1. Lovejoy 19, North Gwinnett 7: Lovejoy was 3-0 but unranked and came into Friday’s game against then-No. 3 North Gwinnett of Class 7A projected as a 38-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings. Lovejoy is now No. 5 in 6A after the stunning upset. The Wildcats became the first team from a lower classification to beat the Bulldogs since 1999.
2. Riverwood 29, Woodward Academy 26: Riverwood, a 16-point underdog, won its 18th consecutive regular-season game and beat then-No. 10 Woodward of 5A for the first time in nine all-time tries. It was the Raiders' first victory against a top-10 team since 2001. Raiders coach Robert Edwards is 21-4 at a school that went 2-8 the year before his arrival.
3. Taylor County 33, Schley County 14: Schley County went from unranked to No. 4 in Class A Public after beating then-No. 2 Wilcox County 20-19 on Sept. 18, but the Wildcats dropped five spots in the latest poll after losing to Taylor County, a 12-point underdog. Taylor County, which lost to Schley 49-14 last season, is 2-0 for the first time since 2017.
4. Hughes 35, Mays 14: Hughes, which didn’t start the season until Sept. 18 because of Fulton County’s two-week delay, has already matched its 2019 win total after beating a favorite for the second consecutive week. Hughes was a 21-point underdog against 2019 6A champion Harrison but won 14-7 in its opener. Mays was favored by seven over the weekend.
5. Macon County 38, Marion County 0: Macon County beat nine-point favorite Marion in its Region 5-A Public opener to avenge a 37-20 loss to the Eagles in the Region 4-A championship game last season. Macon County is 2-0 for the first time since 2016. Marion was the Class A Public runner-up in 2019 but is off to a 1-2 start, also losing to Clinch County.
Worth noting: Franklin County beat six-point underdog Jackson County 14-13 to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 1983. The Lions, who already have doubled their win total from last year, have not won more than four games in a season since 2015. … Hawkinsville beat 21-point favorite Telfair County 25-22 to improve to 2-1, matching its victory total from last season. Hawkinsville is looking for its first winning season since its 2014 team finished 13-1 and won the Class A Public title. … Hillgrove’s Byron Slack picked up his first career win as a head coach when his Hawks beat 10-point favorite McEachern 38-29. Hillgrove has won three of the past four against its west Cobb County archrival and has a 6-5 lead in the series. … King’s Ridge Christian’s Terry Crowder got his first victory at his new school when the Tigers beat eight-point favorite Landmark Christian 26-13 in the season opener. Crowder previously coached at Chattahoochee, Creekview and Denmark. … Peachtree Ridge beat 14-point underdog Centennial 35-32 to reach 3-0 for the first time since 2013. The Lions, who went 3-7 last year and 6-24 over the past three seasons, haven’t finished with a winning record since going 8-4 in 2015.
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