Three No. 1 teams lost their openers last week. Had they done their homework, it could’ve been avoided.
Three tips for preseason No. 1 teams that want to start 1-0: Avoid out-of-state teams, larger schools, ineligible players, the Corky Kell Classic and Trevor Lawrence. Every preseason No. 1 team since 2002 that has followed these fundamental rules has won its opener.
It’s as if these No. 1 teams are intentionally scheduling tough customers. What’s up with that?
On Friday, stubborn Rabun County, Brooks County and Eagle’s Landing Christian fought the law, and the law won. Bigger schools Jefferson, Thomasville and Woodward Academy beat them. Of the 24 preseason No. 1 teams that have lost openers this century, half were undone by bigger schools, according to GHSFHA founder Loren Maxwell’s deft research.
Of the other 12, five lost to out-of-state teams. Most notable losers were Grayson in 2016 and Norcross in 2013. They challenged two of the best teams ever to step foot into Georgia – IMG Academy of Bradenton, Fla., and Booker T. Washington of Miami – and were outmatched. Grayson and Norcross still won their Georgia state titles, though. Maybe it helped?
Then there’s the issue of forfeits. In 2020, three preseason No. 1 teams lost their openers, and nobody noticed. The games were played on separate weekends, partly because of COVID-19, and two didn’t actually lose for weeks.
No. 1 Valdosta of 6A beat Warner Robins on Sept. 4, and No. 1 Cedar Grove of 3A beat Milton on Oct. 2, but the GHSA later ruled the winners had used ineligible players. They forfeited. The other No. 1 loser in 2020 was Irwin County, beaten by, you guessed it, a bigger school, Fitzgerald.
Another bad idea is to play Cartersville in the Trevor Lawrence era. In 2016, Allatoona was coming off a Class 5A title and ranked No. 1. Cartersville, also a defending champion and amid a 40-game winning streak, won 30-14. Lawrence threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns.
The Cartersville-Allatoona game represents one of only five times this century that a preseason No. 1 has lost to a same-sized or smaller Georgia school.
Twice it happened in the Corky Kell Classic. In 2014, North Gwinnett beat No. 1 McEachern 52-49. John Urzua threw seven TD passes, the last one a 9-yarder to Kyle Knudsen with nine seconds left. In 2011, Lassiter beat defending Class 5A champ Brookwood 14-6, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
The other two “upsets” were Screven County’s 13-0 victory over Statesboro in 2002 and Warner Robins’ 48-25 win over Lowndes in 2000.
Here are the 24 teams since 2000 that were ranked No. 1 in preseason but lost their openers:
2021: *Woodward Academy d. Class A ELCA 17-14
2021: *Jefferson d. Class 2A Rabun County 22-13
2021: *Thomasville d. Class A Brooks County 42-34
2020: Warner Robins d. Class 6A Valdosta, forfeit
2020: Milton d. Class 3A Cedar Grove, forfeit
2020: *Fitzgerald d. Class A Irwin County 21-6
2019: Opelika (Ala.) d. Class 2A Callaway 10-7
2016: IMG Academy (Fla.) d. Class 7A Grayson 26-7
2016: *Roswell d. Class 5A Buford 24-7
2016: *Woodward Academy d. Class 2A Westminster 36-17
2016: Cartersville d. Class 6A Allatoona 30-14
2014: North Gwinnett d. Class 6A McEachern 52-49
2013: B.T. Washington (Miami) d. Class 6A Norcross 55-0
2012: *Jenkins d. Class A Savannah Christian 21-20
2011: Lassiter d. Class 5A Brookwood 14-6
2011: Briarwood Christian (Ala.) d. Class A ELCA 21-18
2009: *M.L. King d. Class 4A Southwest DeKalb 13-9
2008: *Coffee d. Class 4A Ware County 24-0
2005: *Washington County d. Class A Hawkinsville 28-7
2002: Clay County (Ala.) d. Class A Bowdon 14-0
2002: Screven County d. Class 4A Statesboro 13-0
2001: *North Springs d. Class 2A Washington-Wilkes 23-20
2000: Warner Robins d. Class 5A Lowndes 48-25
2000: *Pebblebrook d. Class 2AA Cedartown 13-12
*Larger school.
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