The eight No. 1-ranked teams maintained their positions as did most other teams in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution football rankings after a weekend of few major upsets.
The biggest surprise was Paulding County’s 22-20 victory over No. 9 Douglas County in a Class 6A game. Douglas County dropped out of the rankings, replaced by Houston County, which beat No. 7 Veterans of Class 5A. Paulding County hadn’t beaten a ranked opponent since 2001.
Five other teams joined the rankings. The most conspicuous is Cherokee Bluff, a 3-year-old school in Hall County that made the rankings for the first time at No. 10 in Class 3A. The Bears are 6-0 coming off a 35-7 victory over West Hall.
Class 7A
1. (1) Lowndes (5-0)
2. (2) Grayson (6-0)
3. (3) Colquitt County (4-0)
4. (4) Brookwood (6-0)
5. (5) Norcross (6-0)
6. (6) Cherokee (6-0)
7. (7) Roswell (5-0)
8. (8) East Coweta (5-1)
9. (9) North Gwinnett (5-2)
10. (10) North Cobb (4-1)
Class 6A
1. (1) Lee County (5-1)
2. (2) Buford (4-1)
3. (3) Valdosta (1-2)
4. (4) Lovejoy (6-0)
5. (5) Richmond Hill (5-1)
6. (6) Westlake (4-1)
7. (7) Allatoona (5-0)
8. (8) Dacula (3-2)
9. (10) Carrollton (3-1)
10. (NR) Houston County (5-2)
Out: No. 9 Douglas County
Class 5A
1. (1) Ware County (5-0)
2. (2) Blessed Trinity (2-0)
3. (3) Warner Robins (4-1)
4. (4) Cartersville (5-1)
5. (5) Calhoun (5-1)
6. (6) Coffee (5-1)
7. (8) Ola (5-0)
8. (9) Starr’s Mill (5-1)
9. (10) St. Pius (4-1)
10. (7) Veterans (4-2)
Class 4A
1. (1) Marist (4-0)
2. (2) Jefferson (5-0)
3. (5) Carver-Columbus (4-0)
4. (4) Stephenson (2-0)
5. (3) Benedictine (5-2)
6. (7) Flowery Branch (3-2)
7. (9) Bainbridge (2-3)
8. (10) Islands (3-0)
9. (NR) Cedartown (3-2)
10. (NR) Baldwin (2-0)
Out: No. 6 Northwest Whitfield, No. 8 Hapeville Charter
Class 3A
1. (1) Cedar Grove (3-0)
2. (2) Crisp County (5-0)
3. (3) Oconee County (6-0)
4. (4) Peach County (4-1)
5. (5) Greater Atlanta Christian (5-0)
6. (6) Appling County (5-0)
7. (7) Rockmart (4-1)
8. (8) Pierce County (4-1)
9. (10) Sandy Creek (2-2)
10. (NR) Cherokee Bluff (6-0)
Out: No. 9 Westminster
Class 2A
1. (1) Callaway (4-0)
2. (2) Fitzgerald (6-0)
3. (3) Rabun County (5-1)
4. (6) Bleckley County (5-1)
5. (7) Haralson County (5-0)
6. (8) Thomasville (3-3)
7. (9) Toombs County (4-1)
8. (10) Cook (4-2)
9. (5) Early County (3-1)
10. (4) Lovett (3-2)
Class 1A (Public)
1. (1) Metter (6-0)
2. (2) Irwin County (4-2)
3. (3) Brooks County (5-1)
4. (4) Commerce (5-1)
5. (5) Dublin (4-1)
6. (6) Macon County (4-1)
7. (8) Pelham (2-1)
8. (9) Washington-Wilkes (5-0)
9. (10) Wilcox County (5-1)
10. (NR) Chattahoochee County (5-0)
Class 1A (Private)
1. (1) Athens Academy (6-0)
2. (2) Prince Avenue Christian (5-1)
3. (3) Eagle’s Landing Christian (3-3)
4. (4) Fellowship Christian (5-0)
5. (5) Wesleyan (4-2)
6. (9) Aquinas (7-0)
7. (NR) Christian Heritage (4-1)
8. (7) North Cobb Christian (4-1)
9. (6) Trinity Christian (4-2)
10. (NR) Savannah Christian (6-1)
Out: No. 8 Holy Innocents', No. 10 Darlington
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