The high school football seasons enters its third week Friday. Region games don’t begin for another month, but here are the five games involving Class 7A teams that will reveal where the classification might be headed.
North Cobb at Buford: Buford, the No. 1-ranked team, has blown out Thompson of Alabama and Mallard Creek of North Carolina, two highly regarded teams from their states, but hasn’t played any of its chief Georgia rivals. North Cobb, ranked No. 4, is certainly one of those. Buford and North Cobb have played the past two seasons, each winning once. If Buford wins its third straight game by blowout, this time against one of the more highly respected Class 7A teams, the circle of contenders that can challenge Buford will have shrunk.
Brookwood at Collins Hill: Collins Hill, ranked No. 6, is the defending champion, but graduated are its two big stars, QB Sam Horn and WR/CB Travis Hunter. The Eagles looked good in a 20-0 opening victory over Life Christian, one of Virginia’s better teams, but the real test is a top-10-caliber local team. That would be Brookwood, a 2021 quarterfinalist that has gone 1-1 with a 28-24 victory over Norcross and a 34-20 loss to Walton. Brookwood slipped out of the top 10 with its recent loss, but here is the chance to redeem itself and show it still belongs. The winner can certainly think of itself as one of the top Class 7A teams.
Grayson vs. Fort Dorchester, S.C.: Grayson is ranked No. 2 and is 2-0 with convincing victories over Marietta and Eagle’s Landing, but those are not clear-cut top-10 teams. Fort Dorchester is one of South Carolina’s better outfits. Grayson needs to take care of business Saturday at the Cam Newton Classic at Lakewood Stadium to show it deserves to be behind only Buford in 7A.
Carrollton vs. Rome: Carrollton, up from Class 6A this season, is ranked No. 9 but hasn’t made it obvious that it deserves to be in the top 10 of the high class despite a 2-0 record. The Trojans beat a ranked 6A team, South Paulding, 28-21 last week. If Carrollton is a legitimate top-10 Class 7A team, the Trojans will beat Rome, the No. 3 team in 6A, avenging a 2021 loss.
Kennesaw Mountain at North Paulding: These are not top-10 teams, but the winner will separate itself as a team to be reckoned with. North Paulding is 2-0 with victories over Allatoona and East Paulding. The Wolfpack have a chance for their first region title since 2013, and first ever in the high class, if they can beat out Marietta, McEachern, Harrison and Hillgrove. The favorite in that region is probably still Marietta, but we’ll see. Kennesaw Mountain, a region champion last season, but in 6A, has been labeled a dark horse in 7A this season. The Mustangs are 2-0, but didn’t look super in a 26-25 victory over Cass. A decisive victory over North Paulding would change the perception.
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