Saye It Ain’t So: Surprising and notable results from Week 8
Ranking the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:
1. Hiram 44, Calhoun 34: Calhoun sits at the No. 1 spot in this space for the second straight week, but this time on the losing end. A week after upsetting 11-point favorite Cartersville, the Yellow Jackets were stunned by 42-point underdog Hiram in what was the biggest upset of the first eight weeks of the season, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings’ projections. Hiram, Calhoun, Cartersville and Cass are tied for second place in six-team Region 7-5A behind Dalton.
2. Monroe Area 41, Hebron Christian 7: A week after emerging as the team to beat in Region 8-3A with a victory over Oconee County, Hebron Christian fell back to the pack with a lopsided loss to five-point underdog Monroe Area. It was the first loss for first-year head coach Jonathan Gess since moving from Eagle’s Landing Christian to Hebron Christian, which was ranked a program-best No. 5 last week.
3. Dublin 31, Bleckley County 13: Dublin’s up-and-down season continued with a victory over 22-point favorite Bleckley County in the teams’ Region 2-A Division I opener. Bleckley County was ranked No. 4 last week. Dublin, which entered the rankings for the first time this season at No. 10, is 3-2 and has not won or lost consecutive games at any point this year.
4. Chamblee 15, Tucker 10: Chamblee ended an 11-game losing streak against Tucker, beating the Tigers for the first time since 1974 in a game that was considered a toss-up by the Maxwell Ratings. Chamblee played a non-region schedule in 2020 and 2021 after going 2-27 the previous three seasons, but the Bulldogs are 5-1 this year, tied for first place in Region 4-5A and seeking their first region title since 1982.
5. Glascock County 59, Twiggs County 52: Glascock County has played football from 1974-1979 and 1990 to the present, but the Panthers’ victory over 28-point underdog Twiggs County was their first ever in a region game. Glascock is playing a region schedule this year for just the fifth time, first since 1995, and had been 0-18 all-time in region games. The Panthers are 2-5 overall.
Worth noting: Chattahoochee ended a 13-game losing streak that was tied for the longest in school history by defeating 13-point favorite North Springs 29-10. It was North Springs’ first loss in Region 6-5A, but the Spartans’ 4-2 overall record remains their best after six games since 2017. … Early County, a 42-point favorite against Randolph-Clay, took care of business with a 46-6 victory and became the first team in the state this season to clinch a region championship. The top-ranked Bobcats (7-0) completed their six-game Region 1-A Division II schedule and will finish up with non-region games against Brooks County, Eufaula (Ala.) and Irwin County. The region title is Early’s first since 2003. … Lincoln County, a seven-point underdog, ended a two-game losing streak against rival Washington-Wilkes with a 41-14 win. The 27-point margin of victory was the largest by either team since Lincoln County won 35-8 in 2010. … Morrow, a 2-16 team over the past two seasons, improved to 4-3 and moved into a tie for second place in Region 3-6A with a 28-22 victory over 15-point favorite. Jonesboro, projected to be one of the top challengers to Woodward Academy in the region, lost its second consecutive game and fell into fifth place. … Tattnall County handed 21-point favorite Vidalia its first loss of the season and moved into a tie for second place in Region 3-2A with a 13-7 victory. Tattnall County is 2-1 in region play but concludes the regular season with games against the other three top teams in the league – Brantley County, Appling County and Pierce County.
