Georgia Top 25 high school football rankings (10/31/2023)

Grayson climbs to No. 7; Newton in danger of missing the playoffs after two straight losses

Week 12 has come and gone and the big winner of the week was Grayson, which moved into the No. 7 spot in the rankings and can now win the Region 4-7A championship with a win against No. 8 Parkview this Friday night.

The big loser this week was Newton, who just two weeks ago was ranked inside the Top 10 at 7-0, but has since lost back-to-back games. If the Rams lose to Archer and South Gwinnett beats Brookwood, the Rams would miss the playoffs in what would be a stunning turn of events.

Here is the complete breakdown of our SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 high school football rankings for the state of Georgia. 

1. Mill Creek

(9-0)

It took a while to get the offense going, but in the end, it was a 41-0 shutout of rival Dacula last Friday night that got Mill Creek to a perfect 9-0 on the season. The Hawks are one win away from completing a perfect regular season for the first time since 2016. 

2. Buford

(8-1)

While the Wolves would have liked another region title, losing to Mill Creek just might have been the best thing for them. Since the loss, the Wolves have looked like world-beaters. They dominated Dacula 66-0 and followed that up with a 51-0 shutout of Mountian View last Friday. Look out for the Wolves. 

3. Colquitt County

(9-0)

The Packers improved to 9-0 on the season last Friday night with a 44-28 win over Valdosta, and they’re one win away from completing another perfect regular season. The Packers have given up points on defense this year, but their offense has been as good as advertised.

4. Walton (9-0)

The Raiders are one win away from completing a perfect 10-0 regular season after beating Osborne 35-0 last Friday night. When it comes to teams that can win a Class 7A state championship, the Raiders are absolutely on that list.

5. Carrollton

(9-1)

The Trojans ended their 2023 regular season with a win, beating Campbell 63-7 last Friday night. That marked nine straight wins for the Trojans after they opened up the season with a 39-34 loss to Hughes. They’ll now have two weeks to prepare for their first-round playoff game. 

6. Gainesville

(9-0)

The Red Elephants can all but taste another perfect 10-0 regular season after crushing North Forsyth 41-14 last Friday night. And after they demolish Jackson County this Friday, they will have done just that for the second straight year. 

7. Grayson

(7-2)

The Rams jump up two spots to No. 7 in this week’s Power 25 smothering Archer 41-14 on the road last Friday night. It was a must-win game for the Rams to keep their region championship hopes alive, and now they can win the region with a win against Parkview Friday night.

8. Parkview

(7-2)

It wasn’t as easy as they would have hoped, but the Panthers still managed to beat rival Brookwood 43-24 last Friday night to set up a showdown with Grayson at home this Friday night. The Panthers can win the region with a win against Grayson and a Newton win against Archer.

9. Norcross

(8-1)

The Blue Devils invited an undefeated Peachtree Ridge team into their home last Friday night and won the game relatively comfortably, 35-17. The Blue Devils very quietly find themselves at 8-1 on the season and can win the region this Friday night with a win against North Gwinnett.

10. Thomas County Central

(9-0)

The Yellow Jackets move into the Top 10 for the first time this season after beating a really good Lee County team 31-24 last Friday night. They have now won back-to-back games against Houston County and Lee County to get to 9-0 on the season. The win also gives the Yellow Jackets the Region 1-6A championship for a second straight season. 

11. Lee County

(7-2)

The Trojans move up one spot to No. 11 despite losing their second game of the season. Why? Because that loss came at the hands of No. 10 Thomas County Central by seven points. The Trojans won’t win the region this year, but they’re still in a really good spot to make a deep run in the Class 6A state playoffs.

12. Douglas County

(9-0)

The Tigers are one win away from completing a perfect 10-0 regular season after beating Newnan 41-7 last Friday night. The win clinched them the Region 5-6A championship, their first since 2002. A big congrats to the Tigers for what has been a historic season up until this point.

13. Newton

(7-2)

After what was such a promising start to the season for the Rams, who sat at 7-0 and were in complete control of Region 4-7A, the wheels have started to fall off a bit. After losing to Parkview at home, the Rams followed that up with another home loss to South Gwinnett, which has them down to No. 13 in this week’s rankings. If the Rams lose to Archer this Friday and South Gwinnett beats Brookwood, the Rams are out of the playoffs in what would be a stunning turn of events.

14. Westlake

(6-2)

The Lions remain at No. 14 in this week’s rankings after beating East Coweta 28-7 last Friday night. The win clinches the No. 2 seed out of Region 2-7A for the Lions, which will give them a home playoff game in the first round of the state playoffs.

15. Langston Hughes

(7-2)

The Panthers improved to 7-2 on the season last Friday night following a 42-10 win over South Paulding, and it secured the No. 2 spot out of Region 5-6A. The defending Class 6A state champs will start the playoffs at home this year.

16. Calvary Day

(9-0)

Four straight shutouts. The Cavaliers are now one win away from a perfect 10-0 regular season after earning their fourth straight shutout victory, this time defeating Long County 35-0. They have now out-scored their opponents 200-0 over their last four games.

17. Cedar Grove

(4-5)

The Saints exacted some revenge on their rival Sandy Creek last Friday night, beating them 31-7 to clinch the Region 5-3A championship. After playing an extremely challenging schedule this season, they can finish off the regular season at 5-5 with a win against Carver-Atlanta on Friday night.

18. Benedictine

(10-0)

The Cadets are the first team to 10 wins this season after finishing off their 2023 regular season with a 57-0 shutout against Islands. After winning the Class 4A state championship last season, the Cadets will start their quest for another in a couple of weeks. 

19. Rome

(8-1)

The Wolves move up one spot to No. 19 in this week’s rankings after taking down Creekview 55-19 last Friday night. The Wolves are now 8-1 on the season and have already clinched the Region 6-6A championship, their third in a row.

20. Marist

(8-1)

The War Eagles are up one spot to No. 20 in this week’s rankings after shutting out St. Pius 17-0 last Friday night. They have now won eight games in a row after losing in Week 1 to No. 6 Gainesville and have clinched the Region 4-6A championship.

21. Milton

(7-2)

The Eagles move up one spot to No. 21 in this week’s rankings after shutting out Denmark 48-0. It hasn’t been a stellar regular season for the Eagles, but it can still end with another Region 6-7A championship with a win against Lambert on Friday night.

22. Roswell

(8-1)

The Hornets move up one spot to No. 22 in this week’s rankings despite not playing a game last week. They will finish off their regular season at home against Alpharetta looking to clinch the Region 7-6A championship.

23. Houston County

(7-2)

The Bears come in at No. 23 in this week’s rankings after getting past Tift County in a close one, 26-14. The Bears aren’t playing their best ball at this point in the season, and they’ll enter the Class 6A state playoffs as a No. 3 seed with a win against Veterans on Friday night. 

24. North Oconee

(9-0)

The Titans remain at No. 24 in this week’s rankings after routing East Hall 70-15 last Friday night. They can complete a perfect regular season with a win against Cherokee Bluff on Friday night. They’ve already clinched the Region 8-4A championship. 

25. Peachtree Ridge

(8-1)

The Lions had an opportunity to play spoiler against Norcross last Friday night, but fell short 35-17. They did enough to remain at No. 25 in this week’s rankings at 8-1 on the season, and they can lock up the region’s No. 2 seed and a home playoff game with a win against Duluth on Friday night.