8 new teams, coaches lead Improvement Tracker

Eight new teams are in the lead in the AJC Varsity/GHSF Daily Improvement Tracker.

Newton under Josh Skelton (Class 7A) and East Paulding under Van Spence (Class 6A) are coming off victories over Top 10 teams. Newton beat Roswell while East Paulding beat Harrison.

In Class 5A, Dalton, in its second season under Chris Prewett, is 2-0 after starting 0-5 a year ago and 0-10 the season before that.

Greater Atlanta Christian of 4A-2A Private and Montgomery County of Class A have won as underdogs each of the first two weeks.

Montgomery County is the only team that maintained its first-place standing from last week.

Others new at the top of their classes are Shaw, Hart County, Utopian Academy and Rock Springs Christian.

AJC Varsity/GHSF Daily will rank the top five teams and their head coaches in each classification weekly based on improvement in the computer Maxwell Ratings from previous seasons and beating preseason expectations.

To qualify for the final standings, teams must have a winning record, make the playoffs and improve on their playoff advancement or seeding from 2025. Only teams with winning records are included in the weekly rankings.

The Improvement Tracker is based on an objective formula that uses current and historical Maxwell Ratings. Improvement from 2025 counts most, but the formula also considers previous years to discourage rewarding traditionally strong teams that simply bounce back from a down year.

The year-end winners will receive awards, presented by Formetco, at the Georgia Football Coaches Association College Coaches Luncheon in February in Macon.

Class 7A

• +13.63 - Newton (Josh Skelton)
• +11.16 - Etowah (Brett Vavra)
• +8.95 - McEachern (Kareem Reid)
• +6.07 - South Forsyth (James Thomson)
• +5.99 - North Gwinnett (Eric Godfree)

Class 6A

• +10.54 - East Paulding (Van Spence)
• +9.72 - Coffee (Mike Coe)
• +9.31 - Lassiter (Sean Thom)
• +7.74 - Bradwell Institute (John Adams)
• +6.55 - Sequoyah (James Teter)

Class 5A

• +10.73 - Dalton (Chris Prewett)
• +10.28 - Tucker (Lonnie Jones)
• +8.36 - Blessed Trinity (Ed Dudley)
• +7.90 - Banneker (Niketa Battle)
• +7.29 - Richmond Academy (Keenan Grissett)

Class 4A

• +8.05 - Shaw (Johnny Garner)
• +5.98 - Stephenson (Marcus Jelks)
• +5.82 - Troup (Tanner Glisson)
• +5.62 - Gilmer (Paul Standard)
• +5.17 - Windsor Forest (Willie Martin)

Class 3A

• +10.78 - Hart County (Biff Parson)
• +9.04 - Toombs County (Buddy Martin)
• +6.14 - LaFayette (Lee Bohannon)
• +5.52 - Central (Macon) (Jamoski Ward)
• +5.22 - Murray County (Jason Allen)

Class 2A

• +19.76 - Utopian Academy (Darius Redman)
• +10.45 - Glenn Hills (Brandon Tull)
• +9.70 - Bremen (Davis Russell)
• +8.59 - Model (Jeff Hunnicutt)
• +6.67 - Berrien (Jackson Dean)

Class A

• +15.63 - Montgomery County (Gabe Gay)
• +8.00 - Lake Oconee Academy (Patrick Stewart)
• +6.66 - Taylor County (Jess DeVoursney)
• +6.13 - Macon County (Sheddrick Risper)
• +5.41 - Mitchell County (Kaream Hess)

Class 4A-2A Private

• +7.43 - Greater Atlanta Christian (Tim Hardy)
• +5.68 - Mount Vernon (Terrence Edwards)
• +5.19 - Holy Innocents’ (Nick Perrotta)
• +3.93 - North Cobb Christian (P.J. Hughes)
• +1.63 - Lovett (Mike Muschamp)