Football rankings: Fitzgerald moves up to No. 1 in Class 2A

South Gwinnett's Devin Thomas (7) runs for a touchdown during the first half at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross on Friday, August 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

South Gwinnett's Devin Thomas (7) runs for a touchdown during the first half at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross on Friday, August 26, 2022. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Fitzgerald, the defending Class 2A champion, is back to No. 1 in the high school football rankings.

The spot opened when previous No. 1 Eagle’s Landing Christian lost 37-14 to No. 5 Blessed Trinity of Class 6A on Friday. ELCA is now No. 2 in 2A.

Benedictine, the No. 1 Class 4A team, also lost but kept its position. The Cadets were beaten 41-15 by Christopher Columbus, a state power out of Miami. Benedictine also lost to Columbus in 2021 but recovered to win the Class 4A championship.

There was little change otherwise in the rankings. Only a handful of top-10 teams lost to higher-ranked or larger schools.

The biggest gainers were Clinch County and Flowery Branch.

Clinch moved four places to No. 2 in Class A Division 1 after a 24-20 victory over previous No. 2 Macon County.

Flowery Branch entered the rankings to No. 7 in 4A after beating St. Pius, a 6A team, 9-0.

Class 7A

1. (1) Buford (2-0)

2. (2) Grayson (2-0)

3. (3) Colquitt County (2-0)

4. (4) North Cobb (1-0)

5. (5) Mill Creek (2-0)

6. (6) Collins Hill (1-0)

7. (8) Walton (1-1)

8. (9) Carrollton (2-0)

9. (10) Westlake (1-1)

10. (NR) North Gwinnett (2-0)

Out: No. 7 Brookwood

Class 6A

1. (1) Hughes (2-0)

2. (2) Lee County (2-0)

3. (3) Rome (2-0)

4. (4) Roswell (2-0)

5. (6) Blessed Trinity (2-0)

6. (5) Woodward Academy (1-1)

7. (7) Gainesville (2-0)

8. (8) Marist (1-1)

9. (9) South Paulding (1-1)

10. (10) Douglas County (2-0)

Class 5A

1. (1) Cartersville (2-0)

2. (2) Warner Robins (0-1)

3. (3) Jones County (2-0)

4. (5) Creekside (0-1)

5. (6) Ware County (1-0)

6. (7) Calhoun (1-1)

7. (NR) Flowery Branch (2-0)

8. (NR) Dutchtown (2-0)

9. (4) Coffee (1-1)

10. (10) Kell (2-0)

Out: No. 8 Clarke Central, No. 9 Cambridge

Class 4A

1. (1) Benedictine (1-1)

2. (2) North Oconee (1-0)

3. (3) Cedartown (2-0)

4. (5) Whitewater (2-0)

5. (9) Bainbridge (1-1)

6. (4) Perry (0-1)

7. (6) Troup (2-0)

8. (7) Starr’s Mill (2-0)

9. (10) Pace Academy (2-0)

10. (NR) Burke County (2-0)

Out: No. 8 Trinity Christian

Class 3A

1. (1) Cedar Grove (1-0)

2. (3) Carver-Columbus (2-0)

3. (4) Carver-Atlanta (2-0)

4. (5) Calvary Day (1-0)

5. (6) Sandy Creek (2-0)

6. (2) Crisp County (1-1)

7. (8) Oconee County (1-1)

8. (7) Peach County (1-1)

9. (9) Dougherty (2-0)

10. (NR) Adairsville (1-0)

Out: No. 10 Wesleyan

Class 2A

1. (2) Fitzgerald (2-0)

2. (1) Eagle’s Landing Christian (1-1)

3. (3) Appling County (1-0)

4. (4) Pierce County (1-0)

5. (7) Putnam County (1-0)

6. (6) Rockmart (1-1)

7. (8) South Atlanta (1-0)

8. (9) Columbia (2-0)

9. (5) Callaway (0-2)

10. (NR) Northeast (0-0)

Out: No. 10 Washington County

Class A Division I

1. (1) Prince Avenue Christian (1-0)

2. (2) Brooks County (2-0)

3. (4) Swainsboro (2-0)

4. (3) Rabun County (2-0)

5. (5) Irwin County (1-1)

6. (6) Bleckley County (2-0)

7. (7) Whitefield Academy (2-0)

8. (8) Lamar County (2-0)

9. (9) Metter (1-1)

10. (10) Darlington (2-0)

Class A Division II

1. (1) Schley County (1-0)

2. (6) Clinch County (2-0)

3. (3) Macon County (0-2)

4. (5) Charlton County (2-0)

5. (4) Wilcox County (0-2)

6. (2) Bowdon (1-1)

7. (7) Lincoln County (2-0)

8. (9) Johnson County (1-0)

9. (10) Washington-Wilkes (1-0)

10. (NR) Early County (2-0)

Out: No. 8 Wheeler County