The football season is just taking hold, but three weeks are enough to discover that some teams aren’t what they were in 2019. That’s good news for any that struggled in 2019. Here is one team in each class whose good start hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Class 7A
*Lambert: The Longhorns of Forsyth County are the 30th team in GHSA history, first since Towers in 2013, to start 3-0 after an 0-10 finish, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Lambert’s resurgence comes under a first-year coach, Tommy Watson, who was on Lowndes' staff the past five years as the run-game and special teams coordinator and offensive line coach. Lambert’s wins have come against some struggling teams (Campbell, Lassiter and Meadowcreek), but a first winning season and playoff berth since 2016 is a realistic goal. Lambert plays at Duluth this week. Only 10 teams have gone 4-0 after an 0-10 finish.
Class 6A
*River Ridge: The Knights of Cherokee County have opened with consecutive wins Lassiter, Woodstock and Etowah, and the average margin has been 21.3 points. River Ridge beat Etowah 38-7 last week after losing to the Eagles 37-13 in 2019. River Ridge has matched its win total of 2019. The Maxwell Ratings now peg River Ridge as the No. 3 team out of Region 7-6A. If that holds, this would be the Knights' first playoff appearance since 2012 and second in history. Their coach is Michael Collins, in his second year.
Class 5A
*Woodland (Stockbridge): Woodland had a 10-win season and quarterfinal finish in 2016 but then plummeted, hitting 1-9 last season. Then there was an unexpected coaching change in the summer. Bryan Bailey, the offensive coordinator, got the job, and he’s 3-0 as a first-time head coach with wins over Forest Park, Luella and McDonough. Region 4-5A is one of the classification’s toughest, so a playoff berth might be another matter, but it’s a great start.
Class 4A
*Northwest Whitfield: The Bruins of Northwest Georgia are 3-0 for the first time since 2013 and ranked in an AJC poll for the first time since 2010. Northwest hasn’t had a losing season since 2003, so beating teams from lower classifications doesn’t make a breakout year, but the season is promising. The Maxwell Ratings now have Northwest as the No. 2 choice in Region 7 behind Cedartown. Northwest is looking for its first home playoff game since 2016 and first region title since 2000.
Class 3A
*Franklin County: The Lions of northeast Georgia are 3-0 for the first time since 1983. This comes in the third campaign under Paul Sutherland, a great catch when hired. Sutherland was 122-67 with four region titles and no losing seasons in 17 years at Pendleton in South Carolina. Franklin is a bigger challenge, though. The Lions haven’t had a winning season since 2015 and won no more than six games since 2000. The Maxwell Ratings favor them against two remaining Georgia opponents, and West-Oak of South Carolina was 1-9 last season.
Class 2A
*Heard County: The Braves of west Georgia followed their best season in history, the 2017 Class 2A championship, with their worst, a 4-7 record, since 2000. The 2020 team is looking more like old with a 3-0 start. Their victories over South Atlanta, Pepperell and Manchester haven’t been dominating, and they still must overcome a likely season-ending injury to 1,000-yard rusher Alex Boyd, but other sidelined players are returning, and the newest player, Florida-committed linebacker Chief Borders, had a big opening game last week.
Class A Private
*Strong Rock Christian: In their 14th season, the Patriots of Henry County have never had a winning season, but they can feel good about a 3-0 start, their best in history. Wins have come against Bethlehem Christian, Greenville and Loganville Christian, each by 24 points or more. Strong Rock escaped county rival Eagle’s Landing Christian and landed this year in Region 1, the most balanced in the state, according to the Maxwell Ratings, which peg Strong Rock as only a seven-point underdog to region favorite First Presbyterian.
Class A Public
*Charlton County: Longtime assistant coach Russ Murray took over last season for the legend Rich McWhorter, who won more than 250 games, and the Indians fell to 1-9. But it’s a new year, and Charlton is 2-0 now. In the opener, the Indians avenged an 18-point loss to Brantley County with a 39-0 victory. In the second game, Tony Cobb rushed for 357 yards, second-most in school history for a single game. The sobering news is the upcoming schedule in Region 2-A Public, which counts Brooks County, Irwin County and Clinch County as members.
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