It’s no surprise to hear that perennial powers such as Grayson and Buford have undefeated records so far in the 2022 Georgia high school football season. But they aren’t the only teams turning heads with their performance in the first two weeks. Following is a look at one team in each classification that has gotten off to a hot start and outperformed its preseason expectations so far.
Class 1A-D1: Mt. Pisgah Christian
The Patriots shocked everyone in the Corky Kell Classic with a massive upset over Fellowship Christian, a title favorite in 2A. They followed that performance up with a beatdown of Mt. Paran Christian, giving the Patriots their first 2-0 start since a 2013 campaign that featured 12 wins. Defensive concerns have plagued Mt. Pisgah in past years, but this season’s squad has allowed only 25 points so far. The ceiling appears to be high for these Patriots.
Class 1A-D2: Portal
Despite having played only two games, the Panthers are erasing some bad memories from the program’s recent history. With wins over Hawkinsville and Twiggs County, Portal has already exceeded its win total in the previous three seasons combined. The Panthers have not won more than three games in a year since 2011 and have made the state playoffs only three times since 1976. Portal is on pace to shatter both of those disappointing marks and potentially solidify themselves as one of the better teams in school history.
Class 2A: ACE Charter
ACE is an extremely young Georgia high school football program, having played its first season in 2018. Naturally, the Gryphons have struggled, especially against better competition. Under new head coach Keith Hatcher, though, the Gryphons are off to a hot start and stand undefeated at 2-0. The second of those wins came against a preseason top-10 selection, Georgia Military, which had finished 10-1 last year. These two wins could signify future stability and consistent winning seasons for ACE Charter.
Class 3A: Hebron Christian
Hiring former ELCA head coach Jonathan Gess has already proved successful for the Lions. Hebron Christian’s offense has exploded in the first two weeks of the season, laying 63 points on Chestatee and almost 50 more on Providence Christian. The Lions have not started a season 2-0 since 2015, and a mostly favorable nonregion schedule might extend the winning streak to five games potentially. Hebron Christian appears to have overcome the transfer of Jack Luttrell to Colquitt County extremely well, as QB Gavin Hall has taken a much larger role in the team’s offensive attack.
Class 4A: Central-Carrollton
The Lions are another Georgia high school football team off to a hot start in 2022. After a beatdown of Redan, Central defeated A-D2’s highest-ranked program, Bowdon, 35-20. Freshman running back Jonaz Walton burst on the scene with over 400 yards in just two games, and athlete Vicari Swain has been dynamite on both sides of the football. The Lions have accomplished a 10-win season only six times since 1960; that quality win over Bowdon might provide the spark to add another successful campaign to the history books.
Class 5A: Ola
The past few seasons for Ola have been a rollercoaster. After winning only one game in 2018, the Mustangs stunned the state with seven wins in 2019 and nine more the following year. Then, despite productive running back Micah Bell’s return, Ola fell to 5-6 last year. With its third coach in three years, a lot of questions surrounded Ola coming into this season, but the Mustangs have quelled those concerns with two blowout wins, first over Griffin and then against Luella. A balanced offensive attack combined with senior experience has helped Ola become a possible threat in 5A.
Class 6A: Thomas County Central
The preseason hype around Thomas County Central was certainly evident, but not many people expected such dominance from the Yellow Jackets in 6A. In the season opener against a ranked Cairo squad, TC Central forced a forfeit in the fourth quarter while leading 50-7. Then the Yellow Jackets asserted their dominance with a 31-0 massacre of rival Thomasville, the 2A runner-up last season. TC Central has not achieved more than five wins in a season since 2016, but the Jackets seem poised to shatter that mark and compete for a state championship now.
Class 7A: Osborne
Historically the Cardinals have struggled. They have never won 10 games in a season and have never made the state playoffs. More recently, they have not won over three games in a year since 1994. Osborne has won three games in the past six seasons combined. Those narratives might be rewritten after a hot start to the 2022 Georgia high school football season that has featured two blowout victories already. Under Luqman Salam, the Cardinals have played fundamental football and built momentum for the rest of the season. Could we see Osborne’s first playoff appearance since the program began in 1957?
