Sandy Creek and Dutchtown defeated struggling 2021 state champions Friday night while traditional powers Marist, Northside-Warner Robins, Prince Avenue Christian, Brooks County and Irwin County won notable games in the fifth weekend of the Georgia high school football season.
Sandy Creek, the No. 5 team in Class 3A, beat 7A’s defending champion Collins Hill 33-17. Collins Hill lost to another 3A team, No. 1 Cedar Grove, last week. Sandy Creek is 4-1, its only loss in overtime to another 7A team, East Coweta.
Dutchtown defeated two-time defending 5A champion Warner Robins 14-7 in a Region 2-5A game. Dutchtown is ranked No. 4, and Warner Robins at No. 7, so it wasn’t a giant upset, but the Demons’ 1-3 record was unforeseen. Dutchtown is 5-0 under first-year coach Niketa Battle.
In 6A, Marist and Northside bounced back from last week’s losses. Marist, ranked No. 10, beat No. 2 Blessed Trinity 21-17 to improve to 3-2. Blessed Trinity had started 3-0. Unranked Northside is 2-2 after beating Class 7A’s No. 4 team, North Cobb, 20-17 in overtime. Northside stopped a fourth-and-goal play from the two on the final play.
Prince Avenue Christian beat Eagle’s Landing Christian 30-15 in a game between teams that began the season ranked No. 1. Prince Avenue Christian, of Class A Division I, remains on top with a 4-0 record. ELCA, ranked No. 4 in 2A, is 1-3, with each loss to a current top-five team.
Brooks County, the 2021 champion in the old Class A Public, beat 4A’s No. 6 team, Bainbridge, 26-18. Brooks County (4-1) entered ranked No. 6 in the new A Division I.
Irwin County, the No. 5 team in A Division I, beat 2A’s No. 6 team, Rockmart, 28-14. Irwin County’s only loss is to No. 2 Fitzgerald of 2A.
Mill Creek and Starr’s Mill also earned significant victories.
Mill Creek, ranked No. 3 in 7A, beat Cedar Grove 52-36. Cedar Grove (3-1) had beaten Westlake and Collins Hill from 7A the previous two weeks before meeting its match against the much larger Gwinnett County school. Mill Creek is 4-0.
In 4A, No. 6 Starr’s Mill beat No. 10 LaGrange 25-24 in overtime in a game between unbeaten teams. Both are in Region 4.
Six other top-10 teams lost, but against larger or higher-ranked teams.
Three were Class 3A teams as No. 2 Carver-Atlanta lost to Buford, No. 4 Oconee County lost to Burke County, and No. 6 Peach County lost to Perry.
The others were in Class A Division II as No. 5 Washington-Wilkes lost to Elbert County, No. 6 Aquinas lost to Harlem, and No. 7 Charlton County lost to Pierce County.
A game between No. 7 Thomson of Class 2A and Laney was suspended when gunfire was heard outside Laney’s stadium, according to WFXG-TV, which posted a Facebook video showing players running off the field while some fans were panicked while others remained calm. No injuries were reported.
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