Top 10 Georgia high school football games of Week 5

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Eagles’ Nest, Milton

Records, rankings: Blessed Trinity is 3-0 and No. 3 in Class 4A; Milton is 2-1 and No. 4 in 5A.

Last meeting: Milton won 28-14 in 2024.

Things to know: In the 2024 game, the first between these north Fulton County schools, Blessed Trinity scored in the final minute of the third quarter to get within 21-14 but finished with less than 100 yards against an eventual 15-0 team with nine major Division I signees. This time, Blessed Trinity has the more widely known players with defensive linemen DJ Jacobs (top-20 national junior prospect), Dawson Jacobs (top-100 sophomore prospect) and Lucas Smalls-Allen (committed to Kansas); defensive back TJ Umenyiora (Michigan State); and punter/kicker Jonathan Gentry (Georgia Tech). Milton’s best players are linebacker Billy Weivoda (Iowa, three sacks in last year’s Blessed Trinity game), safety Tristan Lester (Marshall) and tight end Grant Haviland (top-300 prospect). Freshman quarterback Trey Hasan has taken over for injured Derrick Baker, a top prospect. Milton is averaging just 267.3 yards per game. Blessed Trinity is also figuring out the quarterback position, with JD Callaway and Ty Page each getting time to replace Brooks Goodman, now at Cincinnati. Ahmontae Pitts has rushed for 353 yards and five touchdowns.

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Staples Stadium, Franklin

Records, rankings: Bowdon is 3-1 and No. 3 in Class A Division II; Heard County is 3-0 and No. 5 in A Division I.

Last meeting: Bowdon won 35-21 in 2024.

Things to know: Bowdon, the reigning Class A Division II champion, leads this west Georgia series 15-9. But while both have good tradition, this is only the third meeting, first since 1991, in which both are ranked. In the 2024 game, Bowdon’s Kaiden Prothro, a 6-foot-6-inch wide receiver, had five receptions for 177 yards and three touchdowns. He’s back as an AJC Super 11 pick and Georgia commitment. He has five TD receptions this season, 44 for his career. Joshua Hopkins has passed for 560 yards and rushed for 440 with 19 total touchdowns. He’s Bowdon’s fourth quarterback in four seasons. The previous three led their teams to state titles. Bowdon’s lone loss came in the opener to Fellowship Christian, a Class 3A-A Private team, 26-0. Bowdon has averaged 48.3 points in three easy wins since. Heard County believes it has its best team since the 2018 Class 2A champion. The 11 leading tacklers off the 2024 team that finished 9-3 were juniors or sophomores. Junior QB Ethan Tisdale is 31-of-39 passing for 500 yards and nine touchdowns. He has rushed for 249 yards.

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Phil Reeve Stadium, Calhoun

Records, rankings: Cambridge is 3-1 and No. 9 in Class 4A; Calhoun is 2-1 and No. 1 in 3A.

Last meeting: Cambridge won 31-19 in 2024.

Things to know: Calhoun emerged from this 2024 defeat to win its final 11 games on its way to the Class 3A title. Each suffered its first 2025 loss last week — Cambridge to unranked Class 6A opponent Denmark 31-14 and Calhoun to Class 4A No. 4 Cartersville 38-35. Calhoun is probably less worried after scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to get even at 35-35 and not having time to answer Cartersville’s field goal. Calhoun is averaging more than 400 yards of total offense. Sophomore QB Trace Hawkins has thrown for 655 yards and six touchdowns. Cambridge might blame the Denmark loss on ball security. Cambridge beat Denmark 35-34 last year and outgained the Danes 422-348 this year but had three turnovers. New starting QB Connor Langford passed for 329 passing yards. AJC Super 11 WR Craig Dandridge has 17 receptions for 400 yards and four touchdowns this season. Brooks Malone is averaging 113.8 rushing yards per game.

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Bobby Gruhn Field at City Park, Gainesville

Records, rankings: Carrollton is 4-0 and No. 4 in Class 6A; Gainesville is 3-0 and No. 3 in 5A.

Last meeting: Carrollton won 45-16 in 2024.

Things to know: This is just the fourth meeting between programs that rank in the top 10 of victories all-time in Georgia. Carrollton is 3-0 in the series and won the 2024 game handily, but that team’s star player, Julian Lewis, is a Colorado freshman. Carrollton now plays two quarterbacks, both highly recruited. Freshman CJ Cypher, mostly a pocket passer, is 40-of-55 passing for 712 yards and eight touchdowns. Junior Mason Holtzclaw, more of a dual threat, is 22-of-31 for 281 yards and two touchdowns and has rushed for 80 yards. Ryan Mosley, committed to Georgia, has 18 receptions for 432 yards and five touchdowns. He had two TD receptions against Gainesville last season. Carrollton has returned two kickoffs, two punts and one interception for touchdowns. Gainesville QB Kharim Hughley, a junior returning starter committed to Clemson, has passed for 587 yards and nine touchdowns. Other offensive leaders are Nigel Newkirk (388 rushing yards, five touchdowns) and Phil Williams (269 receiving yards, three touchdowns). The Red Elephants’ defensive pair of Xavier Griffin and Jamarion Matthews are committed to Alabama. Both grew up in Alabama. Each has three sacks this season.

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Trojan Field, Leesburg

Records, rankings: Colquitt County is 1-1 and No. 9 in Class 6A; Lee County is 3-0 and No. 5 in 5A.

Last meeting: Lee County won 47-35 in 2024.

Things to know: These are South Georgia’s second- and third-best teams behind Thomas County Central, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings. Colquitt County was 12-0 all-time against Lee County until last year’s game, which Lee led 41-14 in the third quarter. Lee County is 3-0 this season but struggled in victories over Tift County (41-33) and Hapeville Charter (28-13) in the Trojans’ adjustment without QB Weston Bryan (now at Georgia Southern) and RB Ousmane Kromah (Florida State). WR Jaden Upshaw is a blue-chip recruit, but QB Jordan Bush has more rushing yards (291) than passing yards (112) and shares time with Marcus Snipes (165 passing). Lee’s defense is less concerning with DB Lasiah Jackson and LB Greg Batson, both top-200 national prospects, on duty. Jackson, the leader in tackles, is committed to Stanford. Colquitt’s demanding schedule continues as the Packers have beaten Benedictine 27-24 and lost to North Gwinnett 21-7. Jae Lamar, a running back committed to Georgia, has rushed for 186 yards on 25 carries, though without a touchdown. Sophomore Cohen Lawson is 18-of-38 passing for 200 yards.

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Phillip Beard Stadium, Buford

Records, rankings: Douglas County is 3-1 and No. 4 in Class 6A; Buford is 3-0 and No. 2 in 6A.

Last meeting: Buford won 31-14 in 2024.

Things to know: This game will bring together more major Division I talent than any other this regular season. There are 25 seniors with profiles on 247Sports (14 Buford, 11 Douglas County), and seven of those are rated four stars. If a college team had commitments from all 25, its class would rank No. 20 on the 247Sports Composite, one spot ahead of Oklahoma. And those don’t count three Douglas County juniors who are top-300 national prospects. That guarantees nothing in Georgia, however. Douglas County is coming off a 44-31 loss to Hughes, which scored six times on plays of 50 yards or more. New QB Mike Johnson (Utah) has been erratic but provides a dual threat of 529 passing yards and 153 rushing yards. AJC Super 11 Aaron Gregory has 26 receptions for 404 yards. He’s a Texas A&M pledge, as is DL Jordan Carter, who has a team-leading five sacks. Buford is led by AJC Super 11 Tyriq Green, who is committed to Georgia. He has 354 all-purpose yards with six touchdowns, at least one each on offense, defense and special teams. Dayton Raiola (Nebraska) has thrown for 511 yards. Dre Quinn (Clemson) and Bryce Perry-Wright (Texas A&M) have combined for six tackles for losses and 10 QB hurries. Buford won this game in 2024 by limiting Douglas County to 56 rushing yards. GPB Sports will televise the game.