Upset by 34-point underdog North Atlanta among top surprises of Week 7
AJC Varsity reporter and GHSF Daily editor Chip Saye ranks the most surprising and notable games of the weekend.
1. Stephens County 44, Hart County 28: Stephens County beat Hart County for the fifth consecutive season, but this time the win came against a 28-point favorite — according to the computer Maxwell Ratings — that was undefeated and ranked No. 2 in Class 3A. Stephens County started the season 0-2, with losses to Gilmer and Habersham Central, but has since won four straight and sits alone in first place in 8-3A with a 2-0 region record. Hart County’s 6-0 start was its best since 2021.
2. Fayette County 22, Luella 14: Fayette County ended a 23-game losing streak that was the second-longest active streak in the state and the longest in school history with a victory over 9-point favorite Luella. The losing streak would have been 31 games if not for a forfeit victory in 2024 in a game the Tigers lost 51-0 against Mary Persons. The state’s longest active streak belongs to Discovery, which has lost 32 straight games.
3. North Atlanta 38, Harrison 34: North Atlanta pulled off the biggest upset of the week, according to Maxwell, when it defeated 34-point favorite Harrison. North Atlanta knocked Harrison out of first place in Region 3-7A and pulled into a tie with Harrison and Hillgrove for third place behind unbeaten McEachern and Campbell. North Atlanta is the only non-Cobb County school in the seven-team region.
4. Cedar Shoals 14, Mountain View 7: Cedar Shoals, which earlier this season ended a school-record losing streak, improved to 3-3 with a victory over 27-point favorite Mountain View in a Region 8-6A game. The Jaguars are 2-1 in the region, tied with Habersham Central for third place behind unbeaten teams Jackson County and Clarke Central. Mountain View, which dropped down a class this year after spending most of its previous 17 seasons in the highest classification, is 3-3 overall but 0-3 in the region.
5. Parkview 34, Brookwood 24: Parkview, a 16-point underdog, ended a two-game losing streak in the Battle of Five Forks Trickum and handed then-No. 7 Brookwood its first loss of the season in a Region 7-7A game. Parkview had lost five of the past six meetings in a series that Brookwood leads 27-18. Parkview and Brookwood are both 2-1 in region play, tied for third place behind unbeaten teams North Gwinnett and Peachtree Ridge.
Worth noting: Bradwell Institute, a 3-point underdog, ended a six-game losing streak against Brunswick with a 57-49 overtime victory that knocked the two-time defending region champion out of first place in 1-6A. Brunswick beat the Tigers 60-14 last year. Bradwell Institute, in its first season under former Cedar Grove coach John Adams, is 4-2 overall, its most wins in a season since 2018. … Gainesville, which was denied its third region title in four seasons when it lost to Roswell in its regular-season finale last year, got revenge with a 34-5 victory in a game between Top 10 teams in Class 6A. Roswell was a 4-point favorite. Gainesville, in its first season under former Grayson coach Santavious Bryant, lost its first two games to Top 50 national teams Buford and East St. Louis, Illinois, but has since won four straight games by an average of 28 points. … Hawkinsville is alone in first place in Region 4-A after a 27-21 victory over 14-point favorite Wheeler County. The Red Devils went 1-3 in nonregion games but have since beaten Dooly County and Wheeler County in region play. Hawkinsville won a state championship in 2014 but has not won a region title since 2004, when it also won a second consecutive state title (a tie game against Clinch County). … Mt. Bethel Christian, a 31-point favorite, picked up its first region victory since playing its first varsity game in 2024 when it beat Walker 35-14 in a Region 9-2A game. Mt. Bethel played a nonregion schedule the past two seasons, primarily against non-GHSA teams. The Eagles lost to Mount Vernon two weeks ago in their first region game in school history. … South Cobb is 4-1 for the first time since 2012 after an 18-14 victory over 7-point favorite Chapel Hill in a Region 5-6A game. South Cobb hasn’t reached the postseason since 2011 but is currently on the playoff bubble, sitting at No. 33 in Class 6A in the GHSA’s Post Season Rankings that select and seed the 32 playoff teams. The Eagles are 2-0 in region play, tied for first place with unbeaten East Paulding. The preseason Maxwell Ratings had projected that South Cobb would go 2-8 and finish in last place in the eight-team region.