Week nine of the regular season is done. That’s three-quarters of the 12-week campaign.
Here are five observations from Friday’s games.
*Grayson is really good: While preseason top-five Parkview isn’t what most expected this season, the Panthers remain a good team. Grayson, by beating Parkview 47-7, is taking it to another level. New quarterback Jake Garcia, who is committed to Southern Cal, make his debut Friday, playing only a little, but assuming he rounds into form, the Rams might be the team to beat. They were No. 1 in preseason, after all. They were demoted one spot after unranked Mill Creek put a scare in them Oct. 9 and in light of losing Florida commits Carlos Del Rio (transferred after failing to become eligible) and Daejon Reynolds (injured). Those seem distant memories now.
*Lowndes struggles in return game: No. 1 Lowndes had to rally in the fourth quarter to beat Tift County 17-13. Not much should be made of that just yet. Tift was a worthy opponent playing its fourth straight game, and Lowndes hadn’t played in three weeks because of COVID-19 infections in the program.
*North Cobb takes lead in Region 3: North Cobb (6-1, 2-0) emerged as the only team without a region loss in Region 3 with a 35-18 victory over Walton. Hillgrove (4-2, 1-1), probably the next-best team in the region, is on deck. North Cobb is chasing its first region title since 2013.
*Collins Hill rises in Region 8: Collins Hill (6-2, 2-0) emerged as the only team without a region loss in Region 8 with a 42-21 victory over North Gwinnett and ended the Bulldogs' 21-game winning streak in region play. North Gwinnett had been nails on defense season, allowing no more than 21 points in any game and pitching three shutouts. Collins Hill has the best QB-WR duo in the class. That would be Sam Horn and Travis Hunter. Like North Cobb, Collins Hill hasn’t won a region title since 2013.
*Newton pulls the upset: Newton is historically a tough out, and Brookwood found that out Friday when the Rams beat the fourth-ranked Broncos 28-16. Brookwood was a 26-point favorite, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings. Brookwood hadn’t been ranked that high since 2011. Newton entered 2-3 with victories over teams from smaller classifications. If things go as expected from here, Parkview, Newton and Brookwood would wind up 2-2 in region play behind Grayson. But if there was something to be learned from Newton-Brookwood, it’s don’t assume anything.
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