As the 2026 GHSA football season gets underway, fans of the traditional powerhouse programs such as Buford, Thomas County Central, Bowdon, and Creekside are confident their team will be the favorite, while fans of the other 90 % of the teams are wondering if it’s possible that an underdog like their team could somehow, someway step up and do the impossible and shock the football world of GHSA high school football.
Most fans would probably say no.
It seems after all that the powerhouse programs just keep getting stronger as they build a winning culture through a solid middle school program, an exceptional weight training and nutritional program, building top tier facilities that kids are proud to be a part of.
And yes, despite off season restrictions added by the GHSA to better enforce the growing number of transfers, the number of players transferring to teams who are already stocked with talent doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
A vicious cycle, some might say.
So, is there any hope of a GHSA football underdog team rising up and surprising everyone in 2026 with a magical run to a state championship?
With everyone at the moment 0-0 heading into the start of the regular season across Georgia, this seems like a good time to remind everyone about some of the most memorable stories in recent history of GHSA Football underdogs, and one at the collegiate level.
Underdogs That Should Give Fans Everywhere Hope
2018 Bainbridge Bearcats
In 2018, Jeff Littleton’s Bearcats had lost 5 out of 6 games with two of those losses being shutouts.
One was a 23-0 loss to Crisp 23-0 and the other was a 38-0 loss to Warner Robins.
But, Bainbridge finished 5-5, good enough to earn a trip to the class 5A playoffs.
That’s when everything changed for Littleton and his Bearcats.
Bainbridge defeated an 8-2 Jones County team 40-13, followed by an upset win over 11-0 Wayne County.
Then, as a true David vs Goliath, Bainbridge goes to Buford, as a 14-point underdog, ends the Wolves 35-game home playoff streak and their 11 straight seasons of reaching the semifinals, and defeats the mighty Wolves 23-20.
After defeating 12-1 Stockbridge in the state semifinals, Bainbridge reached the state championship game against a familiar opponent: Warner Robins. The Demons had pounded Bainbridge just a few weeks earlier in a regular season blowout 38-0.
It looked like the Cinderella run was over for Littleton and his Bearcats as they fell behind by 28 points to the Demons.
But Bainbridge found a way, taking Warner Robins to 3 OT periods before capturing one of the most improbable state championships in what was a true GHSA football underdog story
1992 Thomas County Central
The ‘92 Yellow Jackets of Head Coach Ed Pilcher were unranked and not picked to win much of anything that year.
TCC had never won a state championship, and when they started the 1992 season at 1-5, it looked like the streak would stand for another year.
But, Pilcher’s Yellow Jackets rallied to win their final four regular season games to enter the playoffs at 5-5.
They kept the winning streak alive with four playoff victories, advancing to the Class 3A state finals against the top ranked and undefeated Peach County Trojans.
Central entered the championship game as the underdog, but defied the odds one more time, winning the 3A state championship over the heavily favored Trojans 14-13.
2018 Milton Eagles
When Adam Clack was hired as the Milton Head Football Coach in 2017, the program then bore little resemblance to the current Milton team
They were coming off a 5-5 season in 2016, and improved to 9-3 the very next year in Adam Clack’s first season as head coach.
Despite the improvement, the 2018 Milton Eagles were nowhere to be found when the preseason top 10 Polls were released prior to the regular season.
The Eagles had never won a state championship, and weren’t expected to seriously challenge for a title in the state’s highest classification anytime soon.
That’s why their 14-13 upset of top ranked Colquitt County in the GHSA Class 7A state finals is still considered one of the top underdog stories in GHSA history.
It was an eagles team that had struggled prior to Clack’s arrival, and had never won a state championship.
Plus, they were facing a top-ranked Colquitt program who had not lost a game that season, and were appearing in their second straight state title game and fourth in five seasons.
But, behind a late defensive stand and a blocked FG, Milton shocked the state with the one-point upset victory.
It was yet another example of a GHSA football underdog rising up to defy the odds.
1980 Georgia Bulldogs
It’s not high school, but the 1980 Georgia Bulldogs football team represents one of the best underdog stories in any level of football.
The Bulldogs were coming off a lackluster 6-5 record in 1979, and were barely ranked inside the 1980 college football top 20 preseason poll, at number 16.
They had never won a national championship in the history of the program, and weren’t expected to come close to winning one in 1980.
But, that changed when Georgia convinced the nation’s most coveted high school recruit to sign with the Dogs.
Welcome to Athens, Herschel Walker.
Although he was a true freshman, Walker looked and played like a seasoned college football letterman in that first year in the ‘Dogs offensive backfield.
He led Georgia to the national championship against the mighty Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish at the Superdome in New Orleans, where the Bulldogs of head coach Vince Dooley were decided underdogs, especially when Walker would be playing with a separated shoulder.
But, in another great underdog story, UGA would pull off the 17-10 upset win over Notre Dame, capping an undefeated 12-0 season, and finishing in the No. 1 spot atop both the Associated Press poll and the United Press International (UPI) poll.
So, If you think your team has no chance at winning a GHSA state championship in 2026, just remember, fans of these underdogs didn’t think they had a chance either.
