Week nine of the regular season is in the books.
Here are the most interesting results from Friday in Class AAAAAAA:
Archer 6, Grayson 3 – Archer defeated the No. 1-ranked and defending champion Rams, who had won a school-record 20 straight games and were ranked No. 3 nationally by PrepNation and MaxPreps. See Stan Awtrey's story for details. This is the first time that Archer has beaten a No. 1 team. (The Tigers lost to 2013 North Gwinnett, 2014 Colquitt County and 2016 Roswell while those teams were No. 1.) Archer is almost certain to win Region 8, which means a nicer draw. But most importantly, this certifies Archer (now 7-0) as a true state contender again. Archer dropped to 4-7 last season after three straight 11-win seasons.
South Forsyth 21, Milton 13: South Forsyth beat what many figured was its chief contender in Region 5. See Adam Krohn's story for details. South Forsyth (7-0, 2-0) and North Forsyth (5-2, 2-0) will play next week at North. South beat North 42-7 last season and will be favored again. Will South Forsyth be ranked by the AJC this week? Stay tuned. Tift County was the only Top 10 team to lose.
Walton 42, Roswell 21: Fourth-ranked Walton emerged as the only unbeaten team in Region 4 play with this win over the defending region champ. Walton is seeking its first region title since 2011. A victory next week at home against East Cobb rival Lassiter (5-2, 1-1) would just about do it. Lassiter bounced back from a 36-30 loss to Roswell to beat Woodstock (4-3, 1-1) 27-16.
Lowndes 51, Tift County 38: Lowndes (8-0) pulled away late on the road to win a game between undefeated and ranked teams in Region 1. The score was 38-38 entering the final four minutes. Both teams had over 450 yards of total offense. Lowndes can claim its first region title since 2010 if it beats Camden County and Colquitt County to finish 10-0. With Grayson's loss, second-ranked Lowndes could be in line for its first No. 1 ranking since 2011. Those rankings come out Sunday morning.
Marietta 28, Hillgrove 17: Marietta scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes and beat Hillgrove for the first time since 2012, and only second time ever, and joined McEachern among the only unbeaten teams in Region 3. See Chip Saye's story for details. Marietta also clinched its first winning season since 2013. Marietta (6-1, 2-0) plays McEachern (5-2, 2-0) on Oct. 27, but can't look past North Cobb (4-3, 0-2) next week. Marietta hasn't won a region title since 2005. Marietta was playing it fourth game without star QB Harrison Bailey, who hopes to return by the playoffs from a collarbone injury. Give credit to backup QB Rashun Bass for the big win.
Here are all the scores from Class AAAAAAA on Friday:
Region 1
Lowndes 51, Tift County 38
Colquitt County 27, Camden County 6
Region 2
Newnan 30, Campbell 16
Westlake 21, Pebblebrook 14
East Coweta 49, Wheeler 14
Region 3
Marietta 28, Hillgrove 17
McEachern 57, Kennesaw Mountain 14
North Paulding 24, North Cobb 17
Region 4
Walton 42, Roswell 21
Lassiter 27, Woodstock 16
Region 5
South Forsyth 21, Milton 13
West Forsyth 39, Forsyth Central 19
North Forsyth 45, Lambert 21
Region 6
Collins Hill 29 Mountain View 21
North Gwinnett 52, Duluth 0
Mill Creek 48, Peachtree Ridge 14
Region 7
Parkview 66, Berkmar 0
Brookwood 52, Central Gwinnett 28
Norcross 41, Lakeside 6
Region 8
Archer 6, Grayson 3
South Gwinnett 19, Rockdale County 14
