The first week of high school football is in the books. Here are five things observed in Class 7A.
*Buford is worthy of its preseason No. 1 ranking. That’s despite having never played in the highest classification. That doesn’t mean the Wolves certainly will win the title, but they played like Georgia’s best team in last week’s 38-7 victory of Thompson, Alabama’s three-time defending high-class champion. Justice Haynes rushed for 92 yards and returned a kickoff for a touchdown, but some lesser-heralded players also made huge plays. Bryson Banks and Justin Baker had interceptions for touchdowns, and Ryan McKinnis had a caused fumble on the 2-yard line on a goal line stand.
*Grayson is a worthy No. 2 and contender to Buford or anyone else and doesn’t think of itself as anybody’s understudy. The Rams were young and simply not good enough to win a second straight state title in 2021, but they were savvy and powerful in their opener, a 32-12 victory over Marietta. Grayson held the Blue Devils to minus-21 yards rushing. LB Jalen Smith had nine solo tackles, and he and LB Gabe Buck combined for three tackles for 42 yards in losses. Joe Taylor rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown, and Jeff Davis was 13-of-19 passing for 157 yards.
*Mill Creek Super 11 safety Caleb Downs is worthy of his status as the state’s No. 1 senior recruit. The Alabama-committed player had 151 all-purpose yards, one on a 35-yard interception return that set up a 3-yard TD drive in the Hawks’ 44-41 victory over Walton. He’s similar to the 2021 all-classification player of the year, Collins Hill’s Travis Hunter, in that Downs makes an impact on offense and defense.
*Carrollton quarterback Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis will be fun to follow. Lewis is a freshman who had offers from Alabama and Georgia before high school. In his debut last week, Lewis was 18-of-27 passing for 286 yards and five touchdowns. Four of the TD passes went to Jordan White. Carrollton is ranked No. 9 in the highest classification after its 69-7 victory over Gadsden City, Ala., though much stronger opposition awaits, including South Paulding next week.
*A breakout star last weekend was Walton QB Jeremy Hecklinski. He’s a junior with a few mid-major offers, including Georgia Southern. His Saturday performance alone will go a long ways toward more attention. Against Mill Creek, Hecklinski was 20-of-33 passing for 425 yards and four touchdowns. Cameron Lloyd had six receptions for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
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