Ranking the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:
1. Colquitt County 48, Lee County 27: Class 6A No. 2 Lee County had a 31-game winning streak in regular-season home games broken by a Colquitt County team that was projected as a 20-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings. Colquitt is 11-0 all-time against the Trojans. Lee County last lost at home in the regular season on Oct. 21, 2016 (vs. Valdosta 27-7).
2. Northeast 26, Carver (Columbus) 8: Class 2A Northeast bounced back from a misleading 0-2 start and beat Class 3A No. 2 Carver, which was a 15-point favorite. Northeast’s two losses have been a 14-12 game against Mary Persons that was stopped early in the second half because of bad weather and a one-point game against Class 2A No. 1 Fitzgerald.
3. St. Francis 35, Fellowship Christian 28: St. Francis pulled off the upset of the week, according to Maxwell, when it defeated 29-point favorite Fellowship Christian. St. Francis is 3-0 for the first time since 2014 and just the second time since the program began in 2010. Fellowship won the previous eight meetings in the series, including 40-7 last year.
4. Valdosta 25, Warner Robins 0: Valdosta, a 4-6 team last season, has outscored its opponents 141-15 and is 4-0 for the first time since 2019. The Wildcats also handed two-time defending Class 5A champion and No. 2-ranked Warner Robins its first shutout since a 38-0 loss to Rome in the 2017 Class 5A final. The Demons defeated Valdosta 48-20 last season.
5. Lovett 30, Pace Academy 20: Pace Academy’s three-game, season-opening win streak was broken by a Lovett team that was 0-2 and a 27-point underdog. It was the sixth consecutive game in the series decided by 10 points or less, with Pace winning four of the previous five. Lovett’s losses have come against Westminster (14-0) and Greater Atlanta Christian (23-19).
Worth noting: Bacon County, led by first-year coach Mark Wilson, ended a 13-game losing streak that was the third-longest in school history with a 28-14 victory over 14-point favorite Atkinson County. The Red Raiders’ last win had been against East Laurens in the next-to-last game of the 2020 season. … Central Gwinnett, in its first season under head coach Larry Harold, is 4-0 for the first time since 1984 after a 28-14 victory over eight-point favorite Habersham Central. The Black Knights’ first three wins came by a touchdown or less. … Etowah, a 1-9 team each of the past two seasons, is 4-0 for the first time since 2014 after a 28-21 victory over Centennial. Etowah was a 13-point favorite. The Eagles’ last team to start 4-0 reached the state semifinals and finished 11-3. … Hebron Christian, in its first season under coach Jonathan Gess, is 4-0 for the first time since the program began in 2007 after a 35-28 victory over two-point favorite Morgan County. Hebron’s previous best start was 3-0 in 2010. … North Paulding ended a 21-game losing streak against top-10 teams with a 49-35 victory over then-No. 10 South Paulding of Class 6A. North Paulding improved to 11-0 all-time against South Paulding, which was a four-point favorite.
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