Ranking the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:
1. Northwest Whitfield 12, Dalton 0: Northwest Whitfield, projected as a five-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings, ended an 11-game losing streak against its city-school rival. Northwest’s last victory in the series, which Dalton leads 32-6, was on Oct. 8, 2004. Dalton is 0-3 for the first time since 1975, not including the 2011 season, when it had to forfeit four of its first six games. The Catamounts’ 1975 team overcame the slow start and reached the Class 2A championship game, finishing 9-5.
2. Jackson County 35, Dacula 28: Jackson County was just a one-point underdog, but the victory was especially significant for Panthers head coach Korey Mobbs, who beat his old nemesis for the first time. While at Lanier from to 2020, Mobbs was 58-22 overall but 0-5 against the Falcons, with three losses coming in games that directly determined a region champion. Mobbs has not lost to any other school more than twice.
3. Rockdale County 16, Miller Grove 0: Rockdale County improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2019 with a victory over 20-point favorite Miller Grove. The 2019 team went on to lose its final six games, and then the program was hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, limited to five games in 2020, all losses. The Bulldogs went 4-25 over the next three seasons but appear to have turned a corner.
4. South Gwinnett 42, Brookwood 20: South Gwinnett, a five-point underdog, won for just the second time in the past nine meetings with Snellville rival Brookwood, which leads the all-time series 32-10. South Gwinnett is 3-0 for the third consecutive year but seeking its first winning season since 2016.
5. Cambridge 39, Creekview 0: Cambridge, in its first season under coach Tyler Jones, is 3-0 for just the third time in the program’s 13-year history after its victory over previously unbeaten Creekview, which was a seven-point favorite. Creekview had won 10 of the previous 12 games in the series. All three of Cambridge’s wins in the series have been by shutout.
Worth noting: With a 45-21 victory, West Forsyth became the second team in two weeks to upset Parkview, a two-point favorite. West Forsyth is now the computer Maxwell Ratings’ pick to win Region 6-6A. … Campbell is 3-0 for just the second time since 2006 after a 33-7 victory over Etowah. The Spartans, who were 15-point favorites, have already matched their win total of last year’s playoff team and have a realistic shot of their first winning season since 2007. … Lakeside of Atlanta pulled off the biggest upset of the week, according to Maxwell, when it defeated 27-point favorite Macon County 26-21. Lakeside, 5-5 in 2023, avoided its first 0-3 start since its COVID-shortened 2020 season. … Landmark Christian improved to 2-1 for just the second time since its 2016 team went 10-2 with a 35-18 victory over six-point favorite Towers. Landmark was a playoff team in 2022 but went 0-10 last season and lost to Towers 58-0.
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