Carver of Columbus is the new No. 1 football team in Class 2A, marking the first time the Tigers are atop the AJC rankings since current Georgia State head coach Dell McGee was the Tigers’ coach in 2010. Carver didn’t play last weekend but got the promotion when previous No. 1 Appling County lost to Fitzgerald 21-16.

Chattooga’s Zayden Cook clinched the regular-season rushing title last week with a 302-yard final effort, and Morgan County’s Jaylen Elder appears safe as the regular-season receiving leader with 1,349 yards. The passing leader, Antwann Hill of Houston County, has completed his regular season and faces a final challenge Friday night.

It’s makeup week in Georgia high school football. Forty-eight games Friday and Saturday will close out the regular season. The GHSA hopes to have playoff draws posted by 8 p.m. Saturday. This week wasn’t on the original schedule, but the GHSA added it to accommodate dozens of games still un-played from Hurricane Helene storm damage.

Stockbridge, the 2023 Class 4A football runner-up and a recently crowned region champion that was on a nine-game winning streak, was forced to forfeit its nine victories Tuesday for using an ineligible player. GHSA executive director Tim Scott confirmed the penalty and told GHSF Daily that Stockbridge self-reported the violation.

Brookwood’s Brayden Tyson rushed for 299 yards in a victory over Norcross last week and now has 2,123, believed to be second-highest regular-season total ever in the GHSA’s highest classification. Other outstanding performances in Week 12 were turned in by Lee County QB Weston Bryan, Newton RB Zion Johnson and Warner Robins DB/WR Rasean Dinkins.

Carrollton, Milton, Marist and Savannah Christian completed undefeated regular seasons last week and stand No. 1 in the football rankings with a limited final week ahead. It’s more complicated in Class 2A, where two-loss Appling County moved to No. 1 from No. 9 after a 13-6 victory over previous No. 1 Pierce County, ending Pierce’s 19-game winning streak.

Brookwood has won five straight games and put itself in position to earn the No. 2 seed out of Region 7-6A tonight if the Broncos (6-3, 5-1) can beat Norcross (7-2, 5-1) in a road game. Brookwood is putting its fate and the ball in the hands of a sophomore running back, Brayden Tyson, who rushed for 290 yards and three touchdowns in a 43-36 victory over Duluth last week.

Region titles will be up for grabs in games across the state in Week 12, and one of those will match two No. 1-ranked teams fighting for the championship in Region 3-A Division I. Toombs County is No. 1 in Class A Division I, while Savannah Christian is the top-ranked team in the Class 3A-A private division.