Top 10 games of Week 1

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. The game is part of a doubleheader that is being called the Georgia-Tennessee Border Wars. In the second game, McCallie of Chattanooga plays Parkview. McCallie (No. 8) and Christ Presbyterian (No. 5) each are in the Top 10 of MaxPreps' all-class rankings for Tennessee. 2. Christ Presbyterian won Tennessee's Class 3A championship last season. QB Zack Weatherly (1,765 yards passing for 29 touchdowns) and WR Joseph Richard have several mid-major Division I offers. The team is coached by former NFL quarterback Ingle Martin. 3. Peachtree Ridge is ranked in the Top 10 of five preseason polls despite having not made a final Top 10 poll since 2009. The reason is a slew of major-college prospects. The secondary is manned by S Nigel Warrior (consensus No. 9 recruit in Georgia) and cornerbacks Chad Clay (committed to Georgia) and Baylen Buchanan (Louisville). DeAngelo Gibbs, rated the No. 1 junior cornerback recruit nationally, likely will see more time at receiver. LB Breon Dixon (Tennessee leads) is another blue-chip recruit.

Colquitt County vs. North Gwinnett 

When, where: 5:45 p.m. Saturday, Georgia Dome, Atlanta

Rankings: Colquitt County (15-0 in 2014) is No. 3 in Class AAAAAA; North Gwinnett (8-3 in 2014) is No. 7 in AAAAAA.

Last meeting: North Gwinnett won 16-14 in 2012.

Three things to know: 1. Colquitt County has reached six consecutive state semifinals and is 67-19 over that time. The 67 victories are the most in the highest classification, but North Gwinnett (65-11) has the best winning percentage (.855). They've played each other twice in that span and split. 2. Colquitt County graduated 16 college signees from its state championship team, but the trail of success has made for a healthy program of some 200 players who came out for spring practice. Look for returning starting QB Chase Parrish (2,835 yards passing), WR Kiel Pollard and WR Ty Lee (combined 1,686 yards, 19 touchdowns receiving) to have big years. 3. North Gwinnett has one of its youngest teams in the Bob Sphire era. The new quarterback is a sophomore, Cade Fortin. North has four players committed to Division I schools - WR Josh Imatorbhebhe (Southern Cal), C Alex Mollette (Marshall), RB Kameron Pickett and WR K.J. Hancock (both Miami of Ohio).

Greater Atlanta Christian at Benedictine 

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Savannah State/T.A. Wright Stadium, Savannah

Rankings: Greater Atlanta Christian (14-1 in 2014) is No. 3 in Class AA; Benedictine (13-2 in 2014) is No. 1 in AA.

Last meeting: Benedictine won 45-21 in the 2014 Class AA championship game.

Three things to know: 1. This will be the third meeting in a year for these Class AA powers. Greater Atlanta Christian beat Benedictine 24-21 in the teams' season opener last season, but the Cadets avenged the loss in the state final. The teams had never met before last season. 2. GAC and Benedictine had three players each on the GHSF Daily/Atlanta Journal-Constitution Class AA all-state first team, but only two of those players (Benedictine OL Sanders Creech and LB Tru'Self Cooper) return. Sanders, Cooper and Cadets ATH John Kennedy made this year's preseason all-state team, as did GAC OL Devin Cochran. 3. Look for Kennedy to have a big year following the graduation of offensive stars Stevie Powers and Brad Stewart. Kennedy rushed for 1,112 yards, had 667 yards receiving on 33 catches, and scored 20 touchdowns in 2014.

Jefferson at Rabun County 

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Frank Snyder Stadium, Tiger

Rankings: Jefferson (12-1 in 2014) is No. 5 in Class AAA; Rabun County (9-3 in 2014) is No. 8 in AA.

Last meeting: Jefferson won 50-14 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. Jefferson has won 16 consecutive games in a series that it leads 19-3. Jefferson led 36-7 at halftime of last year's game, but in 2013, Jefferson trailed 20-13 late in the fourth quarter before winning 26-20 in overtime. 2. Jefferson's strength will be the offensive line with four starters returning. Preseason all-state tackle Caleb Chandler is probably the team's best player. Most of 2014's playmakers on offense are gone, including QB Bryant Shirreffs, now at Miami. 3. Rabun County returns 14 of 22 starters, but only one lineman. The team is built around RB/WR/DB Charlie Woerner, an AJC Super 11 pick who rushed for 1,187 yards, had 659 yards receiving and made more than 100 tackles in the secondary.

Kell vs. Carrollton 

When, where: 9 a.m. Saturday, Georgia Dome, Atlanta

Rankings: Kell (11-1 in 2014) is No. 4 in Class AAAAA; Carrollton (4-6 in 2014) is No. 8 in AAAA.

Last meeting: Kell won 20-7 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. Kell WR/LB Bryson Armstrong is one of Class AAAAA's most versatile players. The senior, who has committed to Kennesaw State, was named a first-team all-state linebacker after finishing with 113 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions. He also led the team in receiving with 50 catches for 725 yards and three touchdowns. The Longhorns also return leading rusher Ivan Walls (1,056 yards) but must find a replacement for QB Cameron Rosendahl, who graduated. 2. Carrollton has five seniors rated two stars or better by Rivals, including two who have committed (WR Jarel Rowe to Middle Tennessee and DE Michael Boykin to Louisville). Look for QB Damarcus Mitchell and RB Jarvis Terrell to lead a speedy rushing attack. 3. Kell is enjoying perhaps the best current five-year run of any Cobb County team. The Longhorns are 55-8 in the period and have won 27 consecutive regular-season games. Carrollton slumped last year after finishing as state runner-up in 2013. The Trojans' four victories were the fewest since Charlie Grisham's final Carrollton team went 2-7-1 in 1986, and the program's 26-year streak of reaching the postseason came to an end.

Lovett at Pace Academy 

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Pace Academy Athletics Complex, Mableton

Rankings: Lovett (9-4 in 2014) is No. 7 in Class AA; Pace Academy (7-6 in 2014) is No. 10 in AA.

Last meeting: Lovett won 38-3 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. This is one of only four region games scheduled for the opening weekend. (Jonesboro vs. Mount Zion, East Paulding vs. Allatoona and Savannah vs. Beach are the others.) The Atlanta private schools are 2.8 miles apart along Paces Ferry Road. Their 2014 meeting was their first and only since Pace started varsity football in 2008. Lovett's Murphy Lee scored on an 80-yard run on the game's first play from scrimmage, and Lovett sacked Pace quarterbacks nine times. Both teams made the Class AA quarterfinals. 2. Lovett returns only three starters. One is RB Jay Harris, who rushed for 826 yards and seven touchdowns on 116 carries last season. 3. Pace landed three players on the AA preseason all-state team. They are DL Anthony Trinh (committed to Princeton), OL Andrew Thomas and PK Samuel Sloman. 247Sports rates Thomas as the No. 8 prospect among juniors in the state. He has more than 20 major Division I offers. The team's question mark is replacing QB Kevin Johnson, now at Richmond.

Lowndes at Roswell 

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Ray Manus Stadium, Roswell

Rankings: Lowndes (6-4 in 2014) is unranked in Class AAAAAA; Roswell (8-4 in 2014) is No. 5 in AAAAAA.

Last meeting: Lowndes won 37-14 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. When these teams faced each other in last season's opener, Lowndes led 37-0 in the third quarter and finished the game with a running clock. All-region RB Dezmon Copeland, one of 13 Lowndes ball carriers, rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Roswell got 123 of its 159 yards of offense after trailing 37-0. 2. The 2004 season was an uncharacteristic one for Lowndes, which won just one game in Region 1-AAAAAA and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The Vikings return some experience on offense (QB Austin Dixon and RB Copeland), but they must make up for the loss of four of the top five tacklers. The Vikings also have a new offensive coordinator in Tucker Pruitt, who held the same position at Coffee that past two seasons. 3. Roswell experienced resurgence in 2014, finishing 8-4 after going 7-23 the previous three seasons. The Hornets have a lot of talent on hand, led by two returning all-state players - junior RB Sheldon Evans (1,686 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing) and senior LB Tre Lamar (78 tackles, 19 tackles for losses). The Hornets' new QB is Quintarius Neely, who transferred from Lovejoy.

Northside (Warner Robins) at North Cobb 

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Emory Sewell Stadium

Rankings: Northside (14-1 in 2014) is No. 1 in Class AAAAA; North Cobb (7-4 in 2014) is unranked in AAAAAA.

Last meeting: Northside won 38-20 in 2014.

Three things to know: 1. Defending Class AAAAA champion Northside returns starting QB Tobias Oliver, who passed for 1,327 yards and rushed for 906 last season. But the Eagles' biggest task on offense will be making up for the loss of the top two rushers (Willie Jordan, 2,246 yards, and T.J. Anderson, 594 yards) and four or the five starters on the line. PK Justin Alonso was a preseason all-state selection. 2. North Cobb will be breaking in a new QB to replace four-year starter Tyler Queen, who passed for 2,343 yards and 27 touchdowns last season and is now at Auburn. Look for junior Will Lovett, the backup last season, to get the first shot at the job. The Warriors also lost their leading rusher (Bryce Perryman, 918 yards) and receiver (Jordan McCray, 578 yards) from last season. 3. Northside led North Cobb 14-13 early in the second quarter last season before breaking the game open with 24 unanswered points. Jordan, who went on to become the AAAAA offensive player of the year, rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns.

Tucker vs. McEachern 

When, where: 8:45 p.m. Saturday, Georgia Dome, Atlanta

Rankings: Tucker (10-3 in 2014) is No. 9 in Class AAAAAA; McEachern (10-4 in 2014) is No. 2 in AAAAAA.

Last meeting: McEachern won 62-36 in the 2014 Class AAAAAA quarterfinals.

Three things to know: 1. This is a rematch of last season's state quarterfinal in which McEachern put the game away early by taking a 21-0 lead in the first nine minutes. McEachern QB Bailey Hockman, a first-team all-state selection last season, passed for 438 yards and four touchdowns and had completions of 47, 55, 50, 35, 46 and 97 yards. 2. Tucker averaged 43 points per game in 2014, but look for the defense to lead the way this season. The Tigers have three players rated by Rivals as three-star recruits, and all play defense - junior LB Brian Strozier, senior LB Tabarius Peterson (committed to Louisville) and senior DE Cecil Stallings (South Carolina). 3. Both teams suffered heartbreaking losses in their Corky Kell Classic games last season. McEachern lost to North Gwinnett 52-49 on a 9-yard touchdown pass from North's John Urzua to Kyler Knudsen with nine seconds remaining. The lead changed hands four times in the final 6:38. Tucker lost to Norcross 32-29 on a 28-yard field goal three minutes into overtime after Tucker had tied the score on Delvin Weems' 3-yard TD run with 1:51 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Valdosta vs. Norcross

When, where: 2:45 p.m. Saturday, Georgia Dome, Atlanta

Rankings: Valdosta (9-2 in 2014) is unranked in Class AAAAAA; Norcross (7-4 in 2014) is unranked in AAAAAA.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Both schools won their Corky Kell Classic openers in 2014 but met disappointing ends , each losing in the first round of the playoffs. Valdosta beat Brookwood 31-0 and finished the regular season 9-1 and ranked No. 2 but was upset in the playoffs at home by Newton 27-14. Norcross beat Tucker 32-29 in overtime but finished 7-4, failing to defend their back-to-back AAAAAA titles. 2. Norcross's better half is defense. DB Jarett Cole (Georgia Tech commit), DB Kendrec Grady (Louisville lean) and DL Robert Beal (consensus No. 13 Georgia prospect among juniors) are prominent recruits. 3. Valdosta MLB Todd Bradley (Georgia Southern) is the only preseason all-state player in this game. DB Antwon Kincade is the only other current Valdosta player among nine who made first- or second-team all-region in 2014.

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