Milton defeated Buford in a battle of nationally ranked teams; Carrollton won an ESPN-televised game against Woodward Academy, and three No. 1 teams and 23 others in the top 10 rankings lost on the opening Friday night of the Georgia high school football season.
Rain was a big story, too, especially in North Georgia, as several games were delayed, suspended or pushed to Saturday.
Buford was one of those No. 1 teams to go down, although it wasn’t a serious upset. Milton, which won 13-10, never trailed in a rain-delayed game that ended at midnight, was the 2023 Class 7A champion.
Milton is now in 5A, and Buford opened atop the 6A rankings. Milton is in the top 10 of six national rankings; Buford is in the top 25 of seven.
AJC Super 11 quarterback Luke Nickel was 13-of-20 passing for 167 yards, and Super 11 receiver C.J. Wiley had seven catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Also losing as No. 1 teams Friday were Jefferson of Class 3A and Bowdon of Class A Division II, both falling to ranked teams from higher classes. Marist, the No. 3 team in Class 4A, beat Jefferson 23-7, and Fellowship Christian, ranked No. 4 in the Class 3A-A private rankings, beat Bowdon 36-35.
Carrollton, the No. 2 team in 6A, defeated Woodward Academy, Class 3A’s No. 3 team, 24-14. Julian Lewis, a five-star quarterback committed to Southern Cal, was 9-of-15 passing for 126 yards and three touchdowns.
Of the 24 ranked teams that lost, 16 fell to higher-class or higher-ranked teams, so most were not huge surprises.
Among the night’s bigger upsets was Eastside’s 26-15 victory against No. 10 Newton of Class 6A. Eastside, a 4A team, had lost five consecutive to its Newton County rival and was a 14-point underdog, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings.
In Class A Division II, an even bigger underdog, Seminole County, beat No. 5 Schley County 32-14. Schley County, featuring Super 11 pick Zayden Walker, was favored by 29.
In other notable games, No. 6 Hughes of 5A beat No. 9 Westlake of 6A 52-21 in a south Fulton County rivalry; unranked Athens Academy beat No. 9 Aquinas in Class 3A-A private 45-22; and No. 7 Dublin beat No. 3 Swainsboro 41-21 in A Division I.
Among the many games postponed was Cass vs. Callaway in Rome as part of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic. It will be played, but not televised, at Callaway on Saturday.
Top-10 teams losing opening games:
Class 6A
No. 1 Buford lost to Milton 13-10
No. 9 Westlake lost to Hughes 52-21
No. 10 Newton lost to Eastside 26-15
Class 5A
No. 3 Woodward Academy lost to Carrollton 24-14
No. 9 Warner Robins lost to Lee County 45-28
Class 4A
No. 1 Jefferson lost to Marist 23-7
No. 3 LaGrange lost to Douglass 18-3 (Thursday)
No. 5 Bainbridge lost to Coffee 59-6
Class 3A
No. 4 Calhoun lost to Creekview 17-7
No. 7 Lumpkin County lost to Cherokee Bluff 31-20
Class 2A
No. 2 Appling County lost to Ware County 40-10
No. 8 Thomson lost to Evans 35-28
Class A Division I
No. 2 Commerce lost to Wesleyan 42-21
No. 3 Swainsboro lost to Dublin 41-21
No. 4 Fitzgerald lost to Irwin County 19-13
No. 8 Northeast lost to Peach County 40-21
No. 9 Elbert County lost to Hart County 17-7
Class A Division II
No. 1 Bowdon lost to Fellowship Christian 36-35
No. 2 Brooks County lost to Thomasville 35-12
No. 3 Manchester lost to Harris County 16-8
No. 5 Schley County lost to Seminole County 32-14
No. 10 Telfair County lost to Lamar County 24-8
Class 3A-A private
No. 5 Trinity Christian lost to Ola 35-3
No. 7 Greater Atlanta Christian lost to Newnan 20-3
No. 9 Aquinas lost to Athens Academy 45-22
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