Three teams shake up region races with upsets in high school football Week 7

Here is our ranking of the most surprising and notable games of Georgia high school football week 7.

1. Hart County 31, Prince Avenue Christian 28: Hart County pulled off the biggest GHSA upset of the week, according to Maxwell Ratings, when it beat 24-point favorite Prince Avenue Christian in the teams’ Region 8-2A opener. Prince Avenue was ranked No. 2 in Class 3A-A Private last week. Hart County came into the game 1-4, although all of its losses came against higher-classification teams with winning records.

2. Wayne County 32, Warner Robins 10: Wayne County, an 18-point underdog, beat Warner Robins for the first time in five all-time tries in the teams’ Region 1-4A opener. Warner Robins’ 36-3 victory last year was the closest of the previous four meetings. Not including a forfeit victory against Appling County last season, it was Wayne County’s first win since beating Southeast Bulloch in the 2023 regular-season finale.

3. North Clayton 42, Stephenson 41: North Clayton reached the five-win mark for the first time since 2016 and remained undefeated in Region 5-3A with a victory over 14-point favorite Stephenson in a game that ended with Stephenson on the North Clayton 1-yard line. North Clayton went 1-5 in region play last year and lost to Stephenson 38-14. Also undefeated in 5-3A are North Clayton’s next opponent (Luella) and Maxwell’s projected region champion (Douglass).

4. Mount Zion (Jonesboro) 40, Cedar Grove 21: Much like North Clayton, Mount Zion scored a victory for Clayton County against DeKalb when it beat 13-point favorite Cedar Grove. Mount Zion is 2-1 in region play but faces the region’s three unbeaten teams in its final three games. Cedar Grove is 3-5 in region games over the past two seasons after going 48-5 the previous 10.

5. Dooly County 39, Montgomery County 6: Dooly County ended a 15-game losing streak that was the longest in school history with a victory over seven-point underdog Montgomery County in a Region 4-A Division II game. It was the Bobcats’ first win since beating Jenkins County in the second round of the 2023 playoffs. Montgomery County beat Dooly 36-24 in the 2024 season finale.

Clinch County defeated 13-point underdog Irwin County, as expected, but the 61-14 score equaled the most-lopsided game in the history of the series, which is tied 25-25-1. Clinch County’s 61 points are the most scored in a game by either team against each other.

Dougherty ended an eight-game losing streak in region games dating to 2023 with a 23-19 victory over 15-point favorite Monroe in the teams’ 1-3A opener. Dougherty had lost to Monroe twice during that losing streak, including 33-28 last year. Both teams are 2-4 overall.

East Laurens recorded what is likely the biggest victory of Jesse Hicks’ two-year tenure when it beat 14-point favorite ACE Charter 28-14 in a Region 2-A Division I game. East Laurens has matched last year’s region win total of two with four games remaining.

Emanuel County Institute, a two-point underdog, ended Metter’s 13-game winning streak in region games with a 34-6 victory in a 3-A Division II game. Metter had won the past seven meetings and leads the series 44-42-1. ECI is one of two remaining unbeaten teams (along with Screven County) in the nine-team region.

Lowndes and Valdosta are both 6-0 in the same season for the first time since 1996 with victories in their Region 1-6A openers. Lowndes defeated two-point favorite Colquitt County 31-14, and Valdosta beat Camden County 63-19 in a game that was projected as a toss-up.