Griffin’s upset of Jonesboro among notable wins from GHSA football Week 10
Crisp County and Griffin won as double-digit underdogs in Week 10 of the high school football season, and Dublin knocked fourth-ranked Bleckley County out of a four-way tie for first place in Region 2-A Division I. Here are some of the surprising and notable results from the weekend.
1. Crisp County 28, Pierce County 16: Crisp County, a 21-point underdog according to the computer Maxwell Ratings, won for just the third time this season but improved to 2-1 in Region 3-2A with a victory over then-No. 2 Pierce County, which suffered its first loss of the year. Pierce County’s loss left Appling County as the only remaining unbeaten team in region play but with difficult games left against Cook and Pierce County.
2. Griffin 21, Jonesboro 15: Griffin won its sixth consecutive game after starting the season 0-2 and earned the right to play for its first region title since 2014 with a victory over 14-point favorite Jonesboro. Griffin will face seventh-ranked Central of Carrollton this week in a game that will determine the top two playoff seeds from Region 3-4A. Griffin, in its first year under former B.E.S.T. Academy coach Bernard Goodrum, went 1-9 each of the past two seasons.
3. Dublin 42, Bleckley County 19: Defending Region 2-A Division I champion Dublin, a two-point underdog, knocked then-No. 4 Bleckley County out of a four-way tie for first place, leaving Dublin, Northeast and Dodge at the top, each with a 6-1 region record. Dublin’s loss came against Northeast on Sept. 25. Dodge County, seeking its first region championship since 2020, holds the key. The Indians will play Northeast at home this week and at Dublin on Oct. 31.
4. Lithonia 48, St. Pius 7: Lithonia beat 10-point underdog St. Pius for the first time in the 10-game history of the series and reached the seven-win mark for the first time since 1994. Lithonia and Southwest DeKalb (which handed Lithonia its only region loss) are one game behind sixth-ranked Marist in the Region 5-4A title race. Lithonia plays Marist this week, but regardless of the outcome, the Bulldogs appear headed to their first playoff berth since 2021.
5. Adairsville 33, Northwest Whitfield 17: Adairsville gave its hopes for a school-record seventh consecutive playoff berth a big boost when it beat 21-point favorite Northwest Whitfield in a Region 7-3A game. Adairsville can clinch second place in the region, and the guaranteed first-round home playoff game that comes with it, if it wins its final two regular-season games against Gilmer and Heritage of Ringgold.
Also worth noting
Baconton Charter pulled off the biggest upset of the week, according to Maxwell, when it defeated 27-point favorite Terrell Academy of the GIAA 27-9. Class A Division II Baconton is 2-5 this season against a non-region schedule.
Jasper County, a two-point favorite, improved to 8-0 for the first time since 1988 with a surprisingly lopsided 42-7 victory over defending region champion Social Circle in a 4-A Division I game. Jasper County is seeking its first region title since 1992.
Oglethorpe County ended a six-game losing streak against Commerce, beating the Tigers 24-14 for its first win in the series since 1992. Commerce, 0-8, has its most losses in a season since 1956. The game was considered a toss-up by the Maxwell Ratings.
Paulding County solidified its hold on fourth place in Region 3-6A with a 24-15 victory over 16-point favorite Campbell. A victory this week at Pebblebrook would clinch Paulding County’s first trip to the playoffs since 2022 and third since 2007.
South Effingham, an 0-10 team last year, moved into a tie with Glynn Academy for fourth place in nine-team Region 1-5A with a 26-21 victory over five-point favorite Bradwell Institute. South Effingham has a shot at its first playoff berth since 2019, but Glynn Academy holds the head-to-head tiebreaker and has the more favorable remaining schedule.
About the Author
Chip Saye is a former writer and editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and remains a regular contributor to the AJC. In 2009 he helped start Georgia High School Football Daily. He previously worked for the Athens Banner-Herald, Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail and Gwinnett Daily News.
