Hephzibah ends title drought, but other regions up for grabs after Week 10 upsets
AJC Varsity reporter and GHSF Daily editor Chip Saye ranks the most surprising and notable games of the weekend.
1. Hephzibah 74, Cross Creek 0: Hephzibah, projected as a 46-point favorite by the computer-generated Maxwell Ratings, reached the 70-point mark for the first time since 2022 (also against Cross Creek) and clinched the first region championship in the program’s 73-year history. The Rebels are 8-1 overall and 5-0 in Region 4-3A, tying the school record for wins in a season set by their 2018 team that went 8-3. Hephzibah was 5-15 over the past two seasons.
2. Westside (Augusta) 28, Thomson 22: Hephzibah’s bid for a region title was aided by Thomson’s loss to 28-point underdog Westside. The loss puts Thomson two games behind Hephzibah in the Region 3-4A standings, and Hephzibah has just one game left — at Thomson on Nov. 6. Burke County is in second place with one region loss, but that came against Hephzibah 21-20 on Sept. 25, giving Hephzibah the tiebreaker if both end up with one loss.
3. Milton 49, Gainesville 46: Milton, a surprisingly high 22-point underdog, emerged as the favorite in Region 7-6A after avenging a 28-16 loss in 2025 against Gainesville. The Eagles can clinch the region championship with a victory against rival Roswell on Nov. 6. If Roswell wins that game, there likely will be a three-way tie for first place involving Milton, Roswell and Gainesville.
4. Turner County 30, Hawkinsville 17: Hawkinsville and Telfair County were the only unbeaten teams in Region 4-A play going into Friday’s games, but both fell into a three-way tie for first place with Wheeler County after suffering upset losses. The bigger surprise, according to Maxwell, was Hawkinsville’s loss to 24-point underdog Turner County. Telfair County lost to six-point underdog Dooly County 35-28. Telfair County’s next two games are against Wheeler County and Hawkinsville.
5. Windsor Forest 29, Harlem 28: Windsor Forest has a .500 record (4-4) this late in the season for the first time since 2021 after beating 24-point favorite Harlem in overtime. Quarterback Jayden Martin caught the winning two-point conversion pass from Kamari Duncan after a handoff and a lateral. Windsor Forest is in fifth place in Region 3-4A but is on the bubble for its first playoff appearance in five years.
Worth noting: Forest Park picked up its first victory of the season and ended a 10-game losing streak with a 41-32 victory over 14-point favorite Arabia Mountain in a Region 4-5A game. It was the Panthers’ first win since beating Drew 34-21 on Oct. 3, 2025. Arabia Mountain has lost eight straight games since opening the season with a 42-7 victory over Redan and is likely to finish 1-9 for the second time in three seasons. … Metter, which averaged 9.4 wins per season in the past seven years, got its first victory of 2026 when it beat 14-point favorite Bryan County 20-7 in a Region 3-2A game. Metter has won 12 of its past 13 games against Bryan County, including 35-0 last year, and leads the series 32-7. … Rome, a 24-point favorite, picked up its first victory of the season and avoided its first 0-8 start in school history with a 38-21 victory over River Ridge. Rome is in its first season under former North Gwinnett coach Bill Stewart, who was hired after the retirement of John Reid. River Ridge is 0-8 in 2026 after averaging seven wins per year over the past six seasons. … Savannah Christian, under the radar after starting the season 1-4, remains alive the Region 3-2A title chase after a 31-22 victory over 14-point favorite Screven County. Savannah Christian and Calvary Day are the only remaining unbeaten teams in region play, and the winner of their game on Nov. 6 is likely to win the region title. Screven County remains in the hunt with one region loss and plays Calvary Day this week. … Sonoraville pulled off one of the biggest GHSA upsets of the week, according to Maxwell, when it beat 28-point favorite LaFayette 43-32 in a Region 7-3A game. It was the second victory of the season for Sonoraville and the second loss for LaFayette. Sonoraville has won six straight games in the series after losing to LaFayette in their first meeting in 2006.