Georgia high school football rankings have team No. 1 for first time since 1979

There is a new No. 1 team in Class A, and it’s been a long time coming for Johnson County, which most recently held a top ranking when Herschel Walker was in the Trojans’ backfield in 1979.

Johnson County improved to 4-0 after beating Wilcox County 57-0 last week.

Dropping to No. 2 was Lincoln County, which lost to undefeated Strom Thurmond, the reigning South Carolina Class 2A champion, 33-20. Lincoln County beat Strom Thurmond last season and was Georgia’s Class A Division II runner-up to Bowdon.

Lincoln County was the preseason No. 1 team but lost that ranking when beaten on Aug. 28 by Westside of Augusta, a 3A school with a 2-2 record. Lincoln County regained the top ranking two weeks ago when four-time champion Bowdon lost its second game.

Johnson County has not played a Top-10 team. The Trojans were 11-1 last season and lost to Brooks County 14-7 in the second round.

Johnson County reached the state semifinals as recently as 2022, and has played 18 games as the No. 2 team since 2000, but the school’s only state championship and time spent at No. 1 came in 1979, when Walker was the nation’s most celebrated recruit. He would sign with Georgia and win the Heisman Trophy.

Credit: Kenneth Walker / AJC file photo

Credit: Kenneth Walker / AJC file photo

Moving into the rankings this week are Colquitt County, Dalton, Woodland of Stockbridge, Northwest Whitfield, Columbia, Treutlen and Eagle’s Landing Christian.

Dalton was 3-8 last season and 0-10 the one before. Second-year coach Chris Prewett, formerly at Roswell, has the Catamounts 4-0.

Columbia moved to No. 7 in Class 3A after beating previous No. 5 Hapeville Charter 34-21. It was Columbia’s first victory over a Top-10 team since 2015 (Cedar Grove). Columbia is 2-2 but with losses to undefeated Carrollton and Tucker from higher classes.

Class 7A

(1) Buford (4-0)
(2) Carrollton (5-0)
(3) North Gwinnett (5-0)
(4) Newton (5-0)
(5) Valdosta (4-0)
(6) Lowndes (5-0)
(7) Brookwood (5-0)
(8) Westlake (5-0)
(9) North Cobb (3-1)
(NR) Colquitt County (3-2)

Out: No. 10 Marietta (3-2)

Class 6A

(1) Thomas County Central (4-0)
(2) Lee County (4-0)
(3) Coffee (4-0)
(4) Creekside (3-1)
(5) Milton (3-1)
(6) Gainesville (2-2)
(7) Roswell (3-1)
(8) Hughes (3-1)
(9) Jackson County (4-0)
(10) Sequoyah (4-1)

Class 5A

(1) Cartersville (4-0)
(2) Blessed Trinity (4-0)
(3) Marist (3-1)
(4) Benedictine (3-1)
(5) North Oconee (4-1)
(6) Tucker (4-0)
(7) Cass (5-0)
(9) Mays (4-0)
(10) Ola (4-1)
(NR) Dalton (4-0)

Out: No. 8 Lithonia (1-3)

Class 4A

(1) Sandy Creek (5-0)
(2) Troup (4-0)
(3) Peach County (4-0)
(4) Cairo (4-0)
(5) Monroe Area (5-0)
(6) Stephenson (3-1)
(7) Douglass (2-2)
(NR) Woodland (Stockbridge) (4-0)
(8) North Hall (2-2)
(NR) Northwest Whitfield (4-1)

Out: No. 9 Baldwin (3-1), No. 10 Spalding (3-1)

Class 3A

(1) Toombs County (4-0)
(2) Pierce County (4-0)
(3) Appling County (4-0)
(4) Hart County (5-0)
(7) Northeast (3-1)
(8) Lumpkin County (4-0)
(NR) Columbia (2-2)
(6) Worth County (2-2)
(9) Burke County (2-2)
(5) Hapeville Charter (1-3)

Out: No. 10 Thomson (1-3)

Class 2A

(1) Heard County (4-0)
(2) Fitzgerald (4-0)
(3) Bleckley County (4-0)
(4) Thomasville (3-1)
(5) Dublin (3-1)
(6) Bremen (4-0)
(7) Jeff Davis (4-0)
(8) Cook (2-2)
(9) Commerce (4-0)
(10) Swainsboro (1-3)

Class A

(2) Johnson County (4-0)
(1) Lincoln County (3-2)
(3) Clinch County (2-2)
(4) Taylor County (4-0)
(5) Macon County (4-0)
(6) Bowdon (2-3)
(NR) Treutlen (4-0)
(7) Randolph-Clay (4-0)
(9) Charlton County (3-1-1)
(10) Emanuel County Institute (2-3)

Out: No. 8 Montgomery County (3-1)

Class 4A-2A Private

(1) Prince Avenue Christian (3-0)
(2) Calvary Day (3-1)
(3) Holy Innocents’ (5-0)
(4) Greater Atlanta Christian (3-1)
(5) Lovett (4-0)
(6) Hebron Christian (1-3)
(7) Aquinas (3-1)
(8) Christian Heritage (4-0)
(9) Fellowship Christian (2-1)
(NR) Eagle’s Landing Christian (3-1)

Out: No. 10 Savannah Christian (1-3)

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