AJC Varsity rankings: One enters Top 10 for 1st time; one ends 33-year drought

Howard of Macon is in AJC Varsity’s football rankings for the first time, Berrien is breaking a 33-year poll drought, Stephens County is cashing in on a massive upset and Grayson is back after a six-week absence.

Also entering the rankings are East Paulding, Central of Carrollton, Jasper County and Mount Vernon.

Howard, a Macon school that played its first varsity game in 2008, is No. 10 in Class 4A after winning its third straight game, a 20-13 victory over Spalding.

Howard (4-2, 3-0) beat a Top 10 opponent for the first time in school history Sept. 18 against then-No. 9 Baldwin and now stands tied for first in Region 2-4A with a pair of heavyweights: No. 2 Peach County and No. 3 Troup County.

Berrien’s last appearance in an AJC poll came in 1993. The Rebels, now No. 9, defeated then-No. 8 Cook 17-7 in a Class 2A game last week to improve to 5-1, with their only loss being against No. 3 Thomasville.

Stephens County (4-2) is the most unexpected team to rejoin the rankings. The Indians beat second-ranked Hart County 44-28 in 3A and entered at No. 10, one place behind of Hart, which was a 28-point favorite.

Stephens County and Hart County have inexplicable results against a common opponent, Habersham Central, which beat Stephens by 38 points and lost to Hart 48.

Grayson is No. 9 in Class 7A after beating Carol City of Miami (Florida) 10-9. Carol City was ranked No. 35 by MaxPreps entering the game. Grayson was the AJC’s preseason No. 3 team in Class 7A but started 0-2 with losses to North Gwinnett and Sandy Creek and took a third loss last month to No. 1 Buford.

East Paulding, a Class 6A team, is in the rankings for the first time since 2016 and 6-0 for the first time since 2012.

Jasper County, now No. 10 in 2A, and Mount Vernon, now No. 7 in Class 2A-4A Private, also are rare sightings in the Top 10. Jasper County (4-2) has played only one game as a Top 10 team this century, and that came last season.

Mount Vernon’s only previous ranking came for one week last month. Mount Vernon beat then-No. 9 Fellowship Christian 28-14 Friday. The victory was Mount Vernon’s second over a ranked team this season. Whitefield Academy was the first. Mount Vernon had been 0-37 all-time against Top 10 teams until that Aug. 28 victory.

Class 7A

1. (1) Buford (5-0)
2. (2) Carrollton (6-0)
3. (3) North Gwinnett (6-0)
4. (4) Newton (6-0)
5. (5) Valdosta (6-0)
6. (6) Lowndes (6-0)
7. (8) Westlake (5-1)
8. (9) North Cobb (4-1)
9. (NR) Grayson (3-3)
10. (10) Colquitt County (4-2)

Out: No. 7 Brookwood (5-1)

Class 6A

1. (1) Thomas County Central (6-0)
2. (2) Creekside (5-1)
3. (4) Lee County (5-1)
4. (6) Gainesville (4-2)
5. (5) Milton (5-1)
6. (3) Coffee (5-1)
7. (8) Hughes (5-1)
8. (9) Jackson County (6-0)
9. (10) Sequoyah (5-1)
10. (NR) East Paulding (5-0)

Out: No. 7 Roswell (4-2)

Class 5A

1. (1) Cartersville (6-0)
2. (2) Blessed Trinity (6-0)
3. (3) Marist (3-2)
4. (4) Benedictine (5-1)
5. (5) North Oconee (5-1)
6. (6) Tucker (5-0)
7. (8) Mays (6-0)
8. (9) Jefferson (4-2)
9. (NR) Central (Carrollton) (4-2)
10. (7) Cass (6-1)

Out: No. 10 Jones County (4-3)

Class 4A

1. (1) Sandy Creek (7-0)
2. (2) Peach County (6-0)
3. (3) Troup (6-0)
4. (4) Cairo (6-0)
5. (5) Monroe Area (6-0)
6. (6) Stephenson (5-1)
7. (7) Douglass (4-2)
8. (9) North Hall (4-2)
9. (10) Northwest Whitfield (5-1)
10. (NR) Howard (4-2)

Out: No. 8 Woodland (Stockbridge) 5-1

Class 3A

1. (1) Toombs County (6-0)
2. (3) Appling County (6-0)
3. (4) Pierce County (5-1)
4. (5) Northeast (5-1)
5. (6) Columbia (4-2)
6. (8) KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (5-1)
7. (7) Crisp County (4-1)
8. (10) Hapeville Charter (2-3)
9. (2) Hart County (6-1)
10. (NR) Stephens County (4-2)

Out: No. 9 Lumpkin County (4-1)

Class 2A

1. (1) Heard County (6-0)
2. (2) Jeff Davis (5-0)
3. (3) Thomasville (5-1)
4. (4) Bremen (6-0)
5. (5) Dublin (4-1)
6. (7) Bleckley County (5-1)
7. (6) Fitzgerald (5-1)
8. (9) Commerce (5-0)
9. (NR) Berrien (5-1)
10. (NR) Jasper County (4-2)

Out: No. 8 Cook (2-3), No. 10 Swainsboro (2-4)

Class A

1. (1) Johnson County (5-0)
2. (2) Lincoln County (4-2)
3. (5) Macon County (5-0)
4. (3) Taylor County (5-1)
5. (4) Clinch County (4-2)
6. (6) Bowdon (3-3)
7. (7) Randolph-Clay (6-0)
8. (8) Charlton County (4-1-1)
9. (9) Emanuel County Institute (2-4)
10. (10) Trion (5-1)

Class 4A-2A Private

1. (1) Prince Avenue Christian (4-0)
2. (2) Calvary Day (5-1)
3. (3) Holy Innocents’ (7-0)
4. (4) Greater Atlanta Christian (3-2)
5. (5) Eagle’s Landing Christian (5-1)
6. (6) Lovett (4-2)
7. (NR) Mount Vernon (5-2)
8. (7) Wesleyan (4-2)
9. (8) Hebron Christian (2-4)
10. (9) Fellowship Christian (2-3)