Victory by a 23-point underdog among notable surprises of GHSA football Week 4
AJC Varsity reporter and GHSF Daily editor Chip Saye ranks the most surprising and notable games of the weekend.
1. Central (Carrollton) 73, Houston County 66: Central beat Houston County in overtime in the third-highest scoring game in GHSA history and the second-highest in more than 100 years, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Central, an unranked Class 5A team, was projected as a 16-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings in a matchup with then-No. 9 Houston County of 6A. At least one team has scored 50 or more points in all four of Central’s games, including losses to Heard County (50-28) and East Paulding (56-49) and a victory over Jonesboro (56-7).
2. Jackson County 20, North Oconee 14: Class 6A No. 9 Jackson County won a regular-season game against a top-10 opponent for the first time in school history when it defeated 12-point favorite North Oconee, which is ranked No. 5 in Class 5A this week. The Panthers had been 0-37 all-time against ranked opponents in the regular season, although they defeated a top-10 Milton team in the playoffs last season.
3. Pope 36, Woodstock 14: Pope recorded the biggest upset of the week, according to the Maxwell Ratings, when it defeated 23-point favorite Woodstock in the teams’ Region 6-6A opener. The Greyhounds are 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the region, surpassing last year’s overall win total and matching its one region win from 2025. Pope had lost the past five meetings against Woodstock, including 20-14 in 2025.
4. Bethlehem Christian 41, Athens Academy 21: Bethlehem Christian, a GIAA school that came in as a 22-point underdog, pulled off the upset and sent Athens Academy to its first 1-3 start since 1990, when the Spartans finished 2-8. Bethlehem Christian is 2-3 this year, including 2-2 against GHSA schools, beating Athens Academy and Towns County and losing to Social Circle and Eagle’s Landing Christian.
5. Heritage (Conyers) 28, Shiloh 24: Heritage, a 1-9 team a year ago, picked up its second victory of the season when it beat 21-point favorite Shiloh in the Patriots’ Region 4-6A opener. Shiloh was the Maxwell Ratings’ preseason pick to win the nine-team region, and Heritage was projected to finish fifth. Heritage is in its first season under coach Quincy Carter, the former Georgia and NFL quarterback.
Worth noting: Archer, a 17-point favorite, defeated Collins Hill 21-0 and is 4-0 for the first time since 2017, when it finished 12-1. Collins Hill dropped to 0-4 for the first time since 2018, when it finished 3-8. The preseason Maxwell projections picked Archer to win four games in the regular season and for Collins Hill to win seven. … Clarkston, a 33-point favorite, ended a school-record 30-game losing streak with a 35-0 victory over Cross Keys. It was the Angoras’ first win since beating Cross Keys 24-0 on Sept. 7, 2023. Clarkston has won six consecutive games against Cross Keys, all by shutout, and leads the series against its DeKalb County rival 25-4. … Randolph-Clay, a 26-point favorite, is 4-0 for the first time since 2016 after a 62-30 victory over Calhoun County. Randolph-Clay had back-to-back playoff teams in 2015 and 2016, both with 7-4 records, but has not won more than four games in a season since. … Rockdale County ended an 11-game losing streak against Gwinnett County schools that dated to 2019 with a 15-0 victory over seven-point favorite Central Gwinnett. The Bulldogs were 0-3 against South Gwinnett, Archer and Grayson and 0-1 against Dacula and Shiloh since a 22-14 victory over Discovery on Sept. 6, 2019. … Union Grove, an 11-point favorite, ended a school-record 16 game losing streak with a 58-12 victory over Salem. The losing streak would have been 19 games if not for a forfeit victory in a game Stockbridge won 31-14 in 2024. Union Grove had last won a game on the field against Woodland (Stockbridge) 32-0 on Sept. 6, 2024.