1. Champions fall: For just the second time in state history, four defending champions lost on the same night. They were Milton (lost to Buford 26-23), Lee County (40-17 vs. Peach County), Blessed Trinity (13-10 vs. Woodward Academy) and Heard County (61-7 vs. Hapeville Charter). That's the worst night for reigning champions since Oct. 5, 1979, when Valdosta, Griffin, Westminster and Buford lost. (Griffin and Valdosta were co-champions of AAAA in 1978.)

2. Hart County 40, Commerce 20: Hart County improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2014 with its first victory over Commerce since 1955, ending an 0-12-1 drought in the series, which Commerce leads 12-3-1. The Bulldogs started 0-3 last season against the same opening schedule, which included games against Elbert County and Stephens County.

3. Cherokee Bluff 37, Johnson (Gainesville) 7: Cherokee Bluff, a second-year school in Hall County, picked up the first victory in program history, winning by 30 against an opponent that was projected as a 30-point favorite. Cherokee Bluff went 0-10 in 2018, including a 34-13 loss to Johnson, and lost to Whitefield Academy and Denmark earlier this season.

4. South Gwinnett 35, Brookwood 21: South Gwinnett, a 14-point underdog, trailed 14-0 early but rallied to win the "Battle of Snellville" and improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2016. South Gwinnett trails the series 28-9 but has won five of the past nine meetings. The Comets are seeking their fourth consecutive playoff berth, which would be a school record.

5. M.L. King 40, Arabia Mountain 6: M.L. King is 2-0 for the first time since 2013 after a 34-point victory in a game that was seen as a toss-up by the Maxwell Ratings. M.L. King was 1-9 in 2018 and has had just one winning record since 10-win seasons in 2011 and 2012. Arabia Mountain, which beat the Lions 21-0 last year, is 0-3 for the first time since 2015.

Worth noting: Allatoona ended Creekview's 16-game winning streak in regular-season games with a 37-7 victory in the teams' Region 6-AAAAAA opener. Creekview, which won the first region title in school history last season, was a six-point underdog. ... Bowdon, a 1-9 team last year in its first season under coach Richard Fendley Jr., is 3-0 for the first time since 2013 after a 24-7 victory over Monticello. Bowdon is allowing just eight points per game after giving up an average of 22.5 in 2018. ... Central (Talbotton) ended an 11-game losing streak that was tied for fourth-longest in school history with a 26-19 win over 10-point favorite Crawford County. Central lost to Crawford twice (35-0 and 33-13) during an 0-10 2018 season. ... East Jackson, in its first season under coach Cameron Pettus, is 2-0 for the first time since 2009 after beating Oglethorpe County 30-7. East Jackson won more than one game in a season only once (4-6 in 2016) in the past seven years. ... McDonough, previously known as Henry County, picked up the first victory under its new name when it beat McIntosh 33-32. McDonough (1-1) was a four-point favorite. Henry County went 4-7 and reached the playoffs last season.

Produced by Georgia High School Football Daily, a free e-mail newsletter. To join the mailing list, click here.

About the Author

Featured

UPS driver Dan Partyka delivers an overnight package. As more people buy more goods online, the rapid and unrelenting expansion of e-commerce is causing real challenges for the Sandy-Springs based company. (Bob Andres/AJC 2022)

Credit: TNS