Paulding County, Carver-Atlanta, Pace Academy, Central-Carroll and Houston County beat top-10 opponents as unranked teams Friday night in high school football.

Paulding County, pegged as a 28-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings, defeated No. 9 Douglas County 22-20 in a Region 5-6A game. Douglas County entered unbeaten while Paulding County was 2-2, having just been routed by Alexander 42-6. It was Paulding County’s first win over a top-10 team since 2001 (Pebblebrook).

Carver entered its Region 5-3A game with No. 9 Westminster with an 0-4 record, but each loss came against currently ranked teams, three from higher classes. The Panthers won 20-10. It was their first victory over a ranked team since beating No. 5 Jones County in the 2017 Class 5A quarterfinals.

Pace Academy, knocked out of the rankings this week after losing to unranked South Atlanta, atoned with a 21-16 victory over No. 4 Lovett in a Region 6-2A game.

Central-Carroll beat No. 6 Northwest Whitfield 54-34 in a Region 7-4A game. It was Central’s second win in two weeks over a ranked team, as the Lions beat No. 10 Heard County of 2A on Oct. 9, but it was their first against a top-10 team from the same class since they downed Appling County in the 2013 playoffs.

Houston County beat No. 7 Veterans of 5A 7-0. Houston County, from 6A, is a bigger school, but had lost the previous two seasons to its county rival, each time in close decisions.

George Walton Academy was another unranked team that beat a ranked opponent. GWA defeated No. 8 Holy Innocents' 28-21 in a Class 1A Private game.

A few other top-10 teams lost, but to other ranked teams.

The most impressive of those winners was probably Appling County, the No. 6 team from 3A, which beat Class 4A’s No. 3, Benedictine, 28-21. Appling County is 5-0 for the first time since 2011.

Marist, the No. 1 team in 4A, beat No. 8 Hapeville Charter 30-0.

No. 8 Thomasville beat No. 5 Early County 31-14 in a 2A game.

Class 1A Private powers Athens Academy and Eagle’s Landing Christian were dominant against worthy challengers. Athens Academy, ranked No. 1, beat No. 5 Wesleyan 35-0 while No. 3 ELCA beat No. 6 Trinity Christian 34-0.

No. 6 Macon County beat No. 7 Taylor County 45-27 in a Class 1A Public game.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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