GHSF Daily's Chip Saye ranks the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:
1. Hughes 29, East Coweta 21: Those who wrote off Hughes after an 0-3 start appear to have been a bit premature. The Panthers are 3-0 in region play and alone in first place in 3-AAAAAA after knocking off previously unbeaten East Coweta, which was projected as a six-point favorite by the computer Maxwell Ratings. Hughes won region titles in 2012 and 2013.
2. Pelham 20, Thomasville 13: Pelham lost all 20 of its previous meetings with Thomasville by an average of 29.6 points and came into this one as a seven-point underdog. The Hornets (4-2, 1-1) are in fourth place in 1-AA and likely need to win only their last two games against 1-5 teams Berrien and Seminole County to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
3. Spencer 34, Jackson 14: Jackson finds itself on this list for the second consecutive week. Last time, Jackson was a 16-point underdog when it handed Westside (Macon) its first loss of the season. This week, the Red Devils were 14-point favorites but lost to a Spencer team that came in 2-3. Jackson (4-2 overall) is 2-3 and in third place in 2-AAA.
4. Paulding County 31, South Paulding 28: Paulding County has its best record through six games (4-2) since 2003 after snapping a five-game losing streak against its county rival. The Patriots, who were 18-point underdogs, are in fourth place and in the thick of the playoff race in 5-AAAAA, seeking their first postseason appearance in 12 years.
5. Shaw 34, Columbus 24: The up-and-down season in region play continued for Columbus. The Blue Devils were beaten soundly by Carver (Columbus), rebounded with a big win over LaGrange, then lost to a Shaw team that was a 17-point underdog. Six of the seven teams in 1-AAAAA, including these two, are very much alive in the playoff race.
Also of note: Brookwood beat Central Gwinnett 33-28 (after trailing 21-0) for its fourth consecutive victory after an 0-3 start and moved into second place in 8-AAAAAA. Central Gwinnett had been 3-0 in region play and was coming off a big win against Dacula. ... Bryan County was winless in region play and projected as a 24-point underdog but beat Bacon County 28-14. The loss was Bacon County's first in 2-AA. ... Locust Grove improved to 6-0 for the first time in the program's seven-year history with a 42-13 victory over Eastside. Locust Grove is tied with Henry County for first place in 4-AAAA Div. A. ... Twiggs County, picked in the preseason to finish last in 7-A Div. A, is tied for first place after a 20-14 win over Wilkinson County, which was a 15-point favorite. Twiggs was 1-9 in 2014 but is 3-3 in Ashley Harden's first year as coach. ... Veterans, which started the season 1-3 in non-region play, is tied with fourth-ranked Mary Persons for first place in 2-AAAA after beating West Laurens 14-7, its second consecutive victory against a 2014 playoff team.
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