Ranking the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:
1. Elbert County 21, Rabun County 9: Elbert County ended Rabun County’s 50-game winning streak in region games that was the longest active streak of its kind in the state. The win was also Elbert County’s first against Rabun County in eight all-time tries. The Wildcats had not lost to a region opponent since Washington-Wilkes beat them 52-7 on Oct. 18, 2013.
2. Cedar Shoals 40, Madison County 36: Cedar Shoals recorded the biggest upset of the week, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings, and kept its fading playoff hopes alive with a victory over 34-point favorite Madison County. Cedar Shoals led 33-9 in the third quarter and held on. Madison County (5-2, 3-2) is tied for third place in the region, and Cedar Shoals (3-5, 3-3) is tied for fifth.
3. Archer 28, Parkview 27: Archer, which was projected in preseason by the Maxwell Ratings to miss the playoffs out of Region 4-7A, is now 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the region, tied with fifth-ranked Newton for first place. Archer, a 14-point underdog, was 2-8 last year (1-4 in the region) and lost to Parkview 33-7. Parkview and Grayson (both 5-2, 1-1) are tied for third place.
4. Portal 40, Emanuel County Institute 0: Portal, which is seeking the first region title in school history, moved into sole possession of first place in Region 3-A Division II with a victory over seven-point favorite ECI. Portal’s five overall victories this season are the most since its 2011 team went 6-4. The Panthers likely need to beat undefeated Jenkins County in the regular-season finale to earn the title.
5. Pierce County 17, Toombs County 14: Region 3-2A could be headed for quite the tiebreaker if Toombs County, Pierce County and Appling County win out and finish with loss each in region play. Pierce beat Toombs, which beat Appling, which beat Pierce, each game decided by three points. They all currently trail Vidalia, the region’s only unbeaten team, which faces all three teams over the next three weekends.
Worth noting: Dunwoody got a big leg up in its drive for the school’s first playoff berth since 2009 with a 21-0 victory over 11-point favorite St. Pius. Dunwoody and St. Pius are likely battling with Riverwood for two playoff spots behind Region 4-6A leaders Marist and North Atlanta. … GMC Prep, a 29-point underdog, picked up its first Region 5-A Division victory when it beat Hancock Central 34-22. Another win this week, against Glascock County, likely guarantees GMC Prep a playoff berth for the fourth consecutive season, which would be a first in program history. … Peachtree Ridge moved into a tie with Norcross for first place in Region 7-7A by defeating seven-point favorite North Gwinnett 27-17. North Gwinnett has won nine region titles since 2009, while Peachtree Ridge is seeking its first since 2008. … West Forsyth is tied with Milton for first place in Region 6-7A after defeating 10-point favorite Lambert 10-0. The loss was Lambert’s first of the season. West Forsyth finished in fifth place last year and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. … Woodstock ended a 16-game losing streak in region games with a 17-14 victory over 28-point favorite Etowah in a 6-6A game. The Wolverines’ last win in a region game, also against Etowah, came on Nov. 6, 2020. Etowah is 0-3 in region play after starting the season 4-0.
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