Ranking the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:
1. Douglas County 30, Hughes 27: Douglas County ended Hughes’ streak of 21 consecutive regular-season victories against Georgia opponents. Hughes, the defending Class 6A champion, was projected as a 16-point favorite by the computer Maxwell Ratings. The victory was just the fifth in history against No. 1- or No. 2-ranked teams for a Douglas County program that dates to 1925, according the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.
2. McEachern 28, Valdosta 7: McEachern picked up its first-ever victory against Valdosta, which came into the game as a 27-point favorite. Valdosta had won the previous six meetings in the series, most notably the Wildcats’ 21-7 win in the 1998 Class 4A championship game. McEachern has won two straight games this year after starting the season 0-4.
3. Glynn Academy 22, Brunswick 15: Glynn Academy pulled off the biggest upset of the week, according to Maxwell, when it rallied from a 15-0 third-quarter deficit to defeat 28-point favorite Brunswick in the teams’ Region 2-6A opener. The loss was an early blow to Brunswick’s hopes of winning a third consecutive region title. Brunswick won last year’s game 55-21.
4. Starr’s Mill 20, Troup 18: A week after beating five-point favorite LaGrange, Starr’s Mill recorded a bigger upset when it beat 18-point favorite Troup in a 4-4A game. Troup, which came into the game ranked No. 3 in 4A, was the region champion last year, while Starr’s Mill missed the playoffs despite a 7-3 overall record. Starr’s Mill is currently tied with Trinity Christian for first place.
5. North Cobb 42, Milton 27: North Cobb defeated 20-point favorite Milton in a matchup of defending Class 7A region champions. North Cobb has beaten Milton three consecutive years despite being the underdog each time. The Warriors appear to have righted the ship with three straight victories after opening the season with losses to Buford and Westlake.
Worth noting: Crisp County, which lost to 31-point underdog Sumter County two weeks ago, rebounded with a 20-16 victory over Northside (Warner Robins), which was a 12-point favorite. It was the third consecutive loss for Northside after a 2-0 start. … Griffin avoided its first 0-5 start since 1956 with a 44-27 victory against West Laurens in the teams’ 2-4A opener. Griffin began the season 0-4 last year as well and beat West Laurens 28-16 to end that streak before finishing the year 3-7. … Greenville picked up its first victory of the season when it beat 24-point favorite Marion County in a Region 6-A Division game. Greenville has won three consecutive games in the series since snapping a 12-game losing streak in 2021. … Lambert defeated seven-point favorite East Coweta 23-22 in a matchup of undefeated but unranked teams in 7A. Lambert also beat the Indians last year, 31-24, as part of a 10-2 season that was the best in school history. … Unranked Metter improved to 2-4 for the season with a 20-14 victory over seven-point favorite Irwin County, which was ranked No. 3 in Class A Division I. The loss dropped Irwin County (2-3) from the top 10 for the first time since 2016.
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