Friday football recap: Grayson survives; McEachern, Norcross earn high-class wins

Grayson barely beat Georgia’s secret national power Friday night, while unranked McEachern and Norcross defeated top-10 teams, Hebron Christian defended its Class 3A-A Private turf and Riverside Prep ended a 35-game losing steak

Grayson, the No. 1 Class 6A team and defending champion, defeated Rabun Gap-Nacoochee, a boarding school 3 miles from the North Carolina border, 24-19. It was a game between nationally ranked teams — one widely known, the other not.

Rabun Gap suddenly has become a program that churns out national prospects, many of them international students. The team competes in the North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association.

ExploreHow a small private school in far North Georgia has built a football power

The victory was Grayson’s 16th consecutive. The Rams defeated Collins Hill, ranked No. 5 at the time, 51-3. They are ranked in the top 100 of five national polls.

A couple of other top-10 Class 6A teams didn’t fare so well.

McEachern defeated No. 6 North Cobb 21-0 in a game between the two highest-rated Cobb County teams in the computer Maxwell Ratings. McEachern also was impressive in its opener the previous week when it beat another good Cobb team, Walton, 50-17.

ExploreSenior RB leads McEachern to another dominant win against a Cobb County power

Norcross beat No. 10 Mill Creek 45-28 in Gwinnett County. Norcross and new coach Corey Richardson, who replaced the retired Keith Maloof, are 2-0. Norcross had lost to Mill Creek eight of the past nine seasons.

Hebron Christian defeated Fellowship Christian 45-29 in a 3A-A Private rematch of the 2024 semifinals, which Hebron also won. Hebron Christian is ranked No. 2, Fellowship Christian No. 3.

Riverside Prep, a Gainesville military academy, beat Cross Keys of DeKalb County 36-6. Both entered with 35-game losing streaks. The victory was Riverside Prep’s first since 2021.

ExploreOne of Georgia high school football’s longest active losing streaks ends

In another notable game, Milton, the defending Class 5A champion, was in Florida and rallied in the second half to beat Orlando’s First Academy 24-17.

ExploreHe cut his teeth on Urban Meyer’s staff. Now, he’s making strides in Georgia.

Ware County, the No. 8 team in Class 4A, beat Class 5A’s No. 8 team, Coffee, 24-14.

Peach County, the No. 5 team in Class 3A, beat Class 4A’s No. 10 team, Perry, 27-6.

In Class A Division II, No. 1 Lincoln County beat No. 7 Jenkins County 37-6. Lincoln County got a No. 1 ranking last week for the first time since 2012.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to remove an incorrect outcome of the Thomasville-Pelham game.

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This week’s 10 best HS football games span from Rockmart to Ware County

Rabun Gap-Nacoochee and Grayson meet in Week 2 in a battle of nationally ranked teams. Grayson is No. 32 in the national rankings and Rabun Gap is 95th.

How a small private school in far North Georgia has built a football power

Coach Derek White dubbed the school one of the best kept secrets in the country. But its football team was definitely less of a secret after beating Benedictine last season.