Improvement Tracker: Dalton, Hephzibah move into first place
Dalton and Hephzibah took leads in their classifications this week in the AJC Varsity Improvement Tracker.
Dalton, under second-year coach Chris Prewett, is 7-2 this season after a 3-8 finish in 2025 and 0-10 finish in 2024.
Hephzibah, under coach Daniel Dorsey, is 8-1 after finishing 3-7 last season. Hephzibah has clinched its first region title since its first varsity season of 1954.
The Improvement Tracker is based on an objective formula that uses current and historical Maxwell Ratings. Improvement from 2025 counts most, but the formula also considers previous years to discourage rewarding traditionally strong teams that simply bounce back from a down year.
The year-end winners will receive awards, presented by Formetco, at the Georgia Football Coaches Association College Coaches Luncheon in February in Macon.
The schools are listed below. Coaches’ names are in parentheses.
Class 7A
- +14.00 — Newton (Josh Skelton)
- +11.51 — Parkview (Adam Clack)
- +10.74 — Brookwood (Chad Nighbert)
- +10.30 — South Forsyth (James Thomson)
- +9.85 — Lowndes (Adam Carter)
Class 6A
- +12.62 — East Paulding (Van Spence)
- +11.91 — Lassiter (Sean Thom)
- +11.77 — Heritage (Conyers) (Quincy Carter)
- +10.54 — Coffee (Mike Coe)
- +6.67 — Sequoyah (James Teter)
Class 5A
- +11.12 — Dalton (Chris Prewett)
- +10.03 — Richmond Academy (Keenan Grissett)
- +9.94 — Cartersville (Conor Foster)
- +9.05 — Tucker (Lonnie Jones)
- +7.02 — Blessed Trinity (Ed Dudley)
Class 4A
- +14.06 — Dougherty (Uyl Joyner)
- +11.64 — Peach County (Marquis Westbrook)
- +8.10 — Troup (Tanner Glisson)
- +8.08 — Monroe Area (Kevin Reach)
- +8.01 — Baldwin (Kevin Patterson)
Class 3A
- +14.43 — Hephzibah (Daniel Dorsey)
- +13.93 — KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (Corey Jarvis)
- +12.22 — Appling County (JD Sellers)
- +8.28 — Columbia (Greg Barnett)
- +7.38 — Hart County (Biff Parson)
Class 2A
- +15.96 — Heard County (Shane Lasseter)
- +12.84 — Bremen (Davis Russell)
- +12.13 — Model (Jeff Hunnicutt)
- +8.86 — Commerce (Lenny Gregory)
- +7.44 — Bleckley County (Von Lassiter)
Class A
- +12.62 — Randolph-Clay (Charles Truitt)
- +10.27 — Johnson County (Don Norton)
- +9.43 — Washington-Wilkes (Alex Bradford)
- +8.34 — Taylor County (Jess DeVoursney)
- +4.81 — B.E.S.T. Academy (Rodney Cofield)
Class 4A-2A Private
- +13.18 — Holy Innocents’ (Nick Perrotta)
- +10.53 — Mount Vernon (Terrence Edwards)
- +9.52 — Mt. Bethel Christian (Damon Dawson)
- +6.54 — Lovett (Mike Muschamp)
- +5.31 — Providence Christian (Trae Owens)
GIAA
- +16.61 — Windsor Academy (Dylan Bass)
- +12.31 — Bulloch Academy (Aaron Phillips)
- +9.73 — Athens Christian (Terance Mathis)
- +9.18 — Briarwood Academy (Bo Fleming)
- +5.21 — St. Anne-Pacelli (Walter “Smitty” Grider)