Landmark Christian, ranked No. 4 in the preseason among Class A private schools, came into its opener projected by the computer Maxwell Ratings as an 18-point favorite over a AA school it beat 34-24 in 2016. Instead, the War Eagles gave up their most points in a game since a 54-26 loss to Bowdon in 1995.
2. North Atlanta 21, Grady 7: Grady was the biggest favorite to lose over the weekend, projected by the Maxwell Ratings as 29 points better than North Atlanta coming into the teams' opener. Grady won last year's matchup 53-0 and finished the season 10-2. North Atlanta went 1-9. Grady had won nine consecutive games in a series it leads 12-4.
3. Jordan 22, Brookstone 14: Jordan broke a 12-game losing streak with a victory against a team that beat the Red Jackets 49-32 last season and came in as an 11-point favorite. It was Jordan's first season-opening victory since beating Landmark Christian in 1993, which also was the last year in which the Red Jackets finished with a winning record (7-4).
4. Calhoun 17, Douglass 14: Calhoun, ranked No. 4 in Class AAA, got a scare from a Douglass team that was projected as a 34-point underdog and lost to the Yellow Jackets 28-0 last year. Calhoun never trailed and held a 17-6 lead with three minutes to play, but Douglass stayed close throughout. Expect the Astros to be a factor in Region 6-AA this season.
5. Jones County 42, Houston County 3: Houston County lost all-state players Jake Fromm (QB) and Amari Colbert (WR) and had three key skill-position players transfer since last season, when it averaged 40.7 points per game. The offense certainly felt the impact as the Bears were held to fewer than 10 points in a game for the first time since 2012.
Worth noting: Lowndes snapped a three-game losing streak against Valdosta with a 45-0 victory that was the most-lopsided game in the 56-game history of the series. Lowndes' 45 points were the most by either team in the series since the Vikings won 57-15 in 2009. ... South Forsyth's 17-14 overtime victory over Roswell snapped the Hornets' regular-season winning streak at 21 games. Roswell, a 27-point favorite, last lost in the regular season 28-18 against Etowah on Oct. 31, 2014. ... Swainsboro started 0-5 last season (including a 38-6 loss to Jackson) but won four of its next five to grab a playoff berth. The regular-season hot streak continued on Friday when the Tigers knocked off 19-point favorite Jackson 23-21. ... Thomasville handed Cairo its most-lopsided loss since 1997 and its biggest loss in the series since 1973 when it beat the Syrupmakers 37-6. Cairo was projected as a 16-point favorite. ... Jeff Herron, who led Grayson, Camden County and Oconee County to state titles, is already making an impact in his first season at T.L. Hanna in South Carolina. His Yellow Jackets stopped a two-point conversion attempt on the final play of the game to beat Gaffney 35-33 in their opener. It was T.L. Hanna's first victory against Gaffney since 2004.
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