Quarterbacks Sire Hardaway of Douglas County, Seth Murray of North Murray and Taeo Todd of Troup pile up the yardage in Week 2, while Lamar County’s C.J. Allen and Oconee County’s Whit Weeks make an impact all over the field in their teams’ victories.

Fitzgerald, the defending Class 2A champion, is back to No. 1 in the high school football rankings. The spot opened when previous No. 1 Eagle’s Landing Christian lost 37-14 to No. 5 Blessed Trinity of Class 6A on Friday. ELCA is now No. 2 in 2A. Benedictine, the No. 1 Class 4A team, also lost but kept its position. The Cadets were beaten 41-15 by Christopher Columbus, a state power out of Miami. There was little change otherwise in the rankings.

Loren Maxwell’s computer algorithm ranks teams, regions and classifications. It also predicts games, scores, region finishes and state playoffs. For those looking even deeper, the Maxwell Ratings can evaluate reclassification. Here are five observations based on Maxwell’s ranking of classes and teams

GHSF Daily previews 10 of the most intriguing games each week throughout the season. The Week 2 headliners include Woodward Academy going on the road to face a three-defending Tennessee state champion, Robert Edwards making his coaching debut at his alma mater, and two private-school powers meeting in Roswell.

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.

Georgia high school football returns tonight with the first two of nearly 200 season openers. Games this week between top-10 teams include Lee County at Warner Robins, Mill Creek vs. Walton, North Oconee at Oconee County, Irwin County at Fitzgerald, Woodward Academy at Trinity Christian and Thomasville at Brooks County.

Valdosta defensive end Gabriel Harris, who committed to Georgia in April, is ineligible for his senior season, pending an appeal. The Georgia High School Association denied the senior’s hardship request Tuesday, and Valdosta submitted an appeal Wednesday morning.

Kirk Warner, a former Georgia tight end and the football coach at Liberty County in south Georgia since 2002, died of cancer Thursday. Warner was the high school coach of NFL players Raekwon McMillan, an All-American at Ohio State, and Richard LeCounte, a star safety at Georgia.