Cedartown and Early County are ranked No. 1 in the AJC’s high school football poll for the first time in more than 25 years.
Cedartown (4-0) climbed on top of Class 4A after a 21-7 victory over previous No. 4 Calhoun of Class 5A and is No. 1 for the first time since 1995. The Bulldogs are in their third season under coach Jamie Abrams, who led them to back-to-back region titles in 2020-21 after a 19-year title drought.
Benedictine, the previous No. 1 team and 4A’s defending champion, fell to No. 7 after losing 14-10 to Ware County, the No. 2 team in 5A.
Early County (4-0) is No. 1 in the new Class A Division II. The Bobcats beat Terrell County 21-14 last week. They had beaten then-No. 1 Schley County the previous week. Early County was most recently No. 1 in 1994.
Clinch County (3-1) fell to No. 2 after losing 43-13 to No. 6 Cook of Class 2A.
Three other No. 1 Georgia teams played and won last week.
Cedar Grove of 3A stunned defending 7A champion Collins Hill 40-6, knocking Collins Hill out of the rankings and ending its 17-game Georgia winning streak.
Fitzgerald of 2A beat Florida’s Class A champion, Madison County, 20-12.
Prince Avenue of A Division I beat Monroe Area 29-20.
Class 7A
1. (1) Buford (3-0)
2. (2) Grayson (4-0)
3. (4) Colquitt County (4-0)
4. (3) Mill Creek (3-0)
5. (6) North Cobb (2-1)
6. (7) Carrollton (4-0)
7. (8) Walton (2-1)
8. (9) Parkview (3-0)
9. (NR) Valdosta (4-0)
10. (NR) Milton (1-2)
Out: No. 5 Collins Hill, No. 10 Kennesaw Mountain
Class 6A
1. (1) Hughes (3-0)
2. (4) Blessed Trinity (3-0)
3. (2) Lee County (3-1)
4. (3) Roswell (3-1)
5. (5) Woodward Academy (2-1)
6. (6) Gainesville (4-0)
7. (7) Rome (3-1)
8. (9) Thomas County Central (4-0)
9. (NR) Houston County (4-0)
10. (8) Marist (2-2)
Out: No. 10 South Paulding
Class 5A
1. (1) Cartersville (4-0)
2. (3) Ware County (3-0)
3. (5) Creekside (1-2)
4. (6) Dutchtown (4-0)
5. (7) Coffee (2-1)
6. (8) Kell (4-0)
7. (2) Warner Robins (1-2)
8. (NR) Loganville (4-0)
9. (4) Calhoun (2-2)
10. (9) Jefferson (2-2)
Out: No. 10 Jones County
Class 4A
1. (3) Cedartown (4-0)
2. (2) North Oconee (2-0)
3. (4) Whitewater (3-0)
4. (5) Perry (2-1)
5. (6) Troup (3-0)
6. (7) Starr’s Mill (3-0)
7. (1) Benedictine (2-2)
8. (9) Burke County (3-0)
9. (10) Bainbridge (2-2)
10. (NR) LaGrange (3-0)
Out: No. 8 Pace Academy
Class 3A
1. (1) Cedar Grove (3-0)
2. (3) Carver-Atlanta (3-0)
3. (4) Calvary Day (2-0)
4. (7) Oconee County (3-1)
5. (5) Sandy Creek (3-1)
6. (8) Peach County (2-1)
7. (6) Crisp County (3-1)
8. (9) Dougherty (4-0)
9. (10) Stephens County (3-1)
10. (NR) Mary Persons (3-1)
Out: No. 2 Carver-Columbus
Class 2A
1. (1) Fitzgerald (4-0)
2. (2) Pierce County (3-0)
3. (3) South Atlanta (3-0)
4. (4) Eagle’s Landing Christian (1-2)
5. (6) Cook (3-1)
6. (7) Rockmart (2-1)
7. (8) Thomson (2-1)
8. (9) Putnam County (2-1)
9. (5) Columbia (3-1)
10. (NR) Northeast (1-2)
Out: No. 10 North Cobb Christian
Class A Division I
1. (1) Prince Avenue Christian (3-0)
2. (2) Swainsboro (4-0)
3. (3) Rabun County (3-0)
4. (4) Bleckley County (3-0)
5. (5) Irwin County (2-1)
6. (6) Brooks County (3-1)
7. (7) Whitefield Academy (4-0)
8. (8) Lamar County (4-0)
9. (9) Darlington (3-0)
10. (10) Elbert County (3-0)
Class A Division II
1. (2) Early County (4-0)
2. (1) Clinch County (3-1)
3. (5) Bowdon (3-1)
4. (6) Johnson County (2-0)
5. (8) Washington-Wilkes (3-0)
6. (9) Aquinas (3-0)
7. (3) Charlton County (3-1)
8. (4) Schley County (1-2)
9. (NR) Dooly County (1-2)
10. (NR) Mount Zion-Carroll (3-0)
Out: No. 7 Wilcox County, No. 10 Montgomery County
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