GHSF Daily's Chip Saye ranks the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:
1. Lakeside (Evans) 35, Jones County 16: Lakeside has become the giant slayer in 2-AAAAA, beating an undefeated team for the second consecutive week. The Panthers (3-3, 3-2) beat Houston County 24-20 the previous weekend. Jones County, which was trying to reach 6-0 for the first time since 1961, is one of four teams with one loss in the region.
2. Valdosta 13, Camden County 10: Camden County suffered its second region loss since 1999, and its streak of 13 consecutive region championships could be in jeopardy. Valdosta, projected as a nine-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings, is 6-0 for the just the second time in 13 seasons. Valdosta's No. 3 ranking is its highest since 2005.
3. Greene County 16, Washington-Wilkes 7: Washington-Wilkes was No. 2 in the Class AA rankings after a 27-18 victory over Wilkinson County on Sept. 5. Since then, the Tigers are 1-2 and now face a battle just to make the playoffs out of Region 8. Greene County had lost seven of the previous eight meetings, including 56-16 last year and 48-0 in 2012.
4. Pope 44, Walton 36: Pope, projected as a 30-point underdog by Maxwell, picked up its first victory of the season by beating a team once seen as a contender for the 5-AAAAAA title. Pope had given up 48.3 points per game in its 0-4 start. The loss capped off a devastating week for Walton (1-5, 1-3), which had to forfeit three wins for using an ineligible player.
5. Paulding County 12, East Paulding 10: Paulding County, projected as a 21-point underdog by Maxwell, snapped an eight-game losing streak in the series and moved into a tie for fifth place in 5-AAAAA. East is 3-4 against other Paulding County schools after winning the previous 14 games against Hiram, South Paulding, North Paulding and Paulding County.
6. Thomasville 22, Fitzgerald 19: Thomasville jumped into the Class AA rankings at No. 7 despite its 3-3 record after beating a Fitzgerald team that had been undefeated and ranked No. 2. Thomasville, which has its highest ranking since 2010, lost to higher-classification teams West Laurens (42-35), Cairo (14-0) and Valdosta (10-0) to open the season.
7. Hapeville Charter 12, Wesleyan 9: Hapeville (3-3, 2-1), which is playing its third full season of varsity football and went 1-8-1 last season, finds itself in third place in 6-AA after knocking off a Wesleyan team that came in 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the region. Wins in two of their final four games could be enough to get the Hornets their first playoff berth.
8. Winder-Barrow 24, Flowery Branch 7: Winder-Barrow's victories are becoming less surprising each week. The same can be said for Flowery Branch's losses. Flowery Branch (2-3, 1-3), which has reached the playoffs every season since joining its current region in 2010, fell to eighth place in 8-AAAAA. Winder-Barrow (3-3, 3-2) has its most wins since 2007.
9. Westlake 35, East Coweta 0: Westlake, which went 0-10 just two seasons ago, is 3-1 for the first time since 2009 after beating an East Coweta team that came in 4-0. Westlake is tied with South Cobb and fourth-ranked Hughes for first place in Region 3-AAAAAA. East Coweta had won three of the previous four meetings in the series, including 14-7 last season.
10. Wheeler 28, Roswell 14: Wheeler added to the craziness in 5-AAAAAA, winning its first region game of the year and improving to 2-4 overall. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Wildcats, who beat Duluth in their opener. Roswell was 2-0 in the region and 3-1 overall, but the Hornets are now one of four teams with one loss in the region.
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