A look at the top 10 Georgia high school football games for Week 5

Archer at Roswell

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Ray Manus Stadium, Roswell

Records, rankings: Archer is 4-0 and unranked in Class 7A; Roswell is 2-1 and No. 7 in Class 6A.

Last meeting: Archer won 37-26 in 2017.

Things to know: Archer is 4-0 for the first time since 2017 after victories over Northgate, North Forsyth, Mill Creek and Collins Hill, all by 20 points or more. None of the four is ranked, but each made the playoffs last season, as did Archer, with a 6-5 record. The Tigers’ start is a mild surprise as Archer graduated Jordan Do, an all-state dual-threat quarterback now at Shorter, but found an able successor, Jamal Ambler, who has thrown for 553 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception. Kevin Gwibuka has a team-leading 23 solo tackles and two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. Without a major Division I prospect, Archer stands No. 14 in the GHSA’s Class 7A PSR and projects to finish about there, according to the Maxwell Ratings. Roswell has beaten Walton and Etowah and lost to No. 4 Newton, all from Class 7A. Matt Schletty has passed for 482 yards and rushed for 290. Florida State-committed safety Jaxon Holly has a team-leading five tackles for loss.

Benedictine at Statesboro

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Womack Field, Statesboro

Records, rankings: Benedictine is 2-1 overall, 0-0 in Region 1-5A and No. 4; Statesboro is 3-0 overall, 0-0 in Region 1-5A and unranked.

Last meeting: Statesboro won 34-27 in 1997.

Things to know: Statesboro is 3-0 for the first time since 2019. Statesboro has beaten Southeast Bulloch, Burke County and Emanuel County Institute. Although Burke and ECI are smaller schools, they are the first Top 10 opponents that Statesboro has beaten since 2019. The Blue Devils are in their fourth season under coach Matt Dobson, who led them to their best record (8-4) in 12 seasons last year. Statesboro is averaging 292.0 yards rushing and 63.7 passing per game. Beckham Jarrard has rushed for more yards (232) than he’s passed (154). DJ Brooks has rushed for 331 yards with at least two TD runs in each game. Benedictine has come back from an opening loss to Toombs County to beat Hebron Christian and Camden County. The team’s best weapons, as expected, are Purdue commit Eron Mallard (213 yards rushing, 303 receiving) and Virginia Tech commit Stanley Smart Jr. (409 rushing). Both teams are projected to get top-10 playoff seeds, according to the Maxwell Ratings. Benedictine leads the series 18-8.

Buford at Grayson

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Grayson Ram Stadium, Loganville

Records, rankings: Buford is 3-0 and No. 1 in Class 7A; Grayson is 2-2 and unranked in Class 7A.

Last meeting: Grayson won 19-14 in the 2023 Class 7A quarterfinals.

Things to know: This game will showcase 27 of the state’s 302 seniors and juniors rated 3-star prospects or higher on the 247Sports Composite. Buford has 12. Grayson has 15. No other Georgia team has more than 10. Buford has beaten Gainesville 39-19, Mallard Creek of North Carolina 41-7 and Miami Central of Florida 18-7. DJ Hunter, who is committed to James Madison, has passed for 282 yards without an interception and rushed for a team-leading 102 yards. Joshua Echols, committed to Middle Tennessee, has been the leading tackler. Buford’s top prospect is defensive lineman Jalen Brewster, who transferred from a Texas school in August. He is the consensus No. 1 prospect nationally and is committed to Texas Tech. Grayson, under promoted new coach Greg Carswell, has beaten Hughes 22-3 and Brunswick 44-31 after losses to undefeated North Gwinnett and Sandy Creek. Second-year starter Deuce Smith has thrown for 625 yards and six touchdowns. Brandon Gray and Ashton Turner have rushed for 209 yards apiece. London Goggans is the leading tackler. Grayson’s top prospect is offensive lineman Jordan Agbanoma, an AJC Super 11 pick committed to Nebraska. Buford and Grayson have met only once. Current Texas linebacker Tyler Atkinson, then a 5-star recruit, had four tackles for loss in that 2023 quarterfinal in which a Dylan Raiola-led Buford team was held to minus-10 yards rushing.

Cass at Villa Rica

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sam McIntyre Stadium, Villa Rica

Records, rankings: Cass is 4-0 overall, 0-0 in Region 7-5A and No. 7; Villa Rica is 4-0 overall, 0-0 in Region 7-5A and unranked.

Last meeting: Cass won 17-14 in 2019.

Things to know: Under new coach Michael Hilbert, a promoted defensive coordinator, Villa Rica is 4-0 for the first time since 1990, also the last time Villa Rica has played another undefeated team this late in a season. (The Wildcats beat second-ranked Pepperell when both were 4-0 that year). Villa Rica’s yardage leaders are junior Blaine Brown (516 passing), senior Emmanuel Ajayi (572 rushing with eight touchdowns) and junior Josiah Walker (301 receiving). Cass is 4-0 for the first time since 2020. Cass has never played a game between undefeated teams this late in a season. Cass’ yardage leaders are sophomore Noah Rogers (673 passing), junior Kalil Charles (637 rushing) and junior Jeremy Barrett (267 receiving). This is the region opener for both teams. Unless one or the other can topple No. 1-ranked Cartersville, the region favorite, this game won’t matter in region standings, but only in the Post Season Ranking standings, as the Georgia High School Association for the first time is using a math model to determine playoff qualifiers and seeds in all classes. Villa Rica leads the series 10-4. It began in 1960.

Fitzgerald at Worth County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Milt Miller Field at Worth County Stadium, Sylvester

Records, rankings: Fitzgerald is 3-0 and No. 2 in Class 2A; Worth County is 2-1 and No. 6 in Class 3A.

Last meeting: Worth County won 30-7 in 2025.

Things to know: In the 2025 game, Worth County ended an 11-game losing streak in the series, beating Fitzgerald for the first time since 2010, and went on to win the Class A Division I championship. The two teams met in a quarterfinal in 2024, with Fitzgerald winning 42-38 after trailing 38-21 in the third quarter. For this game, they meet as interclass foes, as Worth County effectively was bumped into 3A while Fitzgerald remained in the second class from the bottom (now called 2A). Fitzgerald, under second-year coach Wes Tankersley, is as run-oriented as ever, with only five completed passes in three games. But in a change from the coach Tucker Pruitt era, Fitzgerald relies on a workhorse feature back. LJ Devine has rushed for 503 yards and five touchdowns on 79 carries. Worth County remains one of the state’s better passing teams. Lyndon Worthy, a four-year starter, has thrown for 478 yards and six touchdowns this season. He needs two touchdown passes to hit 100 for his career.

Hebron Christian at Hart County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Pete Herndon Stadium, Hartwell

Records, rankings: Hebron Christian is 1-2 overall, 0-0 in Region 8-3A and No. 6 in Class 4A-2A Private; Hart County is 4-0 overall, 0-0 in Region 8-3A and No. 4 in Class 3A.

Last meeting: Hebron Christian won 54-10 in 2025.

Things to know: Under first-year coach Biff Parson, formerly at Rockmart, Hart County is 4-0 for the first time since 2021 and stands first in the AJC Varsity Improvement Tracker for Class 3A after a 3-8 finish in 2025. Last week’s 35-12 victory over Winder-Barrow has been the Bulldogs’ closest game. Tucker Parson, who transferred across state with his dad, has thrown for 830 yards and 12 touchdowns, completing 73.1% of his attempts without an interception. Kurston Curry, the 2025 quarterback now playing his best offensive position, has 27 receptions for 263 yards. He also starts in the secondary. Shane Moore has five tackles for loss. Hebron Christian will be Hart County’s first Top 10 opponent this season. Hart has beaten four Top 10 teams as an unranked team the past three seasons: Prince Avenue Christian in 2025, Monroe Area and Elbert County in 2024 and Oconee County in 2023. Hebron Christian, the reigning two-time Private champion, also has a new coach, Quentin Davie. He’s 1-2 with unsurprising losses against No. 2 Blessed Trinity and No. 4 Benedictine of Class 5A. Jordan Greene is the returning starter at quarterback, but Hebron’s early schedule and the loss of 2,000-yard rusher Devon Caldwell to Mercer and 1,000-yard receiver Jarvis Mathurin to Georgia Southern have been formidable challenges. Hebron’s best returnee is Clemson-committed lineman Elijah Morrison.

Spalding at Troup

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Callaway Stadium, LaGrange

Records, rankings: Spalding is 3-0 overall, 0-0 in Region 2-4A and No. 10; Troup is 3-0 overall, 0-0 in Region 2-4A and No. 2.

Last meeting: Troup won 48-14 in 2025.

Things to know: Spalding is 3-0 for the first time since the 2023 team went 12-1 and beat Troup 20-0 in the second round of the playoffs. Troup has won easily the past two seasons. Spalding got its third victory this season in a 34-33 thriller last week at Trinity Christian. Spalding defended a 2-point conversion in the late stages. Camauri Berry rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns and caught a 37-yard pass. He has rushed for 420 yards and six touchdowns this season. Devin Bass has passed for 319 yards and rushed for 194. Seymour Miles IV has 18 solo tackles and six tackles for loss. Cornerback Tavares Stinson, who has two interceptions and a blocked field goal, is committed to Tulane. Troup has wins over Hampton, LaGrange and Calhoun, all 2025 playoff teams. Troup is allowing 6.7 points per game, fewest among Class 4A teams. Defensive lineman Monyah Johnson and linebacker KJ McQueen are committed to Coastal Carolina. Linebacker Jeremiah Culpepper is committed to Ole Miss. Javarris Warner, a Duke commit, has rushed for 560 yards. Troup is projected to get the No. 1 Class 4A playoff seed, according to the Maxwell Ratings. Spalding is projected to get the No. 11 seed.

Treutlen at Montgomery County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Brogdon Field, Mount Vernon

Records, rankings: Treutlen is 3-0 and unranked in Class A; Montgomery County is 3-0 and No. 8 in Class A.

Last meeting: Treutlen won 46-6 in 2025.

Things to know: This is perhaps the biggest game ever played between these bordering southeast Georgia counties. They’ve met 69 times, with Treutlen leading the series 37-31-1, but only three times have both finished with winning records (1981, 1984, 1988). They’ve never met when both made the playoffs. That each is undefeated, even with modest 3-0 records, and that one is ranked, gives the game rare statewide intrigue. Both teams have sophomore quarterbacks who rarely pass (13 completed passes between them). Montgomery County averages 298.7 yards rushing per game. Elijah McEwen leads with 492 rushing yards on 10.5 yards per carry. Treutlen averages 351.3 yards rushing per game. Za’kian Tobler leads with 551 yards on 10.8 per carry. Montgomery County was 1-9 last season but jumped into the rankings after beating Wheeler County, a 12-1 team a year ago. Montgomery County is seeking its first 4-0 start since 2021. Treutlen made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2009 and finished 6-5. Treutlen is seeking its first 4-0 start since 2009.

Wesleyan at Lovett

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Kilpatrick Stadium, Atlanta

Records, rankings: Wesleyan is 2-1 overall, 1-0 in Region 5-3A and unranked in Class 4A-2A Private; Lovett is 3-0 overall, 0-0 in Region 5-3A and No. 5 in Class 4A-2A Private.

Last meeting: Lovett won 21-7 in 2015.

Things to know: Lovett has opened the season with a sweep of its most important rivals, Pace Academy and Westminster, and a victory over No. 8 Fellowship Christian, 42-13. Lovett gets 71% of its offense rushing, mainly on the legs of running back Knox Thomason (452 rushing yards) and quarterback Sam Abney (288 rushing yards). Abney is 16-of-28 passing for 279 yards. Wesleyan opened with a 42-35 loss to Whitefield Academy, then beat Elbert County and North Cobb Christian. Wesleyan is 0-6 all-time against Lovett. Wesleyan has been far more pass-happy with quarterback Jameson Hilton, a two-year starter who has thrown for 708 yards and seven touchdowns. Geno Houchins IV has 24 receptions for 379 yards and five touchdowns. Neither team has a Power 4 recruit. The teams’ coaches are the longest-tenured at their schools of any in the 4A-2A Private division. Lovett’s Mike Muschamp has been on the job 22 seasons. Wesleyan’s Franklin Pridgen is in his 21st season. Each has won one state title for his school.

Westlake at Houston County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Freedom Field, Warner Robins

Records, rankings: Westlake is 4-0 and No. 8 in Class 7A; Houston County is 2-1 and unranked in Class 6A.

Last meeting: Westlake won 42-10 in the first round of the 2020 Class 6A playoffs.