Carrollton needed an impressive victory to hold its No. 1 ranking in Class 6A this week. The Trojans got it. Their 45-15 win against Gainesville, then the second-ranked team in Class 5A, was enough to shield it from surging Buford, which dominated previous-No. 3 Douglas County of Class 6A 31-14.

Buford and Douglas County didn’t move up in the football rankings this week, but each had a big win that could set up either for a promotion if successful in their next game – which is against each other. Buford, the No. 2 team in Class 6A and the preseason No. 1, defeated No. 7 Roswell of Class 5A 52-17. Douglas County, ranked No. 3, beat No. 6 Hughes of 5A 21-14.

North Gwinnett’s victory at Colquitt County has the Bulldogs ranked No. 4 in Class 6A this week ahead of a showdown with No. 5 Mill Creek. North Gwinnett defeated the Packers 14-3 while nearly ending two remarkable Colquitt County streaks. Colquitt hasn’t been shut out since 2008 nor been ranked outside the top 10 since 2016. Colquitt is ranked No. 10 this week.

Carrollton and Savannah Christian are new No. 1 teams in the high school football rankings, replacing Buford and Prince Avenue. Buford, the previous No. 1 in Class 6A, fell a notch despite beating Benedictine 29-28 with last-minute heroics. Benedictine is the No. 4 team in Class 4A. Buford lost its opener to Class 5A’s No. 1 team, Milton, 13-10.

Four No. 1-ranked teams lost in Week 1 of the 2024 season, but two of the team - Class 6A Buford and Class A Division II Bowdon - held on to the top spots. New at No. 1 are Marist, which replaced Benedictine at the top of 4A, and Sandy Creek, which moved to the top of 3A after a loss by Jefferson.