It was another exciting week of Georgia high school football across the state of Georgia with more upsets and near upsets as defending state champions Carver and North Oconee got quite a scare but wound up winning. Just barely.
The Week 9 slate of games provided us with some close ones and not-so-close ones.
Carver (Columbus) had its closest game in two seasons with a thrilling 8-7 win over Sumter County last Friday night.
You’d have to go back to the Tigers’ third game of the season last year, when they lost to Harris County 15-6, to find any game closer than the win over Sumter. Since that game, Carver has played and won 20 consecutive games, including a 13-0 stretch last season that included five shutouts, blowouts against every opponent, including a 38-point win over Burke County in the Class 2A state title game.
North Oconee was also staring at a rare loss in its game against a 4-4 Eastside team, which scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to pull to within one point of tying the game against the defending state champions.
However, the extra point was blocked, and the Titans were able to hold off an upset bid by the Eagles, escaping with a 14-13 win.
Like Carver, it had been a while since North Oconee had lost a game. You’ll have to go back to the 2023 Class 4A quarterfinals to find the last time North Oconee lost a game. That was against Benedictine on Nov. 24, 2023.
Since then, it’s been 23 straight wins for the defending Georgia high school football Class 4A state champions.
Speaking of winning streaks, Milton lost its first region game in seven years, and its 17-game home winning streak came to an end with the Eagles’ 28-16 loss to Gainesville last week.
It was a great win for Gainesville High School, as this had been the type of game over the past few years that Josh Niblett’s Red Elephants had struggled to navigate through.
They lost to Carrollton earlier this season by 22 points in Week 4, and a loss to Milton would have fans thinking of another season like last year, when they lost to the Trojans and Milton by double digits.
But Red Elephants fans can relax.
With the win, Gainesville takes over sole possession of first place in Region 7-AAAAA with region matchups against Chattahoochee and Milton remaining.
While Carver and North Oconee were able to stave off upsets by their underdog opponents, that was not the case with other teams around the state.
Brunswick, the defending Region 1-5A champion, lost to Statesboro 28-21. The Pirates have won the region title three of the past four seasons.
Oglethorpe County was 2-4 overall and winless in Region 8 A D-1 with an 0-2 record entering its game against Rabun County, which was 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the region. The Patriots shocked Rabun County 28-19.
Both Oglethorpe County and Statesboro were 23-point underdogs according to the Maxwell Ratings.
Lanier County and coach David Dean snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 34-30 win over Turner County last week. The Titans from Ashburn entered the game as 26-point favorites by the Maxwell Ratings.
Marietta trailed North Cobb 35-17 as the two teams began the fourth quarter at Northcutt Stadium Friday night, but the Blue Devils rallied for an improbable 36-35 victory to bring them even at 4-4 overall but, more importantly, 4-0 in Region 5-6A.
Who Will Emerge From a Loaded Class 6A?
Through the first eight games of the season, Georgia high school football’s Class 6A has at least half a dozen teams that are undefeated and could be considered legitimate contenders for the state’s highest classification.
Many fans and media alike consider the “Big 3” of Grayson, Buford, and Carrollton as the teams with a legitimate shot at winning the Class 6A state championship.
The Rams, Wolves, and Trojans are each 8-0 with high odds of finishing the regular season undefeated.
But they’re not the only ones with a spotless record so far.
Lowndes is 8-0, and McEachern is 7-0.
The next group includes Valdosta at 7-1, North Gwinnett at 6-1, Colquitt County at 6-2, and Douglas County at 6-2.
Who’s your pick to win it all in Class 6A this season?
Buford and Grayson seem to be the toast of the classification. They have the talent to do it, but Carrollton, North Gwinnett, McEachern, Valdosta, and Colquitt County could make a run at it with a break or two.
Let’s see what happens over these final two weeks of the regular season, then see who will be playing whom in the first round.
Next week, we’ll take a look at some probable dream matchups in the late round of the playoffs that will certainly thin the field a bit.
In the meantime, let’s enjoy the best that Georgia high school football has to offer.
