FROM THE PREP ZONE BLOGS ON AJC.COM

Class AAAAAA

North Gwinnett became the first No. 1 team in AAAAAA to successfully defend its ranking this season with a 36-17 victory against Norcross. The Bulldogs trailed 14-0, but dominated most of the final three quarters.

Hayden Sphire threw four touchdown passes, all to Nate Brown.

Here are more developments from the weekend:

• Region 1 powerhouses Lowndes and Camden County played smaller Savannah schools in non-region games, and the scores were ugly. Lowndes beat Windsor Forest 87-0, and Camden County beat Beach 91-6.
• Archer, a four-year-old school in Lawrenceville, avenged a heartbreaking 2012 loss and defeated Brookwood 25-20 to improve to 3-0 in a pivotal Region 8 game. Brookwood is 0-3 for the first time since 1986.
• An 0-2 start (losses to No. 1 North Gwinnett and No. 3 Colquitt County) doesn't mean Grayson isn't the team to beat in Region 8. The Rams avenged a 2012 loss and beat Parkview 34-10. Grayson is 44-4 in Region 8 since 2008.
• Walton, on the brink of its first 0-3 start since 1988, upset No. 5 North Cobb 28-13, as sophomore Karekin Brooks had 46 carries for 228 yards and scored three touchdowns.
• No. 10 Marietta was ranked for the first time since 2007, but failed to validate it. Hillgrove beat the Blue Devils in a Region 4 game 21-13. Richardre Bagley scored all three of Hillgrove's touchdowns. Hillgrove (3-0) has avenged losses to Lassiter and Marietta.

Class AAAAA

• Defending state champion Gainesville was coming off a humbling 38-14 loss to AAA Buford, and the Red Elephants took out their frustrations on Winder-Barrow in a 68-0 rout. Gainesville quarterback Deshaun Watson passed for 310 yards and four touchdowns, ran for a touchdown and became the first career 10,000-yard passer in state history.
• Creekside was a playoff team in 2012, but the 7-4 record and first-round exit marked the sixth consecutive season in which the former top-10 program failed to advance in the postseason. Riverdale's Olten Downs was hired in the offseason to replace interim coach Aaron Whittington, and now Creekside is 3-0 after beating Tri-Cities 33-17. Creekside was 1-2 at this point last season.
• Southwest DeKalb avoided its first 0-3 start since 2002 by escaping with a 14-7 victory against Lakeside-Atlanta. Southwest DeKalb now turns its attention to next weekend's opponent — Mays — in what will be a crucial game in the 6-AAAAA playoff race.
• Bainbridge managed a 1-1 start to the season despite failing to score a touchdown in a 3-0 victory over East Gadsden, Fla., or a 6-0 loss to Cairo. Bainbridge finally ended the drought in the second quarter Friday when Preston Norris threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Shuwon Gardner. That opened the door to a 26-0 Bainbridge victory against Early County.

Class AAAA

• Cedartown running back Nick Chubb rushed for 266 yards and five touchdowns on 14 carries in the undefeated Bulldogs' 62-21 victory against LaFayette. Chubb, a Georgia commitment, has more than 700 rushing in his first three games.
• Malik Sheppard, Deantoine Cammons and Sam Turner had interceptions in No. 2 Carrollton's impressive 42-7 victory over Calhoun, Class AA's No. 1 team. Sheppard returned his interception 63 yards for a touchdown and also ran for a score. Carrollton's defense has forced 11 turnovers in its first three games, including eight interceptions.
• Monroe Area had three 100-yard rushers — Stanton Truitt, Kwan Brooks and Demek Kemp — in a 53-0 victory against Oconee County. Neither of the Purple Hurricanes' leading rushers had more than nine carries, with Kemp picking up his 102 yards on two attempts. Truitt, a senior quarterback committed to Auburn, completed 4 of 5 passes for 145 yards with two touchdowns. He accounted for five touchdowns.
• Coaches and fans from Sandy Creek and East Coweta wore gray shirts in memory of East Coweta cheerleader Madeline McTier, who died last week after a battle with brain cancer. The top-ranked Patriots won 54-35, avenging their last regular-season loss, which came in the 2009 opener against East Coweta.

Class AAA

Nolan Tucker and Tristen Jackson each recovered an onside kick, and No. 5 North Hall was able to avenge last year’s lost to Jefferson, ranked No. 3 in AA, with a 41-34 victory. North Hall (3-0) continued to run the ball effectively behind its triple-option attack, gaining 455 yards, but losing three fumbles. Quarterback Andrew Smith led the Trojans with 120 yards and two touchdowns.

• This is the second time it's happened this season, and it's still not a good idea. Opponents should avoid doing anything to anger Buford. This week Hancock Central completed a 68-yard pass on the first play of the game. That just riled the Wolves. They held Hancock at the 2 and then administered a 63-0 beatdown. Nine different players scored touchdowns, including two on passes from Taylor Mitchell, for No. 1-ranked Buford (3-0).
• No. 2 St. Pius evened the score from last year's loss at The Brickyard by whipping Thomson 41-14 at George Maloof Field. Dalton Wilson ran for 82 yards and two touchdowns, and Joey Connors rushed for two touchdowns and threw for 56 yards for the Golden Lions (3-0).
• Brooks Barden threw four touchdowns passes in the first half of No. 3-ranked Cartersville's 41-0 victory against Rockmart. Barden connected twice with Gordon Gray and once with Brandon Long, who also scored on a 68-yard run, as the Purple Hurricanes improved to 3-0.
• Kawon Bryant ran for 188 yards and five touchdowns to lead No. 10 North Oconee (1-1) to its 42-7 victory against Madison County. Tate Adcock completed 13 of 21 passes for 153 yards.
• Towers finally allowed some points, but the Titans won their third consecutive game, a 26-7 victory over Clarkston. Daemyon Hassell scored two touchdowns.

Class AA

• The Lovett Lions likely have earned their place in the top three after a double-overtime victory against AAAA's No. 5-ranked Marist. Willie Candler's 2-yard run sealed the victory and capped a comeback in which the Lions trailed 21-6 at halftime. The Lions moved to 3-0 and dropped Marist (1-2) to its second consecutive loss. The Lions will face another test of their legitimacy next week when they play St. Pius, ranked No. 2 in AAA.
• The Lamar County Trojans are looking like the state's top-ranked team after a 41-14 victory against Pike County. The Trojans improved to 3-0 and marched to a 41-0 lead that initiated a running clock for the fourth quarter. Lamar has a bye next week before starting their 4-AA region schedule at home against Taylor County on Sept. 27.
• The state's No. 1 and No. 3 teams — the Calhoun Yellow Jackets and Jefferson Dragons, respectively — lost. The Jackets lost to AAAA's No. 2-ranked Carrollton in convincing fashion, 42-7. It was the third consecutive quality AAAA opponent for the Jackets (2-1), who will now focus on winning their 13th consecutive region title. Their 7-AA schedule begins next week when they host Dade County. The Dragons (2-1) fell to North Hall, the No. 5-ranked team from AAA, 41-34. The loss snapped a 16-game winning streak for the defending state champions, who begin 8-AA play at home against Greene County on Sept. 27.

Class A

Here are a few teams that stayed unbeaten Friday: