Two of the most surprising outcomes in Class AAAAAA during the first weekend of the 2018 high school football season were the double-digit losses by perennial playoff teams Lovejoy and Hughes at the hands of AAAAA teams that came into the games as underdogs.
Lovejoy threw three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, in a 40-16 loss to Banneker. Lovejoy got to within 20-16 when it kicked a field goal early in the third quarter, but the Trojans scored the game’s final 20 points. Lovejoy had been projected as a 13-point favorite by the computer Maxwell Ratings.
Hughes lost to Dutchtown 31-0, the first time the Panthers had been shut out since the final regular-season game of the 2015 season. Dutchtown returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and the Bulldogs pulled away from there. Hughes had been pegged as a six-point favorite.
Despite the tough opening games, expect Lovejoy and Hughes to be in the playoff hunt again this year. Lovejoy has made eight consecutive playoff appearances, Hughes has been there the past six years, and both are projected by Maxwell to finish in the top three in their regions.
They can also take solace in the fact that Banneker and Dutchtown are teams on the rise in AAAAA. Banneker had its first eight-win season since 2001 a year ago in Mario Allen’s first season as coach. Dutchtown went 7-4 in 2017 under new coach Clifford Fedd, the school’s best record since 2010, and reached the playoffs for just the second time in the program’s 14-year history.
*Even more dominant: Region 1, which provided the past two AAAAAA champions (and three of the last four in the second-highest classification), appeared poised for another great postseason when four of its five teams were among the top seven in the AJC's preseason rankings. Now it looks even stronger, as losses by Tucker, Mays and Allatoona have left the top four spots in the rankings to Region 1 teams. Defending state champion Lee County holds down the No. 1 spot, followed by 2017 runner-up Coffee, Northside-Warner Robins and 2016 champion Valdosta. Those four teams won their opening games last week by a combined score of 150-54.
*Rough start: Aside from Region 1, it was not a good opening weekend for AAAAAA. The other seven regions posted a combined record of 12-30, and none had a winning record. Region 5 had the worst of it, as all five of its teams that played (Creekside, Douglas County, Hughes, Mays and New Manchester) came up short. Winners included Effingham County and Richmond Hill from Region 2 (which went 2-3); Lakeside-Evans from Region 3 (1-4); Mundy's Mill and Stephenson from Region 4 (2-6); Creekview, Dalton and Harrison from Region 6 (3-5); Johns Creek and North Atlanta from Region 7 (2-3); and Dacula and Lanier from Region 8 (2-4).
*Good signs for Mays: Mays fans have reasons to be encouraged despite the Raiders' 42-26 loss to Class AAAAAAA Norcross in the Corky Kell Classic. After falling behind 28-6 in the second quarter, the Raiders fought back to within 28-20 late in the third quarter before the game got away from them. Quarterback Jahquez Evans was 10-for-18 passing for 226 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran for 61 yards on 14 carries, although his final rushing total was 29 yards because of six sacks for 32 yards in losses. Mays lost its season opener the past two seasons but responded each time with 11 consecutive victories to reach the state quarterfinals.
*Moving forward: Harrison looks like it's going to be just fine in the post-Justin Fields era. The Hoyas played their first game since their star quarterback moved on the University of Georgia, and they had a surprisingly easy time in a 48-0 out of Class AAAAAAA Lassiter. Gavin Hall, who started the final five games of the 2017 season after Fields suffered a season-ending broken finger against Dalton on Oct. 19, was 8-of-9 passing for 160 yards and touchdowns of 60 and 19 yards. Micah Davis had four receptions for 132 yards and scored on passes of 60 and 61 yards. Harrison hosts Hiram this week and opens Region 6 play at River Ridge on Aug. 31.
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