Notable results from Week 7: Woodstock in playoff race; Ridgeland ends drought

ajc.com

Credit: Stan Awtrey

Credit: Stan Awtrey

Ranking the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:

1. Woodstock 28, Creekview 21: Woodstock, a 2-28 team over the past three seasons, improved to 5-1 under second-year coach Dan Devine with a victory over a Creekview team that was projected as a 20-point favorite by the computer Maxwell Ratings. Both teams are among the five in eight-team Region 6-5A with one region loss, trailing unbeaten River Ridge. Woodstock is seeking its first playoff berth since 2017.

2. Ridgeland 28, LaFayette 23: Ridgeland defeated 17-point favorite LaFayette in a Region 7-3A game to end a 34-game losing streak that was the longest in school history. It was the Panthers’ first victory since beating East Forsyth 19-0 in the opening game of the 2021 season and their first win in a region game since 2020, ending a 22-game losing streak in league play.

3. Heritage (Ringgold) 31, Northwest Whitfield 21: Heritage spoiled Northwest Whitfield’s attempt to reach 6-0 for the first time since 2007 when it won as a 20-point underdog in a Region 7-3A game. Heritage, seeking its first region title in the program’s 17-year history, has sole possession of first place, a half-game ahead of Calhoun. Northwest Whitfield fell into a group of four teams with one region loss.

4. Cambridge 30, East Coweta 21: Cambridge, which opened in 2012 in north Fulton County, is 6-0 for just the second time after defeating Class 6A East Coweta in a game rated as a toss-up by Maxwell. The Bears, under first-year coach Tyler Jones, begin region play this week in 6-4A, which includes Westminster, Centennial, Kell and Blessed Trinity.

5. Gordon Lee 42, Chattooga 28: Gordon Lee, a five-point underdog, beat Chattooga for the first time in four all-time meetings and ended the Indians’ five-game, season-opening winning streak. Chattooga had allowed just 33 points in its first five games. Gordon Lee and Chattooga are 2-1 in Region 7-A Division I, a game behind Fannin County and Christian Heritage.

Worth noting: Seminole County, a 14-point underdog, ended an eight-game winless streak against Early County when it beat the Bobcats 28-12. Early County had been 7-0-1 against Seminole since losing in 2013 and leads the series 32-12-1. … Upson-Lee beat three-point favorite Mary Persons 22-20 in three overtimes for its first victory in the 11-game history of the series. The teams have met as region rivals each year since 2014, with the previous closest game a 22-17 Mary Persons win in 2020.

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