Roswell has returned, and Dutchtown has arrived.
Those were two of the big winners in Georgia high school football on a Friday night that saw a good half-dozen significant surprises.
Those would include Tift County’s comeback victory over Lowndes in Region 1-AAAAAAA.
But first, the upset of the night.
Roswell – a team that slumped to 3-7 last season after state runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2017 – is back in the business of championships after defeating No. 2 Walton 32-31 in a game that likely will decide Region 4-AAAAAAA.
Roswell (7-1, 3-0) drew within 31-30 on Kamonty Jett’s 9-yard run in the final two minutes and went ahead on a two-point conversion. Roswell can win the region with a victory next week over Woodstock (3-5, 1-2). Walton fell to 7-1, 2-1.
As for Dutchtown, there’s a new No. 1 team among Henry County Schools.
The fifth-ranked Bulldogs of Class AAAAA defeated No. 3 Stockbridge 21-14 on Friday night to take the lead in Region 4-AAAAA. Stockbridge had won 29 straight region games.
The score was 14-14 entering the fourth quarter. Ja’Shaun Poke intercepted a pass in Stockbridge territory, and Nate McCollum scored the game-winner on a 38-yard run with 9:14 left.
The game marked only the second time in history that two Henry County public schools had played when both were ranked.
Dutchtown can clinch its first region title next week with a victory over Eagle’s Landing (1-7, 0-5). The school opened in 2004.
In other news, Tift emerged as the top contender to Colquitt County in 1-AAAAAAA with its 21-17 victory over Lowndes. Patrick Felton threw a long TD pass to Tyler Ajiero for the go ahead score with 2:45 left.
There were several upsets among smaller middle and south Georgia schools.
Baldwin – which started the season 0-5 – upset No. 9 Burke County 30-7 and suddenly won Region 3-AAAA. Baldwin had lost three times to ranked teams in higher classes and didn’t win a game until Sept. 21. The Braves are 4-5 overall, but 3-0 in a five-team region and can’t be caught with a game to play against Cross Creek (3-4, 0-2). It is Baldwin’s first region title since 2009, Jesse Hicks’ final season as head coach during his first tenure at the Milledgeville school. He returned to Baldwin in 2017.
In Region 2-AA, Swainsboro (6-2, 4-0) took a 15-8 victory over seventh-ranked Vidalia (7-1, 3-1). That puts Swainsboro in position for its first region title since 2010, also the last time the Tigers beat Vidalia. They had lost six straight to the Indians.
In 5-AA, Heard County, previously disappointing after starting the season ranked No. 2, redeemed itself with a 13-10 victory over the current No. 2, Callaway. Heard is now 6-2 overall, 4-0 in region play, but with No. 4 Bremen (7-1, 3-1) on the schedule in two weeks. Callaway is 7-2, 3-1.
In Region 7-A, Division B, Greene County (6-2, 5-0) was a 36-28 winner over fifth-ranked Aquinas, a team that had beaten Greene 42-0 last season. Greene County, under first-year coach Larry Milligan, is now positioned to win the subregion and play for a region title in two weeks. Greene hasn’t won a region title since 2005 during Milligan’s first stint as the Tigers’ coach. It’s been 10 years since he originally left.
In other games, No. 1 Lee County defeated No. 3 Valdosta 63-7. It was the most lopsided defeated in Valdosta history, surpassing the 45-0 loss in 2017 to Lowndes.
In the highest class, Parkview and Westlake moved closer to region titles with victories – Parkview over Brookwood 31-2 and Westlake over Newnan 47-21.
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