AAAAAA basketball blog: Quick hitters on Maxwell Ratings, Wheeler, P’Ridge,...
Borrowing from my colleague Chip Towers on the UGA beat, here’s 10@10, Class AAAAAA basketball style – 1. The Maxwell Ratings, which were a regular feature during the football season, were published...
View ArticleAAAAAA basketball blog: Girls ratings, big game for Langston Hughes, North...
Friday’s edition of 10@10 … Looks like it was closer to 10 at 11, but read on - 1. The computer Maxwell Ratings for girls were published late Thursday, and North Gwinnett is at the top of AAAAAA and...
View ArticleAAAAAA basketball blog: 10@10 discusses Morrow forfeits, region tourneys, more
Here’s my 10@10 for Tuesday. Just some random observations and information about basketball in the highest classification. 1. As reported this morning, Morrow has forfeited two games in what Creswell...
View ArticleAAAAAA basketball blog: Region tournament schedules
Schedules for region tournaments in all classes will be posted Sunday on AJC.com. Meanwhile, until seeds are set, here are the schedules for Class AAAAAA. Seeds won’t be determined officially until...
View ArticleAAAAAA first-round state-playoff matchups
Here is the Class AAAAAA state basketball playoff draw. It’s unofficial. On Sunday afternoon, AJC.com will post first-round matchups in all classifications. This is a sneak preview in the highest...
View ArticleAAAAAA odds: Maxwell pegs Tift, North Gwinnett as favorites
Here are the Maxwell Ratings’ computer-generated odds of winning the state championship for each of the 64 Class AAAAAA boys and girls playoff teams. The odds are based on team strength, but also the...
View ArticleBoys quarterfinal primer: No. 1 Tift vs. No. 2 North Cobb … Columbia-Marist...
Here is a class-by-class look at the boys quarterfinals. For a rundown on the girls semifinals, go here. AAAAAA – Tift County had to turn 400 fans away Saturday for its 100-81 victory over Westlake....
View Article2013 football schedules: 10 best ‘new’ games
The Georgia High School Association published the 2013 football schedules this week. Football schedules during odd years (ie, 2013) generally feature the same opponents as the previous season because...
View ArticleAAAAAA blog: Norcross takes national spotlight in opener
It’s been 21 years since a Georgia team won one of those mythical national championships. That was Valdosta in 1992, winners of that title from the National Sports News Service and the National Prep...
View ArticleAAAAAA blog: What are your 5 questions for the ‘13 season?
Question of the day for the blog – What are the five most interesting things about the season ahead in Class AAAAAA? Here are my answers, or questions, as it were: - Will Norcross make a run at a...
View ArticleColquitt County new No. 1 in Class AAAAAA
Two defending state champions and seven other Top 10 teams lost their opening games last week, making for lots of changes in the high school football rankings. Norcross, ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAAA,...
View ArticleGeorgia pride: Can Colquitt atone for Norcross in Hoover game?
As Norcross picks up the pieces from its 55-0 loss to Booker T. Washington, the new No. 1-ranked team in Class AAAAAA, Colquitt County, puts Georgia back in the national spotlight on Friday with a game...
View ArticleBig tests this week for Colquitt, North Gwinnett, McEachern, Lassiter
Here’s what to look for this weekend in Class AAAAAA – - The new No. 1-ranked team, Colquitt County, gets its shot on a national stage Friday when the Packers play Hoover, the defending Class 6A...
View ArticleBig winners Friday: North, McEachern, Marietta, Robby Pruitt
Gainesville’s state championship in 2012 removed an unwelcome title for the Red Elephants. They had won more GHSA region titles (27) without a state title than any other program. Now that distinction...
View ArticleWhy is AAAAAA so hard to predict?
Georgia’s highest classification is as competitive and as unpredictable as it has been at any time in history. Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in...
View ArticleFive things to watch this weekend: Colquitt-Lovejoy is headliner
Five things to watch in Class AAAAAA this weekend – Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.- No. 2 Lovejoy plays at No. 4 Colquitt...
View ArticleColquitt, Lovejoy play a classic; Lowndes plays a dud
No. 4 Colquitt County beat No. 2 Lovejoy in the Class AAAAAA game of the week, but the winner probably meant less than the game itself, the best of the young season. Colquitt defended a fourth-and-goal...
View ArticleFive things to watch this week: North Gwinnett depends #1 ranking
No. 1-ranked North Gwinnett plays at defending champion Norcross on Friday in Class AAAAAA’s spotlight game. Each has won three Region 7 titles since 2006, when Bob Sphire came to North Gwinnett. The...
View ArticleTopics from Friday: North Gwinnett power … Norcross outage … 87-0? … Archer &...
North Gwinnett became the first No. 1 team in Class AAAAAA to defend it ranking successfully this season with its 36-17 victory over Norcross. The Bulldogs trailed 14-0 on the road but dominated most...
View ArticleLowndes? Brookwood? Who won’t make the playoffs?
This week’s Top 10 in Class AAAAAA features an odd fact – There are four teams from Region 1 present, but none of them is Lowndes, the program that has won five of the past Region 1 titles, not to...
View ArticleFive intriguing games this week in AAAAAA
Here are the five games this week in AAAAAA that are most intriguing, IMHO - - Peachtree Ridge at Mill Creek: Both are 3-0 and ranked in the Top 10 but could use a signature victory to make their case...
View ArticleLearned from Friday: From P’Ridge to upside-down Region 8
Topics of discussion this a.m. — Peachtree Ridge, Lovejoy, Coffee, McEachern, Alpharetta, and the wild west that is Region. 8. First, Peachtree Ridge. It’s been four years since the Ridge won a playoff...
View ArticleTrending: Winless on Five Forks Trickum … Binocular Night at Martin Stadium …...
A decade ago, Brookwood versus Parkview (aka the Battle of Five Forks Trickum) was metro Atlanta’s best football rivalry. Parkview was a reigning state champion. Brookwood was the runner-up. Brookwood...
View ArticleTift puts new wrinkle in Region 1 … Archer, Alpharetta take control …...
Many consider 1-AAAAAA the state’s toughest region. It was the most entertaining Friday night. Third-ranked Colquitt County (4-1, 1-0) overwhelmed Lowndes 37-7. Lowndes (3-2, 0-1) has missed the...
View ArticleUnbeaten, unranked: Etowah, Collins Hill get their shot
Collins Hill and Etowah are the only undefeated teams that aren’t ranked in Class AAAAAA. They’ll get their chance Friday when each plays a Top 10 team. Collins (4-0) is at home against No. 5 Peachtree...
View ArticleAAAAAA blog: Collins Hill, Etowah prove worthy … McEachern, Colquitt, Camden...
Etowah and Collins Hill, the only unbeaten but unranked teams in Class AAAAAA, made stirring cases for themselves Friday, each beating undefeated Top 10 teams. Collins Hill defeated No. 5 Peachtree...
View ArticleNo respect: Would Etowah, Alpharetta, Hughes make playoffs from Region 1 or 7?
Etowah and Region 5-AAAAAA got a vote of no confidence (or slap in the face, as one reader called it) when the Eagles were not ranked in the Top 10 this week after beating Milton, which had been ranked...
View ArticleThat’s my boy: Coaches’ sons in spotlight in North Cobb-Hillgrove game
North Cobb plays at Hillgrove on Friday in game that should determine the main challenger to second-ranked McEachern in Region 4-AAAAAA There’s also a neat side story. Both head coaches have sons who...
View ArticleMeadowcreek ends 53-game losing streak … North Gwinnett needs 50 … Lowndes...
The longest losing streak in Georgia high school football is over. Meadowcreek, a Gwinnett County school with a 1-94 record over the past 10 seasons, defeated Habersham Central 21-14 on Friday on...
View ArticleWho can win it? North Gwinnett, Colquitt, Norcross look title-worthy
We’re about two months in, and I can see several potential state champions. Hope you’ll answer today’s poll: Which teams do you believe can win the state title this season? You can vote for as many...
View ArticleMcEachern looks to reaffirm itself in Region 4 … Region 1 teams in must-win...
McEachern won Region 4-AAAAA last year only to lose in the first round of the playoffs while also-ran North Cobb made it to the semifinals. Now 7-0 and ranked No. 2 in the new season, the Indians will...
View ArticleNorth Cobb makes good on preseason promise … Region 8 gets whackier …...
North Cobb had high hopes for the season after a run to the semifinals in 2012, but a game-two loss to Walton sent the Warriors packing from the Class AAAAAA Top 10. North Cobb redeemed itself in full...
View ArticleAAAAAA: North Gwinnett, Colquitt, Norcross brace for key home games Friday
Friday might bring the best night of games until the playoffs in Class AAAAAA. No. 1 North Gwinnett, No. 2 Colquitt County and defending champion Norcross all play home games on Friday against current...
View ArticleLooking for a new No. 1: Collins Hill upends North Gwinnett
North Gwinnett escaped with its No. 1 ranking a couple of weeks ago when it won a game against Mill Creek 50-47 after trailing by 21 in the fourth quarter. On Friday, the Bulldogs were out of...
View ArticleWhat to watch Friday: North Cobb, Alpharetta close in on region titles
North Cobb and Alpharetta can clinch region tiles with victories on Friday. In Region 4, North Cobb (7-1, 6-0) and junior quarterback Tyler Queen (1,530 yards passing) are at home against Marietta...
View ArticleMarietta scores an upset; Camden, Colquitt set up showdown
Marietta scored the upset of the night in Class AAAAAA on Friday with a victory over eighth-ranked North Cobb. The Blue Devils’ Ian Shannon kicked a 49-yard field with 2 seconds left to win it 24-21....
View ArticleIt could be penthouse or outhouse for Etowah in Region 5
Perhaps no team in Georgia has more at stake on Friday than Etowah. The Eagles (7-2, 4-2) will win Region 5-AAAAAA if they defeat Lassiter (6-3, 5-1), but they will drop to fifth place – and out of the...
View ArticleAAAAAA draw: Norcross wins coin toss for No. 1 seed; No. 3 North Gwinnett...
It took some luck, but Norcross is the No. 1 seed out of Region 7-AAAAAA for the state playoffs. The Blue Devils won a rare three-team coin toss Friday night after all the regular-season games were...
View ArticlePoll Talk: Who’s No. 1 in AAAAAA? My guess (North Gwinnett) is as good as yours
One poster on our Friday Night Chat called the task of ranking Class AAAAAA a Gordian Knot. Good call. So who’s No. 1? North Gwinnett. Albeit the No. 3 seed from Region 7. Here’s the logic - Looking at...
View ArticleBasketball time? Six boys teams to watch in AAAAAA
My fellow PrepZone bloggers are providing previews of the top girls basketball teams in their classifications. I must’ve misread the memo because I’ve got nothing but boys this week. Ladies first?...
View ArticleWhich regions will sweep? Many are counting on Region 7
Lassiter was 10-0 and ranked No. 1 last season when beaten in the first round by Brookwood. A year later, Lassiter is a region champion again, but this time it would be a surprise to many if Lassiter...
View ArticleRegion 7, Lovejoy WR Williams put on a show
Region 7-AAAAAA was all it was cracked up to be. Maybe more. The region with three Top 10 teams swept Region 6 in the first round on Friday, and the games were not close. It was fifth-ranked Norcross...
View ArticleMcEachern girls basketball team reminiscent of 33-0 juggernaut
Two years ago, McEachern’s girls basketball team was 33-0, and six of its players were committed to Division 1 schools at the time. It was one of the state’s best and perhaps most under-appreciated...
View ArticleTop 10 will have several casualties this week
Every Top 10 team in Class AAAAAA survived the first round, but at least three will be eliminated Friday as the playoff bracket has conspired to produce some second-round blockbusters. Those would be -...
View ArticleOnly one No. 1 seed makes AAAAAA quarterfinals
The state playoffs are only two rounds old, but seven No. 1 seeds are gone in Class AAAAAA. The lone survivor is Norcross, a 32-9 winner over Brookwood. Norcross, the defending state champion, is the...
View ArticlePowder Springs rivals McEachern, Hillgrove try to break traditon
The town of Powder Springs is the only thing standing in the way of tradition in Class AAAAAA. Since 1996, the highest classification has been won by teams from Gwinnett County or South Georgia’s...
View ArticlePowder Springs-Suwanee rivalry brings excitement: We want more
The cities of Powder Springs and Suwanee faced off in two of the state’s best football games in the quarterfinals. They split 1-1, each scoring the winning points in the final two minutes. They’ll go...
View ArticleNorth Gwinnett, McEachern beat history as No. 3 seeds
It’s rare for a No. 3 seed to make the championship game in the highest classification, but it’s a guarantee this season as North Gwinnett and McEachern – teams that were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 at one...
View ArticleGwinnett County assured of 10th state title in 18 seasons
Gwinnett County will win its 10th state championship in the highest classification in 18 seasons next Saturday at the Georgia Dome. What’s unusual this time is that the result is known in advance....
View ArticleWing T era over? Sphire thinks maybe; Herron says no
Teams with Wing T offenses have won Georgia’s highest classification seven of the past 10 years. North Gwinnett head coach Bob Sphire said this week that you might not see another one. Prince Avenue...
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