Cedar Shoals, Tucker wins among top surprises of high school football Week 2
AJC Varsity reporter and GHSF Daily editor Chip Saye ranks the most surprising and notable games of the weekend.
1. Chaos in Class A: Only two of last week’s top-10 teams in Class A — Johnson County and Bowdon — emerged with victories in Week 2. Then-No. 1 Lincoln County lost to Westside of Augusta, a Class 3A school, and No. 2 Clinch County lost to Jeff Davis of Class 2A. No. 3 Wheeler County and No. 8 Trion lost as two-touchdown favorites, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings. No. 5 Early County, a 6-point favorite, lost by three touchdowns. Slight underdogs No. 10 Hawkinsville and No. 7 Emanuel County Institute lost close games, and Irwin County trailed Bacon County 28-0 in a game that was stopped by weather and scheduled to resume Oct. 13.
2. Tucker 41, Rome 14: Tucker pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the week, according to Maxwell, when it went on the road and defeated 20-point favorite Rome by 27 points. Tucker is 2-0 for the first time since 2023 but faces a big test against Stephenson in a DeKalb County showdown this week. Rome, which lost longtime coach John Reid (retirement) and star quarterback Aidan McPherson (transfer) from last season, is 0-2 for the third straight year.
3. Richmond Academy 41, Thomson 40: Richmond Academy, a 14-point underdog, handed Thomson just its second loss in 77 games against Richmond County schools this century. Thomson had won 23 consecutive games against the county’s schools, last losing to Richmond Academy 42-28 in 2020. Thomson, which lost to Prince Avenue Christian 30-21 in the opener, is 0-2 for just the second time since 2013.
4. Cedar Shoals 33, Seckinger 17: Cedar Shoals ended a 22-game losing streak that was the longest in school history with a win over 16-point favorite Seckinger. The victory was the Jaguars’ first since they defeated Chestatee 45-21 on Oct. 20, 2023. Cedar Shoals, which lost to Heritage of Conyers in this year’s season opener, last had a winning record in 2019, when it finished 8-4.
5. East Paulding 27, Harrison 23: East Paulding won on the road against a favored Class 7A opponent for the second consecutive week. East Paulding opened the season with a victory at 7-point favorite North Paulding before beating then-No. 10 Harrison, a 3-point favorite. East Paulding’s victory against Harrison was its first against a top-10 team since beating Kell in 2018. Harrison had won all six previous meetings in the series.
Worth noting: B.E.S.T. Academy, which lost to Utopian Academy as a 20-point favorite in Week 1, turned the tables with a 41-7 victory over 20-point favorite Towers last week. B.E.S.T. Academy is in its second season under coach Rodney Cofield, best known for his long tenures at Washington and Douglass. … King’s Ridge Christian defeated 15-point favorite Westminster 16-7 and handed the Wildcats their school-record 10th consecutive loss. Westminster started the 2025 season 2-0 but lost its final eight games and then the 2026 opener against rival Lovett 31-12. … Ola, a 9-point favorite, bounced back from a season-opening loss to East Coweta and handed Cedar Grove its most lopsided loss in 33 years when it beat the Saints 56-0. Cedar Grove hadn’t lost a game by 56 or more points since falling to Archer 61-0 on Oct. 1, 1993. … Savannah Country Day, which moved from the GHSA to the GIAA this season, fell to 0-3 with a 52-13 loss to 15-point underdog Pinewood Prep. Savannah Country lost its previous games to Strong Rock Christian, another former GHSA school, 27-0 and Bluffton of South Carolina 29-7. … Twiggs County, in the first season of Ashley Harden’s second stint as head coach, ended a 15-game losing streak with a 34-12 victory over Central of Talbotton. Harden had a 12-11 record in his first stretch at the school in 2015 and 2016, leading the Cobras to the playoffs both seasons.