The top-10 rankings have been released for Class A Division II, and it is not a shock that two-time defending-champion Bowdon, ranked No. 1, begins the season as the team to beat.
Led by coach Richard Fendley Jr. since 2018, the Red Devils have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows during Fendley’s tenure.
But the program, for certain, is on the rise. Bowdon finished 1-9 in Fendley’s first year and did not make the playoffs. The team improved to an 8-3 record in 2019, a 7-5 record in 2020 and a 10-2 effort in 2021, but lost in the second round of the playoffs in each of those seasons.
In 2022, Fendley led Bowdon to the team’s first state championship since 1992 and third overall (1971). Last season, Bowdon lost the first two games of the season – Manchester 21-20 and Central-Carroll 34-14 – but then won 13 consecutive, including a 28-27 victory against rival Manchester in the championship game.
Here’s a look at the top-10:
-- No. 2 Brooks County: The Trojans are entering a new era following Maurice Freeman’s departure to Alabama’s Daleville. Enter Josh McFather, who was promoted within the system. Freeman led Brooks County to its first ever state championship in 1994 and again in 2021. The Trojans advanced to the semifinals last season before losing to Swainsboro.
-- No. 3 Manchester: Manchester is another program on the rise after promoting coach Demontha Prather, who also serves as the school’s basketball coach, to take over after Stephen Holmes took the Pike County job. Last season, the Blue Devils suffered a one-point loss to Region rival Bowdon in the championship game, which would have been Manchester’s second state title and first since 1997, when Prather was a student at Manchester.
-- No. 4 Irwin County: Last season, Prince Avenue Christian sent Irwin County home in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. If the same power rankings had been initiated last year, Irwin would not have had to face Aaron Philo and Prince Avenue during Philo’s state record-breaking season. Hindsight is always 20/20. No. 2 Brooks County is also in Region 2 this season.
-- No. 5 Schley County: During the past three seasons, Schley County has won 34 games, been to the semifinals once (last season) and lost one state championship (2022). It’s difficult to reload after such a run, but the Wildcats are attempting just that. Coach Darren Alford has led Schley since 2016 and led the team to its first-ever region title in 2022, then repeated as region champion last season.
-- No. 6 Clinch County: Clinch lost in the quarterfinals to eventual runner-up Manchester last season. Long-time Clinch coach Jim Dickerson came back to the program after Don Tison Jr.’s departure. Dickerson, a borderline mythic figure in Clinch County, led Clinch to state championships in 2004, 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2018. From 2015 to 2018 under Dickerson, Clinch lost six games and won three state championships during that span.
Class A Division II top-10
1. Bowdon
2. Brooks County
3. Manchester
4. Irwin County
5. Schley County
6. Clinch County
7. Bryan County
8. Greene County
9. Trion
10. Telfair County
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