National Rankings: Milton finishes as top Georgia team in five of eight polls
Milton, Thomas County Central and Mill Creek finished as the top Georgia teams in the final 2023 national high school football rankings, which were released last week.
Milton, which defeated Walton 31-21 in the Class 7A final to win its second state title in six years, was the state’s highest-rated team in five of the eight widely recognized polls that were tracked by Georgia High School Football Daily, with a high of No. 11 in the MaxPreps rankings. Others that had Milton as Georgia’s top team were USA Today (No. 14 nationally), High School Football America (No. 18), NationalHSFB.com (No. 19) and Blue Star Media (No. 21).
The Eagles finished in the top 25 in seven of the eight polls. Milton was projected as an eight-point underdog in the championship game against Walton, which had been Georgia’s highest-ranked team heading into the finals.
Class 6A champion Thomas County Central was the top-rated Georgia in two polls, ranked No. 17 by CalPreps and No. 19 by the Massey Ratings. The Yellow Jackets defeated Woodward Academy 49-28 in the championship game to claim their sixth state title and first since 1997.
Defending Class 7A champion Mill Creek was the top Georgia team in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated poll with a No. 14 ranking. The Hawks finished ahead of two other Georgia teams in the top 25, No. 18 Colquitt County and No. 22 Milton. Mill Creek went 12-1, losing to Camden County 39-20 in the quarterfinals.
Listed below are all the Georgia teams ranked in the eight polls.
(Top 100)
17. Thomas County Central
21. Milton
22. Colquitt County
25. Walton
36. Coffee
45. Carrollton
55. Mill Creek
56. Grayson
67. Rome
70. Camden County
78. Marist
89. Buford
97. Woodward Academy
99. Douglas County
(Top 25)
14. Milton
(Top 100)
11. Milton
18. Walton
29. Colquitt County
33. Carrollton
35. Thomas County Central
38. Camden County
41. Mill Creek
44. Grayson
45. Buford
66. Woodward Academy
67. Gainesville
72. Douglas County
80. Rome
83. Coffee
(Top 100)
19. Thomas County Central
23. Colquitt County
24. Walton
29. Coffee
33. Buford
36. Milton
39. Mill Creek
43. Carrollton
58. Grayson
63. Rome
(Top 100)
18. Milton
27. Walton
47. Mill Creek
49. Buford
50. Colquitt County
65. Carrollton
79. Grayson
86. Thomas County Central
89. Coffee
92. Creekside
97. Rome
99. Gainesville
(Top 25)
14. Mill Creek
18. Colquitt County
22. Milton
(Top 25)
19. Milton
23. Thomas County Central
(Top 25)
21. Milton
22. Walton
24. Colquitt County