Sports
Poll talk: Stockbridge, Prince Avenue enter playoffs ranked No. 1
By Todd Holcomb
Nov 8, 2015Stockbridge and Prince Avenue Christian, two football programs with no real history of contending until the past five years, are ranked No. 1 for the first time.
Stockbridge completed its first 10-0 regular season last week with a 20-2 victory over previously unbeaten Northgate in the Region 4-AAAAA championship game.
Stockbridge was a semifinalist last season, when it lost to Mays 30-15. Stockbridge started varsity football in 1964 and, except for five weeks in 1968, was not ranked in a Top 10 until 2011.
Room at the top of AAAAA this week was made when defending champion Northside-Warner Robins lost 34-13 to Houston County in Region 2. Northside dropped to No. 6 while Houston County moved up four places to No. 4.
Stephenson (9-1) moved to No. 2 after a 10-9 victory over previous No. 2 Mays in the Region 6 title game. Stephenson’s only loss is to American-Heritage, a nationally ranked team from Florida. Lanier (10-0), the only other unbeaten team in the classification, stands at No. 3.
In Class A, Prince Avenue (10-0) – which started football in 2005 and won its first playoff game in 2011 - takes over at No. 1 for defending private-school champion Mount Paran Christian. Prince Avenue is coached by Jeff Herron, who won state titles at Oconee County (1999) and Camden County (2003, 2008, 2009) before coming to Athens in 2013. No Georgia coach has won state titles at three schools.
Mount Paran was upset by Pinecrest Academy 28-21 in the Region 6 title game. Mount Paran had won 23 straight games, including a 35-19 win over Pinecrest on Sept. 25.
Pinecrest (9-1) joined the rankings at No. 8. The Cumming private school began football in 2004 in the Georgia Independent School Association and joined the GHSA in 2010. Its best previous GHSA finish had been 7-4 in 2014.
There wasn’t much movement otherwise in the rankings.
In AAA, No. 2 Blessed Trinity (9-0-1) and No. 3 Cedar Grove (8-1-1) played to a 13-13 tie in the Region 4 championship game, which went to overtime but was called because of bad weather. A coin flip gave the region’s No. 1 seed to Blessed Trinity. Both retained their previous rankings.
Class AAAAAA
1. (1) Colquitt County (10-0)
2. (2) Grayson (10-0)
3. (3) Roswell (10-0)
4. (4) Archer (9-1)
5. (5) Mill Creek (10-0)
6. (6) Peachtree Ridge (7-3)
7. (7) McEachern (9-1)
8. (8) Camden County (9-1)
9. (9) Walton (9-1)
10. (NR) Valdosta (7-3)
Class AAAAA
1. (3) Stockbridge (10-0)
2. (5) Stephenson (9-1)
3. (4) Lanier (10-0)
4. (8) Houston County (9-1)
5. (2) Mays (9-1)
6. (1) Northside, Warner Robins (9-1)
7. (6) Jones County (9-1)
8. (9) Coffee (9-1)
9. (7) Northgate (9-1)
10. (10) Allatoona (9-1)
Class AAAA
1. (1) Cartersville (10-0)
2. (2) Buford (9-1)
3. (3) Woodward Academy (10-0)
4. (4) Mary Persons (10-0)
5. (5) Bainbridge (10-0)
6. (6) St. Pius (8-2)
7. (7) Jonesboro (9-1)
8. (10) Thomson (9-1)
9. (8) Marist (8-2)
10. (9) Spalding (9-1)
Class AAA
1. (1) Calhoun (10-0)
2. (2) Blessed Trinity (9-0-1)
3. (3) Cedar Grove (8-1-1)
4. (5) Dodge County (10-0)
5. (6) Jefferson (9-1)
6. (8) Callaway (9-1)
7. (4) Central, Carrollton (9-1)
8. (9) Adairsville (9-1)
9. (10) Jackson (8-2)
10. (NR) Peach County (8-2)
Class AA
1. (1) Benedictine (10-0)
2. (2) Greater Atlanta Christian (9-1)
3. (3) Rabun County (9-1)
4. (4) Darlington (10-0)
5. (5) Fitzgerald (9-1)
6. (6) Brooks County (8-2)
7. (7) Jefferson County (8-2)
8. (9) Wesleyan (8-2)
9. (8) Pace Academy (8-2)
10. (10) Screven County (9-1)
Class A
1. (2) Prince Avenue Christian (10-0)
2. (3) Eagle's Landing Christian (7-3)
3. (4) Marion County (9-1)
4. (5) Clinch County (9-1)
5. (8) Aquinas (9-1)
6. (9) Irwin County (7-2-1)
7. (10) Emanuel County Institute (9-1)
8. (NR) Pinecrest Academy (9-1)
9. (1) Mount Paran Christian (9-1)
10. (7) Turner County (8-2)
