Poll talk: Grayson No. 1 in preseason rankings; 2-time champ Colquitt No. 2

It’s not typical that a two-time state champion with a 30-game winning streak doesn’t start the season

No. 1. But it wasn’t a typical off-season.

Grayson, boosted by several blue-chip recruits who transferred to a team that was very good in the first place, is the No. 1 Class AAAAAAA (7A) team in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s preseason poll.

Colquitt County, seeking to become the first program since Parkview in 2000-02 to win three straight championships in the highest classification, is No. 2.

Colquitt started the 2015 season at No. 3 and still rolled to a second state title, beating every playoff opponent by 18 points or better. But a three-peat will be tougher. Colquitt graduated its all-state quarterback, three leading rushers and three leading receivers and returns only one full-time starter on defense.

Grayson, manwhile, picked up five senior Division 1 recruits in a matter of months this offseason. Incoming are AJC Super 11 picks Jamyest Williams from Archer and DeAngelo Gibbs from Peachtree Ridge, both defensive backs who play significantly on offense. Others are lineman Tony Gray, linebacker Breon Dixon and running back Kurt Taylor. Grayson 13-1 in 2015.

In other classifications, reigning champions were given more benefit of the doubt.

In AAAAAA (6A), Allatoona is No. 1 after winning its first state title in 2015 in AAAAA. Runner-up Glynn Academy is ranked No. 2 in a class that has 18 teams that dropped in from last year’s highest classification. No. 5 Tucker and No. 9 Valdosta are among those.

Buford, the AAAA runner-up to Cartersville in 2015, starts No. 1 in AAAAA. Buford has won 10 state titles since 2001. No other top-10 team in AAAAA has won a state title in that time.

Cartersville is No. 1 in AAAA, hoping to defend its title. Woodward Academy, a semifinalist last season, is No. 2.

AAA is led by defending champion Westminster. No. 3 is Pace Academy, the AA champion from a year ago. In between is Calhoun.

The No. 1 AA team is Fitzgerald, looking for its first state championship since 1948. Fitzgerald was the runner-up to Pace in 2015.

The No. 1 teams in Class A are defending champions Eagle’s Landing Christian (private) and Clinch County (public). Ranked No. 2 are Wesleyan (private) and Macon County (public), schools that moved down from AA.

The season begins Thursday with a week of 141 games.

Class AAAAAAA

1. Grayson

2. Colquitt County

3. Roswell

4. McEachern

5. Mill Creek

6. Camden County

7. Lowndes

8. Westlake

9. South Forsyth

10. Norcross

Class AAAAAA

1. Allatoona

2. Glynn Academy

3. Houston County

4. Northside-Warner Robins

5. Tucker

6. Dacula

7. Lee County

8. Coffee

9. Valdosta

10. Stephenson

Class AAAAA

1. Buford

2. Stockbridge

3. Bainbridge

4. Ware County

5. Kell

6. Jones County

7. Rome

8. Carrollton

9. East Paulding

10. Warner Robins

Class AAAA

1. Cartersville

2. Woodward Academy

3. Sandy Creek

4. St. Pius

5. Marist

6. Blessed Trinity

7. Jefferson

8. Mary Persons

9. Thomson

10. Spalding

Class AAA

1. Westminster

2. Calhoun