There is a new No. 1 team in Class A, and it’s been a long time coming for Johnson County, which most recently held a top ranking when Herschel Walker was in the Trojans’ backfield in 1979.
Johnson County improved to 4-0 after beating Wilcox County 57-0 last week.
Dropping to No. 2 was Lincoln County, which lost to undefeated Strom Thurmond, the reigning South Carolina Class 2A champion, 33-20. Lincoln County beat Strom Thurmond last season and was Georgia’s Class A Division II runner-up to Bowdon.
Lincoln County was the preseason No. 1 team but lost that ranking when beaten on Aug. 28 by Westside of Augusta, a 3A school with a 2-2 record. Lincoln County regained the top ranking two weeks ago when four-time champion Bowdon lost its second game.
Johnson County has not played a Top-10 team. The Trojans were 11-1 last season and lost to Brooks County 14-7 in the second round.
Johnson County reached the state semifinals as recently as 2022, and has played 18 games as the No. 2 team since 2000, but the school’s only state championship and time spent at No. 1 came in 1979, when Walker was the nation’s most celebrated recruit. He would sign with Georgia and win the Heisman Trophy.
Credit: Kenneth Walker / AJC file photo
Credit: Kenneth Walker / AJC file photo
Moving into the rankings this week are Colquitt County, Dalton, Woodland of Stockbridge, Northwest Whitfield, Columbia, Treutlen and Eagle’s Landing Christian.
Dalton was 3-8 last season and 0-10 the one before. Second-year coach Chris Prewett, formerly at Roswell, has the Catamounts 4-0.
Columbia moved to No. 7 in Class 3A after beating previous No. 5 Hapeville Charter 34-21. It was Columbia’s first victory over a Top-10 team since 2015 (Cedar Grove). Columbia is 2-2 but with losses to undefeated Carrollton and Tucker from higher classes.
Class 7A
- (1) Buford (4-0)
- (2) Carrollton (5-0)
- (3) North Gwinnett (5-0)
- (4) Newton (5-0)
- (5) Valdosta (4-0)
- (6) Lowndes (5-0)
- (7) Brookwood (5-0)
- (8) Westlake (5-0)
- (9) North Cobb (3-1)
- (NR) Colquitt County (3-2)
Out: No. 10 Marietta (3-2)
Class 6A
- (1) Thomas County Central (4-0)
- (2) Lee County (4-0)
- (3) Coffee (4-0)
- (4) Creekside (3-1)
- (5) Milton (3-1)
- (6) Gainesville (2-2)
- (7) Roswell (3-1)
- (8) Hughes (3-1)
- (9) Jackson County (4-0)
- (10) Sequoyah (4-1)
Class 5A
- (1) Cartersville (4-0)
- (2) Blessed Trinity (4-0)
- (3) Marist (3-1)
- (4) Benedictine (3-1)
- (5) North Oconee (4-1)
- (6) Tucker (4-0)
- (7) Cass (5-0)
- (9) Mays (4-0)
- (10) Ola (4-1)
- (NR) Dalton (4-0)
Out: No. 8 Lithonia (1-3)
Class 4A
- (1) Sandy Creek (5-0)
- (2) Troup (4-0)
- (3) Peach County (4-0)
- (4) Cairo (4-0)
- (5) Monroe Area (5-0)
- (6) Stephenson (3-1)
- (7) Douglass (2-2)
- (NR) Woodland (Stockbridge) (4-0)
- (8) North Hall (2-2)
- (NR) Northwest Whitfield (4-1)
Out: No. 9 Baldwin (3-1), No. 10 Spalding (3-1)
Class 3A
- (1) Toombs County (4-0)
- (2) Pierce County (4-0)
- (3) Appling County (4-0)
- (4) Hart County (5-0)
- (7) Northeast (3-1)
- (8) Lumpkin County (4-0)
- (NR) Columbia (2-2)
- (6) Worth County (2-2)
- (9) Burke County (2-2)
- (5) Hapeville Charter (1-3)
Out: No. 10 Thomson (1-3)
Class 2A
- (1) Heard County (4-0)
- (2) Fitzgerald (4-0)
- (3) Bleckley County (4-0)
- (4) Thomasville (3-1)
- (5) Dublin (3-1)
- (6) Bremen (4-0)
- (7) Jeff Davis (4-0)
- (8) Cook (2-2)
- (9) Commerce (4-0)
- (10) Swainsboro (1-3)
Class A
- (2) Johnson County (4-0)
- (1) Lincoln County (3-2)
- (3) Clinch County (2-2)
- (4) Taylor County (4-0)
- (5) Macon County (4-0)
- (6) Bowdon (2-3)
- (NR) Treutlen (4-0)
- (7) Randolph-Clay (4-0)
- (9) Charlton County (3-1-1)
- (10) Emanuel County Institute (2-3)
Out: No. 8 Montgomery County (3-1)
Class 4A-2A Private
- (1) Prince Avenue Christian (3-0)
- (2) Calvary Day (3-1)
- (3) Holy Innocents’ (5-0)
- (4) Greater Atlanta Christian (3-1)
- (5) Lovett (4-0)
- (6) Hebron Christian (1-3)
- (7) Aquinas (3-1)
- (8) Christian Heritage (4-0)
- (9) Fellowship Christian (2-1)
- (NR) Eagle’s Landing Christian (3-1)
Out: No. 10 Savannah Christian (1-3)
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