Four Georgia basketball teams are ranked No. 1 in the final high school basketball poll for the first time, the final reward for their first-ever state championships.

Langston Hughes, a 7-year-old school in Fairburn, won the Class AAAAAA boys title. Hughes was only the No. 3 seed from its Region 5 but was ranked No. 4 statewide entering the state tournament. No. 1 South Paulding, the Region 5 champion, went out in the quarterfinals while Hughes defeated four straight region champions – Lee County, Gainesville, Allatoona and Brunswick – to claim the championship.

It was the first state championship in any sport for Hughes.

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Kennesaw State coach Jerry Mack celebrates with his players in the locker room after the 35-7 win over Louisiana Tech, Oct. 9, 2025. (Kennesaw State Athletics)

Credit: Kennesaw State Athletics

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Mathew Palmer, a former Delta Air Lines employee, at his home in Atlanta on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.  Palmer was fired less than two weeks after writing a post on social media about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (Natrice Miller/AJC)