End of Camden’s streak against Savannah schools among top surprises of Week 3
AJC Varsity reporter and GHSF Daily editor Chip Saye ranks the most surprising and notable games of the weekend.
1. Camden County’s streak ends: Camden County’s 72-game winning streak against Savannah teams ended when the Wildcats lost to Benedictine 27-23. Camden County was a 1-point favorite, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings. The Wildcats’ last loss to a Savannah school also came against Benedictine, 9-7 on Sept. 29, 2000. Camden’s average margin of victory in the streak was 51-5.
2. Northside (Warner Robins) 32, Warner Robins 10: Northside ended a nine-game losing streak against its crosstown rival, which was a 15-point favorite. Northside’s last victory in the series came in 2016, a 55-3 win in the most lopsided game in a series that dates to 1964. Northside is 2-1 after going 3-17 over the past two seasons, its worst two-year stretch since the program’s infancy in the mid-1960s.
3. Marietta 21, McEachern 19: Marietta pulled off the biggest GHSA upset of the week, according to Maxwell, when it beat 21-point favorite McEachern. McEachern had won 15 of the past 18 games against Marietta in a series the Indians lead 23-15-1. It was the first victory of the season against a Georgia team for Marietta, which lost to NFL Academy 44-24 in England and beat St. Cloud of Florida 42-7.
4. Tucker 21, Stephenson 14: Tucker ended a five-game losing streak against Stephenson and a 23-game losing streak against Top 10 teams with a victory against its DeKalb County rival. Stephenson, ranked No. 4 in Class 4A last week, was a 5-point favorite. Tucker’s last victory against a Top 10 team was a 28-7 victory over No. 5 Warner Robins in 2017. The Maxwell Ratings had Stephenson No. 1 and Tucker No. 2 among DeKalb County schools entering the game.
5. Same opponents, same records: Paulding County is 3-0 for the first time since 2003 and Villa Rica is 3-0 for the first time since 2007, and they built their records against the same three opponents — Alexander, Hiram and South Paulding. Paulding County beat Hiram 19-14 last week, while Villa Rica defeated South Paulding 30-13. Paulding County begins play in Region 5-7A this week, and Villa Rica plays Seckinger this week before beginning its 7-5A schedule on Sept. 18.
Worth noting: Berrien is 3-0 for the first time since 2013 after a 24-21 victory over 5-point underdog Charlton County. Berrien leads the series 10-7 but had lost the last three meetings, including 62-0 in the most recent game in 2003. Charlton County fell to 1-1-1 and is the only Georgia team with a tie (14-14 against West Nassau of Florida in the opener). … Grayson avoided its first 0-3 start since 2006 when it beat 7-point favorite Hughes 22-3. Hughes was ranked No. 3 in Class 6A but dropped to No. 8 after the loss. Grayson of Class 7A was ranked No. 3 in the preseason before losing its first two games, against state powers North Gwinnett and Sandy Creek. … Islands, a 1-39 team over the past four seasons, is 3-0 for the first time in six years after a 14-7 victory over 4-point underdog Bryan County. Islands hadn’t started 3-0 since winning its first six games to start the COVID-impacted 2020 season. Islands ended a school-record 37-game losing with its only victory of 2025, a 31-18 win over Groves. … Lovett, a 12-point underdog, beat Fellowship Christian 42-13 in a surprisingly lopsided game and earned its third consecutive victory against a fellow north Fulton County private school. The Lions had defeated Westminster (31-12) and Pace Academy (44-14) in its first two games. Lovett’s current No. 5 ranking in Class 4A-2A Private is tied for its best since reaching No. 4 in 2020. … Washington, a 14-point underdog, ended a seven-game losing streak against South Atlanta with a 25-7 victory. Washington had been shut out in its last two meetings with South Atlanta and did not score in its first two games this season, against Shaw (lost 14-0) and Therrell (lost 24-0).