Two defending state champions and seven other Top 10 teams lost their opening games last week, making for lots of changes in the high school football rankings.
Norcross, ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAAA, lost to Booker T. Washington 55-0 in a stunning outcome to a game televised by ESPN. Washington is ranked No. 1 by USA Today, but Norcross had six top-six national rankings of its own. The Blue Devils fell to No. 6 in the AAAAAA rankings.
Colquitt County, a 21-6 winner over Grayson on Saturday in the Corky Kell Classic in the Georgia Dome, took over the top spot. It is the first time the Packers have held a No. 1 ranking since a 5-0 start in 2006.
Colquitt’s chance to justify that position comes Friday when the Packers visit nationally ranked Hoover of Alabama, a team that won five state titles under Colquitt head coach Rush Propst. Colquitt has reached the semifinals or better each of the past four seasons, each time losing to the eventual champion.
Also impressive at the Georgia Dome were No. 3 North Gwinnett, which beat previous No. 5 Camden County 34-14, and No. 4 McEachern, which beat Brookwood 31-10. McEachern’s Taj Griffin rushed for 154 yards on 10 carries in the Corky Kell nightcap. His 90-yard TD run early in the second quarter made it 17-3.
Another defending champion that lost in a week in which Top 10 teams were only 15-10-1 was Emanuel County Institute. The Class A public school champion last year, ECI lost to Metter 21-20. ECI beat Metter 42-7 last season.
Two other ranked teams would’ve lost last week if not for games that were not finished because of the weather. Burke County led Thomson 21-0, and Washington County led Eagle’s Landing Christian 6-0, when the games were stopped in the second quarter because of lightning. Games are not official unless they reach halftime.
Newly ranked this week are Mill Creek (AAAAAA), East Paulding (AAAAA), Callaway (AAA), Early County and Washington-Wilkes (AA) and Aquinas (A).
They replaced Grayson (AAAAAA), Whitewater (AAAAA), Woodward Academy (AAA), Westminster and Heard County (AA) and Emanuel County Institute (A).
Class AAAAAA
1. Colquitt County (1-0)
2. Lovejoy (0-0)
3. North Gwinnett (1-0)
4. McEachern (1-0)
5. North Cobb (0-0)
6. Norcross (0-1)
7. Lowndes (0-0)
8. Lassiter (0-0)
9. Mill Creek (0-0)
10. Camden County (0-1)
Class AAAAA
1. Gainesville (0-0)
2. Tucker (1-0)
3. Stephenson (0-0)
4. Northside (Warner Robins) (0-0)
5. M.L. King (0-0)
6. Ware County (0-0)
7. Kell (1-0)
8. Thomas County Central (1-0)
9. Flowery Branch (0-0)
10. East Paulding (0-0)
Class AAAA
1. Sandy Creek (0-0)
2. Carrollton (0-0)
3. Burke County (0-0)
4. Marist (0-0)
5. Stockbridge (0-0)
6. Cairo (0-0)
7. Monroe Area (0-0)
8. Griffin (0-0)
9. Ridgeland (0-0)
10. Monroe (0-0)
Class AAA
1. Buford (0-0)
2. St. Pius (0-0)
3. Cartersville (0-0)
4. Carver (Columbus) (0-0)
5. North Hall (0-0)
6. Washington County (0-0)
7. Blessed Trinity (1-0)
8. Peach County (0-0)
9. Callaway (1-0)
10. North Oconee (0-0)
Class AA
1. Calhoun (0-0)
2. Lamar County (0-0)
3. Jefferson (0-0)
4. Greater Atlanta Christian (1-0)
5. Brooks County (1-0)
6. Lovett (1-0)
7. Vidalia (1-0)
8. Fitzgerald (0-1)
9. Early County (0-0)
10. Washington-Wilkes (0-0)
Class A
1. Eagle’s Landing Christian (0-0)
2. Prince Avenue Christian (1-0)
3. Dooly County (0-0)
4. Lincoln County (1-0)
5. George Walton Academy (0-0)
6. Wilcox County (0-0)
7. Wilkinson County (0-0)
8. Athens Academy (0-0)
9. Aquinas (1-0)
10. Savannah Christian (0-0-1)
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