Saye It Ain’t So: Surprising and notable results from Week 8
Ranking the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:
1. Worth County 28, Thomasville 27: Worth County, projected as a 21-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings, pulled off the upset of the week when it beat then-No. 3 Thomasville in a Region 1-A Division I game. The victory was Worth’s first against Thomasville since 1995, ending a six-game losing streak in the series. Thomasville fell a half-game behind Fitzgerald at the top of the region standings.
2. Harrison 28, McEachern 12: Harrison, a 14-point underdog, ended a 10-game losing streak against McEachern when it beat the Indians for the first time since 2007. McEachern’s loss left Harrison and Hillgrove as the only remaining unbeaten teams in Region 3-6A play. Harrison, under first-year head coach Luqman Salam, likely will win its first region title since its 2019 state championship season if the Hoyas beat Hillgrove on Oct. 25.
3. Stephenson 41, Cedar Grove 28: Stephenson boosted its playoff prospects with a victory over eight-point favorite Cedar Grove in a Region 5-3A game. The loss dropped Cedar Grove to 1-5, its worst start since 2003. Last year, however, the Saints started 2-5 before closing with eight consecutive wins and earning their fifth state championship in eight seasons. Stephenson is tied for third place in the region, and Cedar Grove is tied for fifth.
4. Chamblee 23, Lakeside (Atlanta) 21: Chamblee, a 21-point underdog, picked up its first victory of the season and knocked Lakeside out of a tie with Woodward Academy and Decatur for first place in Region 4-5A. Lakeside had won four straight games since starting the season 0-2. This was Chamblee’s 10th consecutive victory in a series that it now leads 12-11.
5. Eagle’s Landing Christian 14, Eagle’s Landing 7: ELCA avoided its first 0-6 start since 2014 when it defeated 16-point favorite Eagle’s Landing, which is just three miles away in Henry County. ELCA is playing in Class 4A for the first time this season after spending almost all of its first 30 seasons in 2A and A. Eagle’s Landing is in sixth place and ELCA is tied for eighth in 10-team Region 2-4A.
Worth noting: Morrow, which had allowed 34 points per game during a four-game losing streak, shut down 14-point favorite Northgate for a 7-3 victory in a Region 3-5A game. This was the first region win of the year for the Mustangs, who are tied for fifth place in the eight-team region. … North Atlanta is the only remaining unbeaten team in Region 6-6A play after a 24-21 victory over nine-point favorite Lambert. North Atlanta, which opened in 1991, is seeking its first region championship. Lambert fell into a tie for second place with West Forsyth and Denmark, which both play North Atlanta in the last two weeks of the regular season. … Wheeler beat 10-point favorite Cherokee 28-27 in a Region 5-6A game for its second consecutive victory after an 0-5 start. Cherokee, which suffered its first region loss, fell into a tie with Walton and Wheeler for second place behind North Cobb.