Sandy Creek’s streak of 83 weeks in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s football rankings is over.
The Patriots were stunned by Jonesboro 17-15 on Friday and fell out of the Class AAAA Top 10. Sandy Creek had appeared in the rankings each week since Sept. 6, 2009. The streak of 83 was the third-longest active run of its kind behind Buford’s 208 and Calhoun’s 88.
For Jonesboro, it was perhaps the biggest victory in coach Tim Floyd’s seven seasons at head coach.
Sandy Creek led 13-0 in the first half, but Jonesboro scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, one a 23-yard pass from Zerrick Cooper (committed to Clemson) to Jordan Griffin (committed to Kentucky) with 53 seconds left.
‘’I’d put it right there at the top,’’ Floyd said. “To beat a team like Sandy Creek on their home field, that’s huge.’’
Though still unranked, Jonesboro is 2-0 after a 4-6 finish in 2014, when Cooper was lost to the season with an ACL tear.
Two other rankings streaks of 45 nearly came to an end this week. Lovett and Washington County have been ranked each week since the preseason of 2012, and each lost last week.
Lovett is 0-2 but still No. 8 in Class AA. The losses are to No. 5 Pace Academy of AA and No. 3 Westminster of AAA. Washington County, the AAA runner-up last season, is 0-1 after a 49-42 loss to Thomson, the No. 9 team in AAAA. Washington County dropped two places to No. 10 in AAA.
Four teams are out of the rankings after losing. Kell, formerly No. 4 in AAAAA, lost to Lassiter 27-9, and Gainesville, previously No. 7 in AAAAA, lost to Grayson 34-0.
In AA, Brooks County lost to Class A Clinch County 33-20. In A, defending public-school champion Hawkinsville dropped out after a 13-0 loss to Bleckley County.
Class A saw a shuffle, although No. 1-ranked Eagle’s Landing Christian stayed on top despite losing 28-21 to Stockbridge, the No. 3 team in AAAAA. Prince Avenue Christian moved up four spots to No. 3 after a 42-12 victory over former No. 6 Aquinas.
Newly ranked this week are Camden County in AAAAAA, Glynn Academy and Creekside in AAAAA, Thomson and Bainbridge in AAAA, Darlington in AA and Commerce in A.
Norcross in AAAAAA and Burke County in AAAA dropped out despite winning close games against unranked opponents.
Class AAAAAA
1. (1) Archer (2-0)
2. (2) McEachern (1-0)
3. (3) Colquitt County (2-0)
4. (4) Grayson (1-0)
5. (5) Roswell (2-0)
6. (6) Lee County (2-0)
7. (7) Etowah (2-0)
8. (8) Mill Creek (2-0)
9. (9) Dacula (1-0)
10. (NR) Camden County (2-0)
Class AAAAA
1. (1) Northside-Warner Robins (1-0)
2. (2) Houston County (1-0)
3. (3) Stockbridge (2-0)
4. (5) Jones County (1-0)
5. (6) Mays (2-0)
6. (8) Ware County (2-0)
7. (10) Coffee (2-0)
8. (NR) Glynn Academy (2-0)
9. (NR) Creekside (2-0)
10. (10) Carver-Columbus (2-0)
Class AAAA
1. (1) Buford (2-0)
2. (2) Cartersville (1-0)
3. (3) Woodward Academy (1-0)
4. (7) Griffin (1-0)
5. (8) West Laurens (2-0)
6. (5) Marist (0-1)
7. (6) St. Pius (0-1)
8. (9) Mary Persons (1-0)
9. (NR) Thomson (2-0)
10. (NR) Bainbridge (1-0)
Class AAA
1. (1) Calhoun (1-0)
2. (2) Blessed Trinity (1-0)
3. (3) Westminster (1-0)
4. (4) Elbert County (1-0)
5. (5) Jefferson (2-0)
6. (6) Cedar Grove (1-1)
7. (9) Hart County (1-0)
8. (10) Pierce County (1-0)
9. (7) Peach County (0-1)
10. (8) Washington County (0-1)
Class AA
1. (1) Benedictine (1-0)
2. (2) Fitzgerald (2-0)
3. (3) Greater Atlanta Christian (1-1)
4. (4) Macon County (1-0)
5. (5) Pace Academy (2-0)
6. (7) Lamar County (1-1)
7. (6) Vidalia (1-1)
8. (8) Lovett (0-2)
9. (9) Rabun County (1-1)
10. (NR) Darlington (2-0)
Class A
1. (1) Eagle's Landing Christian (1-1)
2. (2) Marion County (1-0)
3. (7) Prince Avenue Christian (1-0)
4. (8) Mount Paran Christian (2-0)
5. (3) Landmark Christian (2-0)
6. (4) Irwin County (1-0-1)
7. (5) Charlton County (1-0)
8. (10) Calvary Day (1-0)
9. (6) Aquinas (1-1)
10. (NR) Commerce (1-0)
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