In Class AAAAAAA, defending state champion McEachern returns to No. 1 to open the 2019-20 season. The Indians have gotten off to a 2-0 start this year, scoring a 73-49 win over Creekside on Nov. 6 and then defeating Berkmar 74-70 on Saturday at the Georgia Elite 8 Tip-off. Norcross, Pebblebrook, Berkmar and Grayson round out the top 5. Grayson recently opened its season with a an 88-33 win over Jackson-Atl on Tuesday and features a roster that was bolstered in the offseason with the arrival of transfers Caleb Murphy (South Florida-commit) and Toneari Lane (Winthrop-commit). Wheeler, Milton, Newton, East Coweta and Tift County stack the remaining top 10. Last year’s runner-up Meadowcreek did not make the top 10. The Mustangs have moved on from head coach Curtis Gilleylen after an investigation was started and they opened this season with a 49-42 loss to Campbell this past Saturday.
Defending state champion Tri-Cities leads Class AAAAAA with Tucker, Alexander, Douglas County and Hughes rounding out the top 5. As a result, Region 5-AAAAA has four teams in the top 5 (Tri-Cities, Alexander, Douglas County, Hughes) to start the season.
Top-ranked Fayette County, Lithonia, defending champion Buford, Eagle’s Landing and Southwest DeKalb lead the top 5 in Class AAAAA to open the season. In Class AAAA, Woodward Academy is No. 1 after making a run to last year’s Final Four. This year’s War Eagles team is led by five-star 7-foot UNC-commit Walker Kessler and a strong supporting cast. Second-year program Denmark comes in at No. 2 after making a run to last year’s Elite 8 where they fell 58-50 to Woodward.
Defending Class AAA champion Morgan County got off to a rough start over the weekend, falling 74-47 to Newton. The Bulldogs managed just four points in the opening quarter and are not in the preseason top 10. Instead, Pace Academy opens the year No. 1. Runner-up Hart County lost four starters from last year’s runner-up finish, but comes in at No. 7.
Region 6-AA rivals Therrell and South Atlanta top the Class AA rankings with defending state champion Therrell earning the top spot. South Atlanta defeated Therrell in two out of three meetings last season, but a semifinal loss to Vidalia denied a potential fourth-meeting in a would-be state championship matchup.
Reigning Class A-Public state champion Calhoun County opens up at No. 1 in Class A-Public and defending Class A-Private state champion St. Francis also returns as the top team in the Class A-Private poll.
Class AAAAAAA
1. McEachern
2. Norcross
3. Pebblebrook
4. Berkmar
5. Grayson
6. Wheeler
7. Milton
8. Newton
9. East Coweta
10. Tift County
Class AAAAAA
1. Tri-Cities
2. Tucker
3. Alexander
4. Douglas County
5. Langston Hughes
6. Brunswick
7. South Cobb
8. Chattahoochee
9. Gainesville
10. Mundy's Mill
Class AAAAA
1. Fayette County
2. Lithonia
3. Buford
4. Eagle's Landing
5. Southwest DeKalb
6. Kell
7. Carrollton
8. Warner Robins
9. Woodland-Stockbridge
10. Dutchtown
Class AAAA
1. Woodward Academy
2. Denmark
3. Sandy Creek
4. Carver-Columbus
5. Americus-Sumter
6. Dougherty
7. Eastside
8. St. Pius
9. Baldwin
10. Chapel Hill
Class AAA
1. Pace Academy
2. Dawson County
3. Windsor Forest
4. Westside-Macon
5. Central-Macon
6. Johnson-Savannah
7. Hart County
8. Franklin County
9. Greater Atlanta Christian
10. Jefferson
Class AA
1. Therrell
2. South Atlanta
3. Vidalia
4. Glenn Hills
5. Laney
6. Woodville-Tompkins
7. Spencer
8. Swainsboro
9. Banks County
10. Jeff Davis
Class A-Public
1. Calhoun County
2. Treutlen
3. Wilkinson County
4. Irwin County
5. Wilcox County
6. Hancock Central
7. Greene County
8. Pelham
9. Marion County
10. Clinch County
Class A-Private
1. St. Francis
2. ELCA
3. Greenforest Christian
4. Mt. Bethel
5. Holy Innocents'
6. Walker
7. Christian Heritage
8. Riverside Military
9. Mt. Pisgah
10. Wesleyan
On the girls side, Westlake hasn’t played a game yet, but it opens the season as the defending champions and at the top of the state’s highest classification entering its meeting with Spalding on Saturday. No. 2 Cherokee stretched its legs on Monday and beat River Ridge 66-53 to open the season. Collins Hill enters the year at No. 3 ahead of No. 4 North Cobb and No. 5 North Forsyth. No. 6 Grayson is 1-1 with a 65-60 loss to Druid Hills and a 75-41 victory over Jackson-Atlanta. No. 7 Pebblebrook is 1-0 after a 70-36 victory over Therrell on Nov. 1. McEachern defeated Douglass 63-49 and is 1-0 on the season as the No. 8 team in the class. No. 9 Roswell opens its season against Centennial on Thursday. Marietta rounds out the top 10 and will open its season on Saturday against A-Private No. 1 Holy Innocents’.
In Class AAAAAA, Lovejoy opens as the team at the top and is 1-0 after a 51-25 victory over M.L. King. Valdosta is No. 2 and opens its season against AAAA No. 1 Carver-Columbus on Friday. Forest Park enters the season at No. 3 and is 1-0 after beating Morrow 100-29 on Tuesday. Dacula and Creekview round out the top 5.
Buford, the three-time defending champions, open at the top of Class AAAAA again this season and are 2-0 so far with wins over Greater Atlanta Christian and North Forsyth. No. 2 Carrollton will open its season at Pace Academy on Friday. No. 3 Statesboro, No. 4 Veterans and No. 5 Wayne County round out the top 5.
In Class AAAA, Carver-Columbus, the defending champions, opens the season at the top and will open its season on Saturday. Spalding is at No. 2 with two victories – 56-55 over East Coweta and 59-56 over No. 3 Luella, on the season. No. 4 Cross Creek and No. 5 Sandy Creek make up the top 5.
Two-time defending champion Johnson-Savannah enters the year at the top of the AAA poll and will open its season against Beach on Nov. 22. No. 2 Jefferson is 2-0 with victories over Banks County 55-52 and Dawson County 54-47. GAC enters the year at No. 3 with No. 4 Sonoraville and No. 5 Hart County rounding out the top.
Laney, which won back-to-back titles in 2017-18, enters the season at the top of Class AA with Douglass chasing at No. 2. Early County is No. 3 and leads No. 4 Washington County and No. 5 Fitzgerald to open the season.
Wheeler County opens the year at the top of Class A-Public with No. 2 Greenville chasing. No. 3 Clinch County leads No. 4 Bowdon and No. 5 Calhoun County as the season begins. In Class A-Private, Holy Innocents’ enters the season with a title defense on its mind after winnings its third state championship last year. No. 2 St. Francis, No. 3 Wesleyan, No. 4 Mount Paran and No. 5 Hebron Christian fill out the top.
Class AAAAAAA
1. Westlake
2. Cherokee
3. Collins Hill
4. North Cobb
5. North Forsyth
6. Grayson
7. Pebblebrook
8. McEachern
9. Roswell
10. Marietta
Class AAAAAA
1. Lovejoy
2. Valdosta
3. Forest Park
4. Dacula
5. Creekview
6. Glynn Academy
7. Douglas County
8. Stephenson
9. Langston Hughes
10. Tri-Cities
Class AAAAA
1. Buford
2. Carrollton
3. Statesboro
4. Veterans
5. Wayne County
6. Villa Rica
7. Jackson-Atlanta
8. Starr's Mill
9. Woodland-Stockbridge
10. Eagle's Landing
Class AAAA
1. Carver-Columbus
2. Spalding
3. Luella
4. Cross Creek
5. Sandy Creek
6. Baldwin
7. Flowery Branch
8. Troup
9. McDonough
10. Madison County
Class AAA
1. Johnson-Savannah
2. Jefferson
3. Greater Atlanta Christian
4. Sonoraville
5. Hart County
6. Ringgold
7. Beach
8. Rutland
9. Franklin County
10. Dawson County
Class AA
1. Laney
2. Douglass
3. Early County
4. Washington County
5. Fitzgerald
6. Rabun County
7. Bryan County
8. Putnam County
9. Rockmart
10. East Laurens
Class A-Public
1. Wheeler County
2. Greenville
3. Clinch County
4. Bowdon
5. Calhoun County
6. Central-Talbotton
7. Turner County
8. Marion County
9. Pelham
10. Wilcox County
Class A-Private
1. Holy Innocents'
2. St. Francis
3. Wesleyan
4. Mount Paran
5. Hebron Christian
6. Lakeview Academy
7. Calvary Day
8. Stratford Academy
9. Greenforest
10. Paideia
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