Friday night wrapup: 3 resurgent state powers score big upsets in rivalry games

Marietta, Tucker and Northside of Warner Robins, unranked teams searching to rekindle the glory days of state titles won the previous decade, woke up the echoes Friday night, winning major rivalry games against top-10 opponents.

Grayson, Troup, Peach County, Benedictine and Ola also scored big wins on the third full week of the football regular season.

Marietta beat No. 4 McEachern 21-19 in a Class 7A game between Cobb County teams. Marietta had lost 17 straight against top-10 opponents since beating No. 5 Walton in 2021. Marietta had lost three straight against McEachern, but each time by six or fewer points.

Marietta had suffered steady decline since its 2019 state title, bottoming out at 2-8 in 2024, but has now won six of its past seven games against Georgia teams under second-year coach Cameron Duke.

In DeKalb County, Tucker beat No. 4 Stephenson of Class 4A 21-14.

Tucker had lost 23 straight games to top-10 teams, or since beating No. 5 Warner Robins 28-7 in 2017. Tucker was the state’s fourth-winningest program from 2000 to 2017 and won a state title in 2007 and 2011, but the Tigers haven’t won a playoff game in nine years.

The victory was significant locally as the Maxwell Ratings had Stephenson No. 1 and Tucker No. 2 among DeKalb County Schools entering the game.

Northside beat city rival Warner Robins 32-10, ending a nine-game losing streak in a rivalry that is among the state’s most storied.

Northside was third, ahead of Tucker, in wins from 2000 to 2017 and won state titles in 2006, 2007 and 2014, but the program was 3-17 the past two seasons, the worst two-year stretch since the 1960s.

Northside had lost 16 straight games against top-10 teams, last beaching Jones County in 2023. Northside’s second-year coach is Daniel “Boone” Williams, who led Hughes to a 2021 state title.

The most resounding victory of the night belonged to Troup, a 42-0 winner over No. 8 Calhoun in a Class 4A game.

Troup is ranked No. 2. The Tigers beat county rival LaGrange last week and now has won consecutive games against top-10 teams for the second time in its history, first since 2022 (Callaway, Whitewater, Starr’s Mill).

Calhoun has suffered only two more lopsided losses this century, both against Trevor Lawrence-led Cartersville teams in 2016 and 2017.

Grayson, ranked No. 3 in preseason before losing its first two games, bounced back with a 22-3 victory over Hughes, the No. 3 team in 6A. Grayson avoided its first 0-3 start since 2006.

Peach County, the No. 5 team in 4A, beat No. 6 Jefferson of 5A 30-23. Peach County has opened the season with three victories over 5A teams. Jones County and Perry are the others. Jefferson is 1-2, having also lost to Calhoun.

Benedictine, the No. 8 team in 5A, beat unranked Camden County, a previously unbeaten 7A team. Camden County had won 72 straight games against Savannah opponents since Benedictine beat Camden in 2000. The teams hadn’t played since 2011.

Unranked Ola upset No. 7 LaGrange 26-16 in a 5A game. It was Ola’s best win since beating No. 9 Jones County in 2022.

Three big-name Georgia teams played on the road against top out-of-state opponents. Two won.

Buford, the No. 1 team in 7A and the consensus No. 5 team nationally, beat Mallard Creek of Charlotte, North Carolina, 41-7.

Carrollton, the No. 2 team in Class 7A and the consensus No. 6 team nationally, beat Catholic, the No. 3 team in Louisiana, 61-27, in Baton Rouge. The game was the longest road trip in Carrollton history. The Trojans had never gone farther than Birmingham, Alabama.

Gainesville, the No. 8 team in 6A, lost to East St. Louis, Illinois, 24-21.

Class A could see another shuffle at the top of the rankings as No. 1 Bowdon lost to Lamar County, an unranked 3A team, 20-7. No. 2 Lincoln County defeated Aquinas, the No. 8 4A-2A Private team, 53-20.

In top-10 Private matchups, No. 6 Lovett beat No. 9 Fellowship Christian 42-13, and No. 5 Holy Innocents’ beat No. 10 Mount Vernon 51-14.