Dramatic victory boosts Douglas Co.

Douglas County’s 30-27 victory over No. 2 Hughes last week was the Tigers’ first win over a No. 1- or No. 2-ranked team since 1988 (Southwest DeKalb), and it ended Hughes’ 17-game winning streak in Georgia. It also improved Douglas County to 5-0 and boosted the Tigers to the No. 4 ranking in Class 6A.

But besides that, it was just a great game. Hughes, the defending 6A champion, took a 27-23 lead with three minutes left on a touchdown pass from Ohio State-committed QB Air Noland, but Douglas County came back. Sire Hardaway’s 29-yard TD pass to James Johnson was the game-winner.

Douglas County is GHSF Daily’s Team of the Week. The award, sponsored by BSN Sports and Titan Electric, will be presented to the team at the school today.

Private-only playoffs back on table

Proposal would affect schools in classes 3A-A

The Georgia High School Association is discussing again a plan that would have private schools playing for their own state championships separate from public schools in classes 3A to A.

GHSA reclassification committee chairman Curt Miller, who pushed hard for a similar plan two years ago before compromising, made the motion to discuss the idea Tuesday in Thomaston at a GHSA reclass meeting.

This plan, proposed by Muscogee County Schools athletic director Jeff Battles, would have private schools in classes 3A to A competing for one private-only state championship in each sport while continuing to play in regular-season regions with public schools.

The committee tabled the motion until Sunday at the next reclass committee meeting, which precedes Monday’s executive committee meeting. The executive committee has the power to approve it.

In 2021, Miller, the athletic director at public school Oconee County, backed off his plan to keep private schools from competing against publics for championships in all classes. He and the reclass committee agreed instead to applying a 3.0 multiplier to out-of-zone enrollment in an effort to push private and city schools into higher classifications.

The multiplier effectively moved up several private and city schools, but it did not significantly curtail their success. The AJC and GHSF Daily were the first to research and report in June that private schools won 61 state titles in 2022-23 compared with 58 in the last season without the multiplier. City schools won 17 titles compared with 16 before the 3.0 multiplier.

The private schools did better because the GHSA abolished the Class A Private class, and those smaller private schools were dominant when freed to face public schools for championships for the first time in 10 years.

“The multiplier has zero impact on the success rate of private schools,” Miller said, according to the GHSA’s minutes of the meeting. “It is time to have a serious conversation about having different playoffs for private and public schools. I want them to be together during the regular season in regions to help with travel and scheduling but then split the playoffs.”

Committee member Kevin Petroski, the athletic director at private school Athens Academy, said a better solution would be a competitive-balance model that would classify private schools based on their track record in each sport and still allow them to face public schools. A competitive-balance model might move a private-school tennis team to the highest class but allow the same school’s football team to remain lower.

The reclass committee heard that idea two years ago but did not seriously consider it because of logistical and administrative concerns of having a school’s sports teams spread across several classes and regions. Several committee members did express an openness Tuesday to revisiting it, according to the minutes.

Having separate private-school playoffs in 3A-A would have a huge impact on who wins state titles.

In 2022-23, there were 78 state championships in classes 3A-A. Private schools won 39 of them despite the overwhelming majority of schools in those classes being public.

In one example, the girls basketball champions in 3A, 2A and A Division I were private schools Hebron Christian, Mount Paran Christian and St. Francis. Only one public school, Clinch County, was a winner. The new plan proposed by Battles would’ve had those three private teams playing against each other for one title, opening the door for three more public-school champions.

Only nine private schools play above Class 3A. Some of them, such as Westminster, Lovett and Pace Academy, could fall back into 3A or lower because of new rules defining out-of-zone students. The proposed 3A-A private division might involve all but a handful of the state’s private schools.

The larger private schools, such as Woodward Academy and Marist in Class 6A, responded better to the multiplier and were not as dominant the past academic year.

The reclass committee approved one proposal Tuesday that would limit the size of Class A Division II to the smallest 50 football-playing public schools and keep all private schools out of it. The vote went 15-2 with Petroski and Richard Ricketts, the athletic director at private school Prince Avenue Christian, voting against.

Midseason Player of the Year Watch

The regular season is halfway complete. Six weeks down, six weeks remaining.

Below is GHSF Daily’s midseason Player of the Year Watch.

It is not a ranking of the players’ seasons to date. Rather, it is a projection of the players’ long-term chances of being chosen for the all-class player-of-the-year award in December, when all the artificial grass has settled at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the GHSA finals.

This ranking favors the qualities that players of the year possess. That is, they’re more likely to be offensive players. They often play on championship teams. They often are highly rated recruits.

Here are the 10 with their best arguments and statistics to date.

1. K.J. Bolden, Buford: If No.1 Buford wins Class 7A, Bolden can be marketed as the best all-around player for the best team. He’s the state’s No. 1 home-grown recruit. That’s the formula that earned Mill Creek’s Josh Downs and Collins Hill’s Travis Hunter the award the past two seasons. Both were WR/DB types, as is Bolden. He has only seven receptions – but six for touchdowns. He’s second on the team in solo tackles with 15, and he leads the team with four pass breakups. Bolden, the consensus No. 9 recruit nationally, is committed to Florida State.

2. Sammy Brown, Jefferson: No one is having a better all-around season or a bigger impact on his team. In five games, Brown has rushed for 664 yards and 13 touchdowns on 83 carries (8.0 per carry). He has scored at least two touchdowns in every game. He has 32 solo tackles and five tackles for losses at linebacker, his projected college position. He’s even averaging 50.3 yards on 10 punts. Brown is a five-star recruit committed to Clemson and playing on a 5-0 team ranked No. 3 in Class 5A. Jefferson might need to win a state title to boost Brown to the top. The computer Maxwell Ratings give the Dragons a 16.1% chance.

3. Dylan Raiola, Buford: Unless you like Buford or Georgia, you won’t like to hear this. Raiola is a transfer with only five Georgia games under his belt, and his numbers are good but not eye-popping. He’s 66-of-95 passing (69.5%) for 1,026 yards and 10 touchdowns without an interception. But Buford is Class 7A’s No. 1 team, and  Raiola is the nation’s consensus No. 1 recruit. The Wolves have never won the highest classification, and they haven't finished undefeated since 2014, when they played in 4A. The table is set for Raiola to lead Buford to a historic season and prove he’s the nation’s best player.

4. Ju Ju Lewis, Carrollton: Lewis is the nation’s most famous and highest-rated sophomore player and a safe bet to remain in the conversation into December. He’s 71-of-103 passing for 990 yards and 14 touchdowns without an interception for a 4-1 team ranked No. 5 in Class 7A. He’s 325 yards short of where he was this time a year ago, but that’s easily fixed for a player who passed for 531 yards in the 2022 title game. It will be important for the Trojans to make another deep run, though. Lewis didn’t win player of the year after throwing for 4,118 yards and leading Carrollton to the 2022 finals, and a sophomore has never been the all-class player of the year.

5. Ny Carr, Colquitt County: Wide receivers win this award more than one might think. There’s been Travis Hunter and Jadon Haselwood recently and Da’Rick Rogers (2009 AJC) and Tavarres King (2007 Gatorade) going back some years. Carr plays only offense, but otherwise, he’s building a formidable case. He has 34 receptions for 589 yards and 10 touchdowns (at least one TD in every game) for a 5-0 team that is ranked No. 4 in Class 7A. Carr is a top-100 national recruit who this week decommitted from Georgia as his stock continues to rise.

6. Mike Matthews, Parkview: Matthews is another WR/DB like Bolden, Downs and Hunter. His team and his recruiting profile are just a little below those, but not much. Matthews is a top-25 national recruit projected to play wide receiver at Tennessee. Matthews plays almost every play for a 4-1 team ranked No. 8 in Class 7A. Parkview lost to No. 3 Mill Creek 30-20 last week, but that didn’t dampen the Panthers’ prospects much as a top state contender. Matthews has 15 receptions for 261 yards and two touchdowns. He has 17 solo tackles.

7. A.J. Hill, Houston County: For a junior to win it in Class 6A, it might require a state championship and/or a special statistical performance. Hill could deliver both. He’s 88-of-118 passing (74.6%) for 1,254 yards and 18 touchdowns with only one interception for a 5-0 team ranked No. 3 in 6A. Hill is a consensus top-100 national recruit and the consensus No. 4 quarterback prospect among juniors. He’s uncommitted.

8. Luke Kromenhoek, Benedictine: Kromenhoek is a Florida State-committed quarterback on a Class 4A team that likely will be favored to win each of its remaining games. Benedictine is 5-0 and ranked No. 1. Kromenhoek is 57-of-95 passing for 812 yards and 10 touchdowns with two interceptions and has rushed for 262 yards on 46 carries.

9. Aaron Philo, Prince Avenue Christian: Philo, a quarterback committed to Georgia Tech, is chasing Trevor Lawrence’s career passing state record. He’s 134-of-198 passing for 1,926 yards and 25 touchdowns with three interceptions this season. If he maintains his 2023 average of 321 yards per game through 15 games, he'll finish with 14,141, beating Lawrence’s mark with 239 yards to spare. The Maxwell ratings give Prince Avenue a 79.1% chance of repeating, the highest for a team in any class. That means Philo is probably the player most certain to be a finalist in player-of-the-year talk, but winning is another matter. Player of the year isn’t a career award, and Prince Avenue is a Class A Division I school. Granted, the last Class A player to win all-class player of the year was Brock Vandagriff, Philo's Prince Avenue predecessor.

10. Elliott Colson, Cedar Grove: Yes, the Saints have lost four games, but Colson is balling against some of the best teams in the country. Those include Colquitt County and Mill Creek, both in the national top 25. Cedar Grove’s schedule is rated the third-hardest overall in any class by the Maxwell Ratings. In six games, Colson is 92-of-147 passing (62.6%) for 1,283 yards and 18 touchdowns without an interception. He’s run for 405 yards and three touchdowns. His team is averaging 38.5 points per game. A junior, Colson is a top-400 national recruit committed to Central Florida.

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 also 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 Feb. 6 in Macon.

Class 7A

+28.38 - Newton (Josh Skelton)

+15.12 - Peachtree Ridge (Matt Helmerich)

+11.78 - Walton (Daniel Brunner)

+9.50 - Osborne (Luqman Salam)

+7.93 - Westlake (Rico Zackery)

Class 6A

+22.60 - Douglas County (Johnny White)

+18.01 - Thomas County Central (Justin Rogers)

+12.81 - Jonesboro (Timothy Floyd)

+11.24 - North Atlanta (Jamie Aull)

+10.05 - Lanier (Tyler Maloof)

Class 5A

+15.63 - Hiram (Pete Fominaya)

+14.38 - Ola (Tom Causey)

+12.28 - Northgate (Mike McDonald)

+9.38 - Arabia Mountain (Julian Washington)

+8.81 - McIntosh (Derek Smith)

Class 4A

+17.31 - Spalding (Carl Kearney)

+15.09 - North Hall (Sean Pender)

+14.38 - North Clayton (Cap Burnett)

+11.28 - Cairo (David Coleman)

+11.26 - Central-Carrollton (Umbrah Brown)

Class 3A

+13.08 - Lumpkin County (Heath Webb)

+10.14 - Morgan County (Clint Jenkins)

+9.78 - Calvary Day (Mark Stroud)

+9.41 - Mary Persons (Brian Nelson)

+8.82 - Douglass (Stanley Pritchett)

Class 2A

+16.76 - Providence Christian (John Russ)

+14.40 - Therrell (B.J. Jamison)

+6.29 - East Jackson (Cameron Pettus)

+6.12 - ACE Charter (Keith Hatcher)

+5.73 - Westside-Augusta (Lee Hutto)

Class A Division I

+12.06 - Bryan County (Cherard Freeman)

+3.94 - Commerce (Mark Hollars)

+2.78 - Mount Vernon (Wayne Dabbs)

+1.46 - Trion (Sean Patrick)

+1.12 - Jasper County (Ashley Henderson)

Class A Division II

+24.09 - Greene County (Terrance Banks)

+8.21 - Portal (Jacon McEachin)

+7.09 - Jenkins County (Charley Waters)

+6.32 - Macon County (Dexter Copeland)

+4.59 - Hawkinsville (Tim Suttles)

GIAA

+34.51 - Flint River Academy (Kirk Hoffman)

+11.54 - First Presbyterian (Brett Collier)

+6.74 - Southwest Georgia Academy (Kenny Morris)

+5.73 - Memorial Day (Tyler Helmly)

+5.32 - Edmund Burke Academy (Andy Woodard)

100 Greatest

GHSA Finals

No. 53: Cairo 37, Worth County 28 (1990 Class 3A)

Points scored

Here are the top 10 teams in points scored per game, by classification:

Class 7A

57.8 - Walton

44.4 - Colquitt County

43.7 - Carrollton

43.2 - Westlake

42.4 - Grayson

42.4 - Wheeler

41.2 - Parkview

40.8 - Peachtree Ridge

40.8 - Mill Creek

39.2 - Camden County

39.2 - Osborne

Class 6A

50.0 - Houston County

46.6 - Roswell

45.8 - North Atlanta

45.4 - Thomas County Central

42.6 - Rome

40.6 - Etowah

40.2 - Lee County

38.8 - Douglas County

38.4 - Gainesville

37.2 - Jonesboro

Class 5A

45.2 - Hiram

41.5 - Ola

39.8 - McIntosh

39.0 - Kell

37.8 - Dalton

37.6 - Jones County

36.0 - Greater Atlanta Christian

34.6 - Tucker

34.4 - Jefferson

33.8 - Northside (Columbus)

Class 4A

44.2 - Perry

41.5 - Westside (Macon)

39.8 - Stephenson

39.5 - North Oconee

38.8 - Stockbridge

38.6 - North Hall

37.4 - Central (Carrollton)

37.3 - East Forsyth

37.0 - Spalding

36.0 - Holy Innocents’

Class 3A

50.6 - Calvary Day

41.0 - Lumpkin County

38.5 - Cedar Grove

37.8 - Stephens County

37.6 - Long County

36.6 - Harlem

36.5 - White County

35.2 - Sandy Creek

35.0 - Douglass

33.6 - Savannah Christian

Class 2A

51.8 - Providence Christian

48.2 - Pierce County

47.2 - ACE Charter

43.6 - Union County

39.4 - Walker

38.8 - Toombs County

38.6 - East Jackson

38.4 - Athens Academy

38.3 - Fellowship Christian

36.8 - North Murray

Class A Division I

49.2 - Prince Avenue Christian

44.8 - Trion

33.0 - Dublin

32.6 - Rabun County

31.5 - Temple

31.2 - Bleckley County

31.0 - Elbert County

31.0 - Swainsboro

30.6 - Commerce

30.6 - Mount Vernon

Class A Division II

43.0 - Schley County

40.8 - Jenkins County

40.2 - Washington-Wilkes

34.8 - Hawkinsville

34.5 - Bowdon

34.0 - Manchester

32.8 - Telfair County

32.6 - Wilcox County

31.8 - Greene County

31.7 - Clinch County

GIAA

48.5 - Bulloch Academy

45.0 - Valwood

43.2 - Bethlehem Christian

42.8 - John Milledge Academy

36.8 - St. Andrew's

36.8 - Southwest Georgia

36.6 - Flint River Academy

36.3 - Edmund Burke Academy

34.8 - Strong Rock Christian

34.7 - St. Anne-Pacelli

Worth County freshman Lyndon Worthy passed for 409 yards and six touchdowns in a 62-34 victory over Berrien last week. Who holds the freshman state record for passing yards in a game? (Answer Thursday)

Answer to Tuesday’s question: Swainsboro’s Demello Jones is the only AJC Super 11 player committed to Georgia.

GHSA

Thursday's games

Chamblee at M.L. King (GO)

LaGrange at Riverdale (SC)

Liberty Co. at Groves (IH)

Morrow at Alcovy (SH)

Norcross at Duluth

Rutland at Southwest (TH)

Sav. Country Day at Beach (SV)

South Atlanta at KIPP Atlanta (L)

Stephenson at Hapeville Charter (B)

Friday's games

Alexander at Hughes

Alpharetta at Sprayberry

Appling Co. at Pierce Co.

Armuchee at Chattooga

Atkinson Co. at McIntosh Co. Academy

B.E.S.T. Academy. at Mount Paran Christ.

Bacon Co. at East Laurens

Baconton at Seminole Co.

Berrien at Jeff Davis

Bleckley Co. at Westfield

Brantley Co. at Toombs Co.

Brooks Co. at Bainbridge

Brookstone at Whitefield Academy

Brookwood at Archer

Buford at Collins Hill

Butler at Glenn Hills

Calvary Day at Johnson, Savannah (P)

Cartersville at Calhoun

Carver, Columbus at Columbus (K)

Cedartown at Central, Carrollton

Chapel Hill at Jackson, Atlanta (HA)

Charlton Co. at Dublin

Chattahoochee at Centennial

Cherokee Bluff at Cedar Shoals

Coahulla Creek at Gordon Lee

Columbia at Callaway (C)

Cook at Sumter Co.

Creekview at Etowah

Darlington at Coosa

Decatur at Tucker (A)

Discovery at Berkmar

Dodge Co. at Worth Co.

Dooly Co. at Wheeler Co.

Dougherty at Crisp Co.

Douglass at Jackson

Eagle's Landing at Jones Co.

East Hall at East Forsyth

East Jackson at Banks Co.

East Paulding at Newnan

Elbert Co. at Mount Vernon

Emanuel Co. Institute at Jefferson Co.

Ensworth, Tenn. at Christian Heritage

Fayette Co. at Whitewater

Fellowship Christian at Rabun Co.

First Presbyterian at Commerce

Flowery Branch at Clarke Central

Georgia Christian at Pataula Charter

Glascock Co. at Hancock Central

Glynn Academy at Effingham Co.

Greater Atl. Christian at Cambridge

Grovetown at Brunswick (GL)

Haralson Co. at Gordon Central

Harlem at Cross Creek

Hart Co. at Franklin Co.

Hebron Christian at Oconee Co.

Hiram at Dalton

Howard at Baldwin

Irwin Co. at Swainsboro

Jackson Co. at Habersham Central

Jefferson at Winder-Barrow

Johns Creek at Lassiter

Johnson Co. at GMC Prep

Jordan at Spencer (OS)

Josey at Thomson

Kendrick at ACE Charter

King's Academy at Walker

King's Ridge at Providence Christian

LaFayette at Adairsville

Lakeside, Atlanta at Johnson, Gainesville

Lakeside, Evans at Evans

Lamar Co. at Pike Co.

Lanier at Gainesville

Lanier Co. at Pelham

Lee Co. at Houston Co. (FF)

Lincoln Co. at Aquinas (GB)

Lincoln Co., Fla. at Colquitt Co.

Lithia Springs at Villa Rica

Lithonia at Arabia Mountain (GO)

Loganville at Eastside (SH)

Loganville Christian at Athens Christian

Lovejoy at Woodward Academy

Luella at Lovett

Madison Co. at Chestatee

Manchester at Macon Co.

Marion Co. at Central, Talbotton

Marist at Dunwoody (ND)

Mays at Creekside

McIntosh at Heard Co.

McNair at Landmark Christian

Midtown at Temple

Mill Creek at Central Gwinnett

Miller Co. at Randolph-Clay

Monroe at Thomasville

Monroe Area at Stephens Co.

Montgomery Co. at Bryan Co.

Mountain View at Dacula

Mt. Pisgah Christian at Mt. Zion, Carroll

Mt. Zion, Carroll at Mount Pisgah Christian

Mundy's Mill at Jonesboro (TO)

Murray Co. at North Murray

New Hampstead at Benedictine (SM)

Newton at Grayson

North Atlanta at St. Pius

North Gwinnett at Meadowcreek

North Oconee at North Hall

North Paulding at Walton

North Springs at Northview

Northeast at Central, Macon (TH)

Northside, W.R. at Tift Co.

Oglethorpe Co. at Seckinger

Ola at Warner Robins (MT)

Pace Academy at Hampton

Parkview at South Gwinnett

Paulding Co. at South Paulding

Peach Co. at Carver, Atlanta (L)

Perry at Westside, Macon (ED)

Prince Ave. Christian at Mary Persons

Providence Christian at King's Ridge

Redan at Towers (AV)

Richmond Academy at Morgan Co.

Ridgeland at Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe

Ringgold at Bremen

Riverwood at South Cobb

Rockdale Co. at Forest Park (T)

Rockmart at Model

Roswell at Blessed Trinity

Salem at Hephzibah

Sandy Creek at Harris Co.

Savannah Christian at Long Co.

Schley Co. at Chattahoochee Co.

Screven Co. at South Effingham

Sequoyah at River Ridge

Shaw at Cairo

Shiloh at Apalachee

Sonoraville at Northwest Whitfield

Southeast Bulloch at Islands

Southeast Whitfield at Heritage, Ringgold

Southwest DeKalb at Miller Grove (HS)

St. Francis at Bowdon

Stockbridge at Mt. Zion, Jones. (MH)

Tattnall Co. at Windsor Forest (SV)

Taylor Co. at Greenville

Telfair Co. at Hawkinsville

Terrell Co. at Mitchell Co.

Thomas Co. Central at Veterans (PH)

Towns Co. at Greene Co.

Tri-Cities at Banneker

Trinity Christian at Starr's Mill

Trion at Dade Co.

Troup at North Clayton (SC)

Union Grove at Dutchtown

Warren Co. at Washington-Wilkes

Washington at Therrell (L)

Washington Co. at Laney

Wayne Co. at Burke Co.

Wesleyan at Lumpkin Co.

West Hall at Gilmer

Westminster at Holy Innocents'

Westside, Augusta at Putnam Co.

White Co. at Dawson Co.

Wilcox Co. at Treutlen

Wilkinson Co. at Twiggs Co.

Woodland, Carters. at Cass

Woodland, Stock. at McDonough

Woodstock at Rome

Saturday's games

New Manchester at Douglas Co.

Spalding at Griffin (GM)

GIAA/GAPPS

Friday's games

Bethlehem Christian at Lakeview Acad.

Bleckley Co. at Westfield

Brentwood at Briarwood Academy

Brookstone at Whitefield Academy

Calvary Christian at Community Christian

Cherokee Christian at Georgia Force

First Presbyterian at Commerce

Frederica Academy at Tattnall Square

Gatewood at Central Fellowship

Georgia Christian at Pataula Charter

John Milledge at Pinewood Christian

King’s Academy at Walker

Loganville Christian at Athens Christian

Memorial Day at Edmund Burke

Notre Dame Academy at Lanier Christian

Robert Toombs at St. Andrew’s

Rock Springs at Creekside Christian

Skipstone at Flint River Academy

Stratford Academy at Deerfield-Windsor

Terrell Academy at Southland Academy

Thomas Jefferson at Augusta Prep

Tiftarea Academy at Valwood

Trinity Christ., Dublin at Fullington Acad.

Stadium abbreviations: (A) Adams; (AV) Avondale; (B) Banneker High School; (C) Callaway; (ED) Ed Defore; (FF) Freedom Field; (GB) Greenbrier High School; (GL) Glynn County; (GM) Griffin Memorial; (GO) Godfrey; (HA) Henderson, Atlanta; (HS) Hallford; (IH) Islands High School; (K) Kinnett; (L) Lakewood; (MH) Morrow High School; (MT) McConnell-Talbert; (ND) North DeKalb; (OS) Odis Spencer; (P) Pooler; (PH) Perry High School; (SC) Southern Crescent; (SH) Sharp; (SM) Savannah Memorial; (SV) Savannah High School; (T) Tara; (TH) Thompson; (TO) Twelve Oaks

GHSF Daily will select 10 games each week for the Predict the Winner contest, presented by Shuma Sports. Predictions must be submitted by 5 p.m. each Friday. Limit one entry per email address. Contest winners will be announced on Mondays at the start of each new contest and will receive an apparel prize from Shuma Sports. Click here to play.