Ranking the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:
1. Northeast 27, Fitzgerald 20: Northeast defeated a top-ranked team for the first time in its history when it defeated Class 2A No. 1 Fitzgerald, which was projected by the computer Maxwell Ratings as a 25-point favorite. The Raiders had been 0-13 against top-ranked teams, most recently losing to Fitzgerald 28-27 last season, when Northeast finished 8-4.
2. Arabia Mountain 27, Stephenson 22: Arabia Mountain, a 25-point underdog, recorded its first victory in the series with its DeKalb County rival and knocked Stephenson out of the Class 4A top 10. Arabia Mountain had lost its seven previous games against the Jaguars by an average of 21 points, including 20-6 last year. Both teams are 2-1 this season.
3. Johnson (Gainesville) 20, East Hall 19: Johnson ended a 34-game losing streak that was the longest in program history with a one-point win over 20-point favorite East Hall. The victory was the Knights’ first since they defeated Walnut Grove 24-22 on Oct. 11, 2019. East Hall had won eight consecutive games in the series, including 14-13 last season.
4. East Forsyth 35, Cedar Shoals 13: Third-year program East Forsyth (2-0, 1-0) took the early lead in the state’s largest football region (8-4A) with a victory over 14-point favorite Cedar Shoals (0-3, 0-1). East Forsyth also defeated Cedar Shoals last season but finished a game behind the Jaguars for fourth place, denying the Broncos their first playoff berth.
5. Kendrick 14, Heritage (Newnan) 0: Kendrick scored the biggest upset of the week, according to Maxwell, by defeating 27-point favorite Heritage, which won 50-0 in 2022. Kendrick is 1-2 and seeking its first season with more than one victory since its 2015 team went 3-7. Heritage was 8-4 in the GIAA last year after going 0-22 in two seasons in the GSHA.
Worth noting: Dunwoody is 2-0 for the first time since 2017 after a 39-7 victory over three-point favorite Chamblee in the DeKalb series known as the Battle for the Golden Spike. Chamblee had won the past three meetings by an average of 19.3 points. … Hiram is 3-0 for the first time since 2010 after a 52-49 victory against East Paulding that ended a three-game losing streak in the series. Hiram went in as the No. 8 team in Class 5A but was a three-point underdog against the 6A opponent. … Jonesboro, playing its final non-region game before beginning 3-6A play, avenged a 2022 loss with a 30-29 victory over 21-point favorite Dutchtown. Jonesboro finished 3-7 last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017. … Locust Grove ended a school-record 26-game losing streak with a 24-18 victory over 13-point favorite M.L. King, which won 45-20 last season. It was the Wildcats’ first victory since defeating Eagle’s Landing 20-17 on Oct. 15, 2020. … Villa Rica defeated 14-point favorite Northgate 24-23 and ended the Vikings’ bid for their first 3-0 start since 2016. It was the third consecutive victory in the series for the Wildcats. Villa Rica lost its opener to Hebron Christian.
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