Improvement Tracker: Four one-win teams in 2021 now sitting at 1-0

Osborne, Morrow, East Hall and Trinity Christian of Dublin won just one game apiece last season. Now, they’re all 1-0, and each is the most improved team in its classification so far, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings.

Their teams and their coaches are atop GHSF Daily’s Improvement Tracker, which will culminate in awards presented in January to the head coaches of the most improved winning teams.

Also best in class after one week are Coffee, Lumpkin County, Butler, St. Francis, Greene County and Trinity Christian of Dublin.

It’s early, of course. To finish first, teams must have winning records and make the playoffs. That won’t be easy for most teams currently on top, but their good starts are noteworthy.

It’s hard to argue with the progress of Osborne and the staff of second-year coach Luqman Salam. A Class 7A school in Marietta with only four victories total since 2016, Osborne opened with a 46-7 victory over Woodstock, a 26-point favorite, per Maxwell.

Morrow and coach Jerome Weaks are on top in 6A. Morrow defeated Forest Park 50-19 last week after losing to the same opponent 36-17 in 2021.

East Hall beat West Hall 19-14, avenging a 48-21 defeat from last season.

Included in the Improvement Tracker this year will be Georgia Independent Athletic Association teams and coaches. The GIAA leader is Trinity Christian of Dublin and coach Jed Marsh. Trinity was 1-9 last season but opened with a 41-40 double-overtime victory over Piedmont Academy, the 2021 Class 2A runner-up.

The 2021 winners were Lenny Gregory of Collins Hill, John Ford of Effingham County, John Hunt of Woodward Academy, Carl Kearney of Spalding, Robert Akins of Ringgold, Scott Roberts of Swainsboro, Kenny Dallas of Trinity Christian and Lee Coleman of GMC Prep.

GHSF Daily has tweaked the formula this season to include more than just the previous season to measure improvement. It will be based on historical and current Maxwell Ratings and remains purely objective.

Class 7A

+15.63 - Osborne (Luqman Salam)

+13.84 - Parkview (Eric Godfree)

+11.70 - North Paulding (Don Stark)

+10.51 - North Gwinnett (Bill Stewart)

+9.56 - Meadowcreek (Todd Wofford)

Class 6A

+13.54 - Morrow (Jerome Weaks)

+12.66 - Lee County (Dean Fabrizio)

+11.81 - Lakeside-Atlanta (Morris Starr)

+10.94 - Gainesville (Josh Niblett)

+10.86 - Thomas County Central (Justin Rogers)

Class 5A

+10.97 - Coffee (Mike Coe)

+10.58 - Heritage-Conyers (Ryan Andrews)

+10.14 - Loganville (Brad Smith)

+9.75 - McIntosh (Derek Smith)

+9.20 - Dalton (Kit Carpenter)

Class 4A

+13.97 - East Hall (Matt Turner)

+12.96 - Southeast Whitfield (Todd Murray)

+12.48 - Shaw (Blair Harrison)

+10.76 - Stockbridge (Thomas Clark)

+10.50 - Troup (Tanner Glisson)

Class 3A

+15.80 - Lumpkin County (Heath Webb)

+11.77 - Hebron Christian (Jonathan Gess)

+9.91 - Liberty County (Tony Glazer)

+8.96 - Bremen (Davis Russell)

+8.58 - Savannah Country Day (John Mohring)

Class 2A

+21.33 - Butler (Myron Newton)

+16.04 - Spencer (Joe Kegler)

+15.55 - Gordon Central (T.J. Hamilton)

+12.47 - Columbia (Greg Barnett)

+12.02 - Union County (Michael Perry)

Class A Division I

+11.74 - St. Francis (Frank Barden)

+10.58 - Mount Pisgah Christian (Ryan Livezey)

+10.46 - Elbert County (Shannon Jarvis)

+8.52 - Brooks County (Maurice Freeman)

+6.82 - Temple (Cory Nix)

Class A Division II

+14.38 - Greene County (Terrance Banks)

+13.79 - Portal (Jason McEachin)

+10.64 - Hancock Central (Marleau Blount)

+8.64 - Aquinas (James Leonard)

+8.48 - Jenkins County (Charley Waters)

GIAA

+13.44 - Trinity Christian (Jed Marsh)

+12.87 - Southland Academy (Rod Murray)

+12.87 - Lakeview Academy (Lee Shaw)

+11.12 - Heritage-Newnan (Jake Copeland)

+10.19 - Deerfield-Windsor (Jake McCrae)

Note: GHSF Daily each week will rank the top five teams and their head coaches in each classification based on their improvement in the computer Maxwell Ratings from previous seasons, but with some exclusions. Only teams with winning records will be listed. In the end, each team and coach must also make the playoffs and improve playoff seeding or state playoff finish from the previous year to qualify. The objective is to recognize not only improvement but the challenge of making a struggling program relevant on the state level or taking a good program to the next level. After the season, GHSF Daily will present an award, sponsored by Hudl, to the nine coaches who lead their classifications. The recognition will take place at the GACA Falcons Luncheon on Jan. 31 in Macon.