahead of No. 6 Allatoona (3-1, 3-0), which had the week off. Dalton (4-1, 2-1) fell into third place.
“We’ve just got to stay healthy and keep moving forward,” Harrison coach Matt Dickmann said. “We’ve got another big one in two weeks.” Harrison is off next week and plays at Allatoona on Oct. 11.
- Defending Region 7 champion Johns Creek is in sole possession of first place after a 42-28 victory over Northview in a matchup of the only remaining unbeaten teams in region play. Johns Creek (4-1, 3-0) scored on its four first-half possessions and got a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by John Stegenga and led 35-0 at halftime. Northview (3-2, 2-1) fell into a tie for third place with Pope (3-2, 2-1), a half game behind Alpharetta (2-2, 2-0).
- M.L. King’s remarkable turnaround season continued with a 41-25 victory over Mundy’s Mill in Region 4. M.L. King was 1-9 last season but is undefeated the season’s midway point, and the Lions (4-0, 2-0) are one of three remaining unbeaten teams in region play, behind Lovejoy (4-1, 3-0) and Tucker (3-2, 3-0). Mount Zion-Jonesboro (2-3, 2-1), which went 2-8 last year, is in fourth place after beating Forest Park 40-0 Thursday night.
- South Paulding, a 2-8 team a year ago, remained unbeaten in Region 5 play with a 49-0 victory over Northgate. The Spartans (4-1, 3-0) are one of three unbeaten teams in the region, along with Creekside (3-0, 3-2) and Mays (3-1, 2-0). Creekside, the defending region champion, beat Tri-Cities 53-6, and Mays (3-1, 2-0) had the week off. Douglas County (3-2, 2-1), the region runner-up last year, took possession of fourth place with a 28-20 victory over Hughes.
- In all, three of the top 10 teams lost Friday night. In addition to Valdosta and Dalton, Glynn Academy was knocked off by Class AAAAA Ware County 35-13. Glynn Academy (2-2) had moved into the rankings this week at No. 9. Second-ranked Dacula (35-0 over Rockdale County) and No. 8 Lanier (43-6 over Lambert) had easy nights, while No. 3 Coffee, No. 5 Lee County, and No. 10 Houston had the week off.
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