Carrollton, Buford earned No. 1 national football rankings prior to semifinals

Carrollton and Buford gained No. 1 national football rankings this week after Carrollton’s 34-14 victory over previous No. 1 Grayson in the Class 6A quarterfinals sent the Rams tumbling in the polls.

Carrollton moved to No. 1 in the MaxPreps poll from its previous No. 11 spot. Grayson, which had been elevated to No. 1 by MaxPreps last week, dropped to No. 12.

Buford rose to No. 1 in the USA Today rankings from its previous No. 3 spot after defeating Douglas County 30-15 last week in the other Class 6A semifinal. Carrollton moved up seven spots to No. 4, and Grayson fell to 8. Grayson had been No. 1 in the USA Today rankings for two weeks.

The new No. 1 team in the High School Football America 300, which had Grayson at No. 1 for four weeks, is St. Thomas Aquinas of Florida. Buford is No. 8, Carrollton is No. 14 and Grayson fell to No. 20 in that poll.

The ascension of both Buford and Carrollton to No. 1 increases the chances of Georgia having its first national champion since Colquitt County finished No. 1 in the High School Football America and Prep Force rankings in 2015.

Milton was named the No. 1 public-school team in America last season by High School Football America but finished No. 2 overall.

Here is where Georgia teams stand in several national polls. The numbers on the left are this week’s rankings; the numbers in parentheses are last week’s rankings.

MaxPreps

(Top 100)

1. (11) Carrollton

7. (7) Buford

12. (1) Grayson

29. (33) Hughes

33. (35) Thomas County Central

36. (38) Creekside

44. (43) Roswell

46. (45) Gainesville

59. (59) North Gwinnett

72. (74) Valdosta

84. (87) Lowndes

87. (89) Colquitt County

91. (97) Rome

USA Today

(Top 25)

1. (3) Buford

4. (11) Carrollton

8. (1) Grayson

ESPN

(Top 25)

4. (5) Buford

15. (NR) Carrollton

16. (2) Grayson

High School Football America

(Top 100)

8. (9) Buford

14. (36) Carrollton

20. (1) Grayson

28. (28) Hughes

42. (42) North Gwinnett

47. (47) Creekside

51. (52) Roswell

56. (58) Thomas County Central

58. (49) Douglas County

61. (61) Gainesville

66. (66) Valdosta

80. (81) Colquitt County

Massey Ratings

(Top 100)

4. (9) Carrollton

7. (7) Buford

13. (16) Thomas County Central

20. (18) Creekside

23. (10) Grayson

34. (35) Hughes

38. (41) North Gwinnett

57. (65) Rome

64. (64) Valdosta

83. (91) Cartersville

84. (99) Roswell

91. (86) Douglas County

96. (98) Gainesville

100. (89) Lowndes

High School on SI

(Top 25)

2. (3) Buford

4. (11) Carrollton

18. (NR) Thomas County Central

22. (2) Grayson