1. South Atlanta 34, Lovett 33: South Atlanta won its first region title last season despite a 37-14 loss to Lovett in a game that didn’t count in the standings because 6-2A chose to delay the region schedule because of COVID. Now the Hornets are the front-runners after winning a game in which they were pegged as 19-point underdogs by the computer Maxwell Ratings.
2. South Paulding 34, Rome 32: South Paulding pulled off the upset of the week, according to Maxwell, by defeating 28-point favorite and then-No. 8 Rome in the teams’ Region 5-6A opener. Rome won last year 22-20 and went on to finish as the region runner-up. South Paulding ended the year 6-3 but narrowly missed the playoffs after finishing in fifth place.
3. Cambridge 7, Creekview 0: Cambridge is 3-0 for the first time since 2014 after upsetting Creekview in the teams’ Region 7-6A opener. Maxwell had projected Creekview as a 19-point favorite, and the Grizzlies were the computer’s preseason pick to win the region title. Last year, Cambridge finished in third place, one spot behind Creekview.
4. Georgia Military 20, Hancock Central 0: Georgia Military is 4-0 for the first time since 2001 after beating six-point favorite Hancock Central in the teams’ Region 7-A Public opener. Hancock Central won its first region championship in 2020 but is 0-3 this season. Georgia Military finished in third place last year and earned its first playoff berth since 2002.
5. Lumpkin County 34, St. Francis 14: Lumpkin County ended a 19-game losing streak that was the longest in school history with a victory over 21-point favorite St. Francis. The win, which avenged a 35-7 loss last season, was the Indians’ first since beating Gilmer 29-21 on Sept. 13, 2019. The Indians (1-3) begin play in Region 7-A against Gilmer this week.
Worth noting: Georgia teams struggled early in the season against out-of-state opponents, but they’re rolling now. Georgia won eight of nine games against outside competition over the weekend (only Buford lost) and is 34-18 in those games this year. Georgia was 6-12 in the first two weeks but is 28-6 since. … North Paulding had been 0-3 all-time against Gwinnett teams but is 2-0 this season after a 35-33 victory over Brookwood, which was a 10-point favorite. North Paulding defeated South Gwinnett 35-14 in the opener and is 3-1 this season … Pebblebrook and Riverdale played to a 14-14 draw, the second tie this season in a state that in theory has eliminated them. The good news for the teams is that both avoided their first losses – Pebblebrook is 4-0-1, and Riverdale is 2-0-1. … Six-team Region 8-3A put up more victories than any region in the state in Week 5, as Hart County, Stephens County, Monroe Area, Oconee County, Franklin County and East Jackson all won, improving the league’s overall record to 23-4. No. 2 Oconee County, No. 8 Monroe Area and No. 9 Hart County are ranked in the top 10. … Southwest DeKalb, a seven-point underdog, ended a five-game losing streak against Tucker with a 34-9 victory. The 34 points were the most the Panthers have ever scored against their DeKalb rival. Tucker is 0-4 for the first time since 1991.
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