Three close games, two in overtime, provided some clues of where things might be headed in Class 7A football this season.
Here’s a look at each and why they mattered:
*West Forsyth 41, South Forsyth 34: South entered unbeaten at 4-0 overall, 1-0 in Region 6, and was the favorite to take the No. 1 seed, given a 35.6% shot to win it, according to the Maxwell Ratings. But West Forsyth (3-3, 1-1) changed the pecking order with the upset. Note that this is a balanced region, as South was only a four-point favorite here, per Maxwell. Still, now another Forsyth County school, Denmark (3-0, 3-3), is now in the driver’s seat, tied with Gainesville (4-2, 2-0), though with more impressive results against common opponents. South plays Gainesville next week, then Denmark the next. Denmark, a 3-year-old school, has never won a region title.
*Norcross 23, Mill Creek 20: This wasn’t a region game, but it served to show that Mill Creek is still a pretty good team despite its 2-4 record. The Hawks have lost to Brookwood, Grayson, North Gwinnett and Norcross, all top-10 teams. Only North Gwinnett beat them handily. Norcross moves to 7-0 for the first time since the 2016 team that finished 11-1.
*Roswell 35, Cherokee 28: No. 7 Roswell (6-0, 2-0) beat No. 6 Cherokee (6-1, 1-1) in this game between unbeaten teams in Region 5. Roswell has won four region titles over the past five seasons but was given only an 18.1% entering that game, according to the Maxwell Ratings. Cherokee has won only one (2002) in its history and had been the favorirte. But it’s not over yet. Milton (5-1, 2-0) remains a big threat. The Milton-Roswell game is Nov. 6.
