Friday night football wrap-up: 3 reigning champs lose on first full night of games

Creekside moved up in class this season and is No. 3 in Georgia’s 6A.

Douglass, the No. 9 team in 4A, beat Carver 28-7, ending the Tigers’ 27-game winning streak that had been the state’s longest. Carver is a 3A team that won 2A the past two seasons and entered as a 12-point favorite, according to the Maxwell Ratings.

The victory was Douglass’ first against a No. 1-ranked team since 1995, when an Astros team led by Jamal Lewis beat eventual 4A champion Southwest DeKalb. Douglass was 0-9 against No. 1 teams since then.

Bremen beat Bowdon 38-19 in a West Georgia rivalry game. The game was the first as head coach for Bowdon’s Jamie Abrams, who replaced Rich Fendley, now at Rockmart.

Bowdon was ranked No. 2 in Class A to start what was seen as a possible rebuilding season as the Red Devils lost several key starters, including current Georgia wide receiver Kaiden Prothro.

Bremen ended a five-game losing streak against a rival it has faced each season since 1954. Bowdon won 48-7 last season.

Sandy Creek, the 3A champion, now competing in 4A, beat 7A power and 12-point favorite Grayson 21-13, sending the Rams to an 0-2 start for the first time since 2013.

Grayson began the season as the No. 3 team but dropped out of the rankings after losing to now-No. 3 North Gwinnett 37-22 last week.

Sandy Creek, 15-0 last season, scheduled two big-name 7A programs. The other is No. 4 Douglas County on the road next week.

Thomas County Central of Class 6A was impressive in its 57-21 victory over Colquitt County, the No. 7 team in 7A. Those South Georgia programs had not met since 2012 but won two state titles apiece since then.

Worth County, the Class A Division I winner last year, beat Class 2A No. 8 Brooks County 42-29. Worth is playing in 3A this season.

Hebron Christian, the two-time reigning Private champion, beat Class 3A’s No. 9 team, Carver of Atlanta, 43-16. The game was the first as head coach for Hebron’s Quentin Davie. Hebron won the past two state titles with different coaches, Kenny Dallas and Jonathan Gess.

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Heard County, the No. 1 team in Class 2A, beat Central of Carrollton, the No. 5 Class 5A team, 50-28. Heard, a state semifinalist last season, is No. 1 for the first time since 2018, when it won its only state title.

Toombs County, the No. 2 team in Class 3A, punched above its weight and took down Class 5A No. 2 Benedictine 58-21 in perhaps the most impressive win in program history, as Benedictine is the winningest South Georgia program over the past 10 seasons.

Toombs, a 2024 champion in Class A Division I, could be in line to surpass Carver in the 3A rankings.

No. 6 Calhoun of 4A beat Jefferson, the No. 6 team in 5A, 21-19. The two had met previously in 2024 and 2012 state finals, each winning once, Calhoun more recently.

No. 6 Bleckley County of 2A also went up and beat a top-10 4A team, No. 8 West Laurens, 28-3.

Unranked teams that beat top-10 opponents included Cook over No. 2 Swainsboro 36-35 in 2A, Irwin County over No. 9 Wilcox County in A and Fellowship Christian over No. 10 Trinity Christian, 26-20.

No. 3 Greater Atlanta Christian beat No. 7 North Hall 28-21 in a game between top-10 teams from 4A. GAC’s ranking is in the Private division.

In other rivalry games, No. 2 Cairo of 4A beat No. 4 Thomasville of 2A 36-14, and No. 3 Marist of 5A beat unranked 6A opponent Woodward Academy 10-3.

At least 10 GHSA games will be played Saturday. Among them is No. 1 Buford of 7A at home against No. 2 Gainesville of 6A.

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Carver-Atlanta head coach Darren Myles, left, greets Hebron Christian head coach Quentin Davie after their GHSA football game in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium, Friday, August 21, 2026, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)