Friday’s two No. 1 vs. No. 2 games on same night is almost unprecedented
Two games on Friday night’s schedule will match teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in their classifications. Those are No. 1 Thomas County Central at No. 2 Lee County in Class 6A and No. 2 Pierce County at No. 1 Toombs County in Class 3A.
Those will be the 48th and 49th games that have paired the No. 1 vs. No. 2 from the same classification in the regular season since the AJC’s first high school football rankings in 1952.
It will be only the second time two of those games have been played on the same night.
The first time took place Oct. 16, 1987, when No. 1 Thomas County Central and No. 2 Thomasville met in Class 3A, and No. 1 Louisville and No. 2 Lincoln County met in Class A. The second-ranked teams won both.
These games are more common this century because there were only four classifications as recently as the 1999 season. The current AJC poll ranks teams in eight classes.
Below are the 49 occurrences of No. 1 vs. No. 2, with the No. 1 team on the left. The No. 1 teams led 24-22-1.
- 2026: Thomas County Central vs. Lee County (6A)
- 2026: Toombs County vs. Pierce County (3A)
- 2023: Buford lost to Mill Creek 31-24 (7A)
- 2023: Schley County beat Macon County 34-7 (A-DII)
- 2021: Collins Hill beat Mill Creek 40-10 (7A)
- 2021: Trinity Christian beat Eagle’s Landing Christian 34-3 (A PRI)
- 2021: Irwin County beat Brooks County 21-13 (A PUB)
- 2020: Athens Academy lost to Prince Avenue Christian 41-7 (A PRI)
- 2019: Clinch County lost to Irwin County 14-0 (A PUB)
- 2018: Clinch County lost to Irwin County 21-3 (A PUB)
- 2018: Hapeville Charter beat Heard County 33-3 (2A)
- 2016: Eagle’s Landing Christian beat Landmark Christian 49-0 (A PRI)
- 2016: Eagle’s Landing Christian beat Wesleyan 34-31 (A PRI)
- 2013: Sandy Creek beat Carrollton 24-7 (4A)
- 2013: Tucker beat Stephenson 31-28 (5A)
- 2010: Buford lost to Carver (Columbus) 14-0 (2A)
- 2005: Cartersville lost to Carrollton 27-20 (3A)
- 2005: Dublin beat Vidalia 58-0 (2A)
- 2004: LaGrange beat Shaw 37-10 (3A)
- 2003: Parkview lost to Brookwood 35-21 (5A)
- 2000: Warner Robins beat Northside (Warner Robins) 23-20 (5A)
- 1997: Macon County lost to Miller County 36-13 (A)
- 1993: Valdosta beat Camden County 17-6 (4A)
- 1990: Mitchell-Baker beat Early County 20-14 (2A)
- 1988: R.E. Lee beat Manchester 49-21 (2A)
- 1987: Thomas County Central lost to Thomasville 15-6 (3A)
- 1987: Louisville lost to Lincoln County 21-17 (A)
- 1986: LaGrange lost to Valdosta 16-6 (4A)
- 1980: Lowndes beat Tift County 28-6 (4A)
- 1976: Thomasville lost to Valdosta 29-9 (3A)
- 1974: Trion beat Gordon Lee 10-0 (B)
- 1973: Southeast Bulloch beat Savannah Country Day 35-0 (B)
- 1973: Thomasville beat Valdosta 6-0 (3A)
- 1970: Roswell lost to Lithonia 13-6 (A)
- 1967: Manchester beat Mary Persons 7-0 (B)
- 1966: Thomson lost to Statesboro 7-6 (A)
- 1966: Lanier (Macon) lost to Moultrie 21-0 (3A)
- 1965: Lincolnton lost to Warren County 12-0 (C)
- 1963: Wayne County lost to Cairo 22-12 (2A)
- 1963: Americus tied Thomasville 14-14 (A)
- 1963: Morgan County lost to Washington-Wilkes 14-13 (B)
- 1962: Lincolnton beat Warren County 27-0 (C)
- 1959: Avondale lost to Gainesville 13-12 (2A)
- 1959: Morgan County beat Jefferson 40-0 (B)
- 1959: LaGrange lost to Albany 19-0 (3A)
- 1959: Monticello lost to Hawkinsville 21-0 (C)
- 1957: Valdosta beat Waycross 33-13 (2A)
- 1957: Screven County lost to Statesboro 13-0 (A)
- 1955: Morgan County beat Washington-Wilkes 27-13 (B)
