Friday recap: Hughes wins, two No. 1 teams lose, Rockmart preserves streak in OT
Hughes protected its No. 1 ranking in Class 5A, two other No. 1 teams lost, Rockmart went overtime to extend the state’s longest region winning streak, and unranked Walton and Woodstock beat top-10 opponents Friday night in the fourth weekend of the football season.
Buford, Thomas County Central, Cartersville and ACE Charter also scored notable wins.
In a game featuring eight top-200 national junior or senior prospects, Hughes defeated No. 3 Douglas County 44-31 at home to improve to 3-0. That avenged Hughes’ only regular-season loss from 2024, when the Panthers lost to Douglas County 21-14 but finished 13-2 and reached the 5A final. Douglas County, the No. 3 in Class 6A, fell to 3-1.
Two No. 1 teams – Calhoun and Toombs County, both defending champions – were beaten, though each was judged a 14-point underdog playing against a larger school by the computer Maxwell Ratings.
Calhoun, of Class 3A, lost to Class 4A’s No. 4 team, Cartersville, 38-35 in a game that ended at 12:58 a.m. because of weather delays. Ramsey Rowell kicked a 26-yard field goal with 16 seconds left to break a 35-35 tie. Brady Marchese, a wide receiver committed to Georgia, had nine receptions for 191 yards and two touchdowns in a game televised on GPB Sports.
Cartersville is 74-1 in home regular-season games since 2012, the only loss against Calhoun in three overtimes in 2022.
Toombs lost 49-28 on the road to Rome, a Class 5A team that Toombs upset 33-29 last season during the Bulldogs’ run to the Class A Division I championship.
Rockmart, the No. 3 team in Class 2A, beat unranked but previously unbeaten Ringgold 38-32 in one overtime in a Region 7-2A game. It was Rockmart’s 60th straight region victory dating to 2016. The streak is the longest active one of its kind in Georgia.
The 2024 game between these two northwest Georgia teams also went overtime, with Rockmart winning 23-20.
Walton, unranked in Class 6A, beat No. 9 Norcross 24-21 on the road on a late touchdown pass from sophomore Christion Peacock to freshman brother Jordan Peacock. Walton moved to 2-2, its losses against top-10 teams McEachern and Roswell. Norcross had started 2-0 under new coach Corey Richardson.
In a Class 5A game, Woodstock beat No. 10 River Ridge 14-10. It was Woodstock’s first victory over a top-10 team since 2016.
Ace Charter beat a top-10 opponent for the first time in history with its 20-15 victory over No. 9 Dodge County in Class A Division I. ACE is a Macon school in its eight varsity season. It had been 0-8 all-time against top-10 teams.
Grayson and Buford, the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in Class 6A, respectively, won impressively against previously unbeaten opponents. Grayson beat North Carolina’s Mallard Creek 63-13, while Buford beat Class 5A No. 6 Roswell 65-21.
Thomas County Central, the No. 3 team in Class 5A, won the Rose City Rivalry against Thomasville, the No. 3 Class A Division I team, 55-7. Thomas Central has outscored its four opponents 246-28.
In Class 2A, No. 6 Callaway beat No. 10 Cook 17-3.
Three top-10 teams won despite giving up more than 40 points. They were Rabun County (49-42 over Dalton), Manchester (47-46 over Macon County) and Clinch County (48-43 over Berrien),
Several top-10 teams lost to bigger schools, though each was favored in the Maxwell projections. Those were Class 4A No. 6 Cambridge to Denmark 30-14, Class 2A No. 9 Thomson to Class 6A Grovetown 22-21 in overtime, Class 4A Eastside to Class 6A Archer 44-20, Class A Division II No. 4 Brooks County to A Division II No. 2 Worthy County 44-25.
About the Author
Todd Holcomb has been a contributor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1985. He is currently co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
