1. Northeast 19, Manchester 6: Manchester, which was ranked No. 4 among Class A public schools last week, was surprised by a Northeast team that was winless in its first two games and had been projected as a 20-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings. Manchester had won 12 consecutive (and 24 of its last 25) regular-season games.
2. Johnson (Savannah) 25, Groves 14: Three of the state's six longest active winning streaks came to an end on Friday. Johnson had the second-longest at 25 games (see East Laurens and LaGrange in "Worth Noting"), but the Atom Smashers broke it with their first win since Oct. 9, 2015. Groves, a five-point favorite, won last year's meeting 28-24.
3. Hephzibah 27, Screven County 14: Hephzibah, which dropped two classes to AA this year, picked up the biggest win in its new classification when it opened Region 4-AA play with a victory over 20-point favorite Screven County, which won the region title and reached the state semifinals last season. Hephzibah (2-1) was 4-16 the previous two years in AAAA.
4. Clarke Central 42, Thomson 21: Thomson, ranked No. 6 in Class AAAA last week, fell to 1-2 for the first time since 2014 when it lost to eight-point underdog Clarke Central of Class AAAAA. The victory broke Clarke Central's 12-game losing against ranked opponents that dated to a 38-35 win over Flowery Branch on Nov. 4, 2011. Clarke Central is 3-1.
5. Metter 14, Emanuel County Institute 13: Metter, in its first season under head coach Rodney Garvin, is 3-0 for the first time since 2003 after its victory over 19-point favorite ECI. Metter was a combined 5-14 the past two seasons and had lost 12 of the previous 13 meetings in the series. ECI, a state semifinalist a year ago, is 0-3 for the first time since 2001.
Worth noting: Christian Heritage, a Class A private school that went 3-17 over the past two seasons, is 3-0 after a 35-26 victory over Class AAAA LaFayette, which was a six-point favorite. LaFayette was trying to get to 4-0 for the first time since 1991. ... East Laurens broke a 20-game losing streak with a 46-30 victory over three-point underdog Wheeler County. The Class AA Falcons are still seeking their first win against a team higher than Class A since beating Josey on Sept. 27, 2013. ... LaGrange ended a 17-game losing streak that was the longest in school history with an 8-6 victory over Hampton, which was a two-point underdog. The Grangers have allowed only 30 points during their 1-2 start but have scored just 11. ... North Cobb Christian, which began its football program in 2007, is 3-0 for the first time in its history after a 27-23 victory over Monticello. North Cobb Christian's best season came in 2015, when it went 6-4 against a non-region schedule. ... Woodland (Cartersville) is 3-0 for the first time since 2008 after a 17-7 victory over one-point underdog Cass. Woodland has had just one winning record and playoff berth (7-4 in 1999) since the program began in 1998. Cass is 1-2.
Produced by Georgia High School Football Daily, a free e-mail newsletter. To join the mailing list, click here.
About the Author
