Five No. 1-ranked high school football teams were on the ropes Friday night. Only two – Grayson and Callaway - remained standing while Valdosta, Warner Robins and Brooks County were taken down.
South Atlanta, a school better known for basketball, also made news with a historic victory.
Grayson, No. 1 in Class 7A and ranked in the top 10 of four national polls, needed two overtimes to defeated unranked Mill Creek 20-13. Deyon Cannon’s 9-yard TD pass to Jalen Smith gave the Rams the lead for good, and their defense then made a stop to clinch the victory.
Valdosta, the No. 1 team in 6A, failed to upset the No. 2 team in 7A, Lowndes, which won 33-21 in a crosstown rivalry game televised by ESPN2. Valdosta also has lost to No. 3 Colquitt County of 7A and had its opening win over Warner Robins overturned last week by forfeit. Lowndes improved to 5-0.
Warner Robins, ranked No. 1 in 5A, also lost to a top-10 team from a higher classification as No. 3 Lee County from 6A beat the Demons 27-7. Both are 4-1.
Callaway, No. 1 in 2A, narrowly edged a Class 4A team, Thomas County Central, 16-14. Callaway is 4-0, Thomas Central 1-3.
In a Class 1A Public game, No. 1 Brooks County fell to the defending champion, Irwin County, 21-13. Irwin (3-2) was ranked No. 4 after losing its first two games to Fitzgerald and Cook of Class 2A. Brooks, the 2A runner-up in 2019 but now in Class 1A, fell to 4-1.
Another big winner Friday was South Atlanta, which upset No. 7 Pace Academy of Class 2A 22-14. South Atlanta had been 0-27 in games against top-10 opponents since the city school opened in 1994. South Atlanta started 1-3, but each loss came to a currently ranked team, and the Hornets have quietly reached the playoffs each of the past three seasons.
Other teams that had impressive victories were East Coweta, North Gwinnett, Ware County, Jefferson, Oconee County, Fitzgerald and Dawson County.
East Coweta defeated No. 7 Collins Hill 24-17 in two overtimes of a 7A game. East Coweta is 5-1, its best start since 2015.
North Gwinnett, knocked out of the 7A top 10 last week after consecutive losses, bounced back with a 16-0 victory over previously unbeaten North Cobb, the No. 6 team in 7A.
Ware County, the No. 3 team in 5A, beat 4A’s No. 3 team, Benedictine, 43-21 in a game between undefeated southeast Georgia teams.
No. 3 Oconee County of 3A beat No. 3 Veterans of 5A 14-6. Oconee County (5-0) has beaten four ranked opponents, three from higher classifications.
No. 3 Fitzgerald of 2A beat No. 6 Pierce County of 3A 27-17 in another game between unbeaten teams. Fitzgerald is 5-0 for the first time since 2015.
In northeast Georgia, No. 2 Jefferson (5-0) beat No. 6 Flowery Branch 40-10 in their Region 8-4A opener, and unranked Dawson County, which entered 1-3, pinned the first loss on White County (5-1) with a 42-35 victory.
