Loss by top-ranked team, end of a title run among biggest surprises in Week 11
AJC Varsity reporter and GHSF Daily editor Chip Saye ranks the most surprising and notable games of the weekend.
1. Appling County 11, Toombs County 7: Appling County pulled off the biggest upset of the week when it handed top-ranked Toombs County its first loss of the season in a Region 3-3A game. Despite the game being a matchup of the two top-ranked teams in Class 3A, Appling County was projected as a 35-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings and given just a 2.4% chance of winning. Appling County can clinch the region championship this week but must beat third-ranked Pierce County to avoid a likely three-way tie for first place with Toombs and Pierce.
2. Jefferson 27, North Oconee 17: Jefferson, an 8-point underdog, broke North Oconee’s 40-game winning streak in region games and its five-year run of region titles. With the victory, Jefferson wrapped up the 8-5A championship, its fifth consecutive region title. (Jefferson and North Oconee played in different regions the past four years.) North Oconee had not lost a region game since a 42-35 overtime loss to Flowery Branch on Oct. 23, 2020, during a 5-6 season.
3. Lowndes 32, Valdosta 31: Lowndes emerged as the only unbeaten team in Region 1-7A play with a victory over 14-point favorite Valdosta in the Winnersville Classic. Lowndes can clinch its first region championship since 2021 with a win this week against Colquitt County, which could create a three-way tie for first place with a victory. Those three teams also tied for first place last season but Valdosta earned the region’s No. 1 seed through tiebreakers.
4. Heritage (Conyers) 27, Dunwoody 7: Heritage, in its first season under coach Quincy Carter, clinched its first region championship since 2016 with a victory over 2-point underdog Dunwoody in a Region 4-6A game. Heritage was 1-9 last year but is 8-1 this season, its only loss coming as part of a double forfeit from a game against Rockdale County that was canceled because of a pregame fight. Dunwoody came up short in its bid to clinch its first region title since 2008.
5. Lithonia 27, Tucker 21: Lithonia, a 15-point underdog, handed Tucker its first Region 5-5A loss of the season and knocked the Tigers out a tie for first place with unbeaten Mays, which can clinch its first region championship since 2019 with a victory against Tucker this week. A win by Tucker likely leaves the teams in a three-way tie for first place, with the champion to be determined through tiebreakers. Lithonia hasn’t been a region champion since 1984.
Worth noting: Brunswick prevented 12-point favorite Effingham County from clinching its second region title in four years with a 56-42 victory in a Region 1-6A game. Effingham County fell into a first-place tie with Bradwell Institute, which lost to Effingham on Sept. 25, and can still clinch the region title with a win against Greenbrier this week. Brunswick was the region champion four of the past five years. … Providence Christian, which played its first full varsity season in 2014, reached six wins for the first time since 2023 and just the second time in school history when it beat 8-point favorite Rabun County 20-7 in a Region 8-2A game. The winner of Providence’s game this week against Commerce will finish in second place in the region behind Prince Avenue Christian. … South Cobb reached the six-win mark for the first time since 2012 with a 41-14 victory over 3-point favorite Hiram in a Region 5-6A game. South Cobb entered the season with a 25-game losing streak in region games that began in 2021 but is 4-2 in region play this year. The Eagles face region champion East Paulding in what is likely to be their final game of the season. … Upson-Lee ended a 10-game losing streak that was the longest in school history with a 16-8 victory over 14-point favorite Westside of Macon in a Region 2-4A game. It was the Knights’ first victory since beating Fayette County 42-10 on Oct. 17, 2025. Westside has lost six consecutive region games after starting the season 2-1 against nonregion opponents. … Wesleyan moved into a three-way tie with Lovett and KIPP Atlanta Collegiate for second place in Region 5-3A behind region champion Holy Innocents’ with a 14-7 victory over 21-point favorite KIPP Atlanta on Saturday. It was the second consecutive loss after a 6-1 start for KIPP Atlanta, which lost to Holy Innocents’ in a battle for first place two weekends ago.