Only 21 of Class 7A’s 46 teams are playing this week. It’s not because of Hurricane Ian, as more than 40 of 7A’s teams are out of harm’s way in metro Atlanta, but it’s the coincidence of schedule bye weeks ahead of region play.
One 7A team, Colquitt County, played Wednesday night and came away with a 30-7 victory over Lincoln of Tallahassee, Fla. Colquitt, ranked No. 3, is now 6-0.
Seven games will be played Thursday night and three Friday.
Only one game is non-region, and that’s Walton at North Paulding in a game between teams with only loss.
The Collins Hill-Buford game will be televised by ESPN2. It’s a game between 2021 champions, but while Buford is 5-0 and ranked in several national polls, Collins Hill is young and banged up through a 2-3 start.
The Mill Creek-Central Gwinnett is a battle of unbeatens, but Mill Creek is a traditional power ranked No. 4 in the class while Central is a feel-good turnaround story that has feasted on a weaker schedule. So the game is not expected to be close.
The Region 4 games are probably the most interesting. Brookwood and Archer are traditionally good, though each has faltered out of the gate. Brookwood is 2-3 and Archer 1-4, though both have played tough schedules.
Parkview and South Gwinnett are each 4-1. Parkview has won four of the past seven in the series, all games decided by 14 points or fewer.
Grayson (4-1), ranked No. 10, tries to bounce back from a loss to Lowndes in a game at Newton (3-2) and is only an eight-point favorite. Grayson beat Newton 15-7 last season.
Below is the schedule with the computer Maxwell Ratings projections and the regions.
Thursday
Brookwood vs Archer -20 [Region 4]
Discovery vs Berkmar -31 [Region 7]
Mill Creek vs Central Gwinnett -48 [Region 8]
Mountain View vs Dacula -16 [Region 8]
Grayson at Newton -8 [Region 4]
Parkview vs South Gwinnett -16 [Region 4]
Walton at North Paulding -13
Friday
Buford vs Collins Hill -26 [Region 8]
Norcross vs Duluth -38 [Region 7]
North Gwinnett vs Meadowcreek -12 [Region 7]
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