Top 25 Georgia high school football state rankings (10/14/2024)

Lee County climbs up to No. 5; Collins Hill regains lost ground; Lowndes and Houston County enter the rankings

The Gainesville Red Elephants gave top-ranked Milton a challenge and have only lost to the Eagles and second-ranked Carrollton this season. Gainesville held is No. 12 state ranking this week. / Gainesville Football Instagram

Week 9 is in the books and it featured several big-time region matchups across the state of Georgia. 

No. 1 Milton traveled to face Gainesville in a big region matchup, Collins Hill earned a very impressive bounceback win after losing to Buford, and Lee County continued its dominance this season by knocking off a previously undefeated team.

Check out how the rest of the Power 25 fared in Week 8.

1. Milton (8-0)

Last Week: 1

The Eagles played their first big region game as a member of Class 5A last Friday night when they traveled to face Gainesville, and they passed the test with flying colors. They won the game comfortably 42-24 to remain unbeaten on the season.

2. Carrollton (8-0)

Last Week: 2 

The Trojans are fresh off a 42-0 shutout of Chapel Hill last Friday night, moving them to 8-0 on the season. Through eight games, no one has come all that close to beating the Trojans.

3. Buford (6-1)

Last Week: 3 

The Wolves played host to Dacula last Friday night and dominated the game 51-14 to improve to 6-1 on the season. Their 34-7 win over Collins Hill looks that much more impressive in the week prior after seeing what the Eagles were able to do this past week.

4. North Gwinnett (7-0)

Last Week: 4 

The Bulldogs earned their first shutout of the season last week after beating Berkmar 35-0. They’re now 7-0 on the season and in great shape with two games left to play.

5. Lee County (7-0)

Last Week: 7

The Trojans are up two spots in this week’s Power 25 after blasting a previously undefeated Coffee team 48-14 last Friday night. Given Coffee’s suspect 6-0 record heading into the matchup and how dominant the Trojans have looked, their 34-point win doesn’t come as much of a surprise to us.

6. Collins Hill (7-1)

Last Week: 10 

Keep writing off the Eagles, folks. Many polls dropped them way too far after their loss to Buford, a team that no one outside of the state’s No. 1 team has beaten this season. The Eagles arguably have the best defense in the state, and that was on full display in their 13-12 win over Mill Creek last week.

7. Grayson (4-1)

Last Week: 6 

Another week has come and gone without the Rams playing a game. Their last game came on Sept. 20 at home against Grovetown, and their next won’t come until the 25th of this month when they travel to face South Gwinnett.

8. Mill Creek (6-2)

Last Week: 5 

The Hawks have lost two games this season by a combined four points. Both losses have come against Top 10 teams in North Gwinnett and now Collins Hill, who they lost to 13-12 last week. The Hawks have to find a way to win close games if they want to make a run in the playoffs this year.

9. Douglas County (7-1)

Last Week: 8

The Tigers are down one spot after a so-so win at home against Westlake. Their only loss remains to No. 3 Buford, which looks good on their resume at this point in the season.

10. Langston Hughes (6-1)

Last Week: 9 

The Panthers are down one spot to No. 10, and it’s nothing of their own doing. They took care of business on the road last Friday night against Newnan, beating them 48-7 to improve to 6-1 on the season.

11. Thomas County Central (6-1)

Last Week: 13 

The Yellow Jackets are up two spots to No. 11 in this week’s rankings after beating Veterans 61-10. This is a team that a lot of polls are disrespecting, and that’s odd considering their only loss came to No. 5 Lee County by 12 points.

12. Gainesville (6-2)

Last Week: 11 

We cannot in good faith drop the Red Elephants more than one spot in this week’s rankings, despite them picking up their second loss. They’re 6-2 on the season, and their two losses have come against the state’s Top 2 teams in Milton and Carrollton. Were they overly competitive in either of those games? No. But are there more than 11 teams better than them in the state?

13. Marist (7-0)

Last Week: 12

The War Eagles come in at No. 13 in this week’s rankings after beating St. Pius 24-0. It’s their fourth shutout of the season, and they’ve only allowed 27 points through seven games.

14. Valdosta (7-0)

Last Week: 14 

The Wildcats are coming off of a 7-3 win at home over Colquitt County, but we’re not ready to crown them like some polls are. It’s a great win, but considering just how deep Class 6A is, and what some of the teams in Class 5A have been able to accomplish, we need to see more.

15. Colquitt County (4-3)

Last Week: 15 

The Packers are staying put at No. 15 after losing to Valdosta 7-3 and for good reason. Heading into last week, we had these two teams ranked 14th and 15 and that proved to be a near perfect ranking considering the Wildcats only managed a 4-point win.

16. Norcross (6-1)

Last Week: 16 

The Blue Devils remain in the 16th spot in this week’s rankings after beating Meadowcreek 49-0 last week. This is a team that continues to fly under the radar a bit, and that’s probably a good thing for them moving forward.

17. North Cobb (7-0)

Last Week: 17 

No disrespect to the Warriors, but they’re going to be the worst 10-0 team heading into the playoffs in Class 6A. They’re sitting at 7-0 right now, and they’re going to win their remaining three games. But their schedule has been extremely weak. Their best win came against Walton, who is 4-3.

18. Camden County (6-1)

Last Week: 18  

The Wildcats are another team that has played a very weak schedule up until this point. Their toughest game came against Valdosta two weeks ago, and they lost by 19 points. They’re coming off of a decent win against Richmond Hill, but will have two huge tests against Lowndes and Colquitt County coming up in the next two weeks.

19. Cartersville (8-0)

Last Week: 20 

The Purple Hurricanes have cracked the Top 20 for the first time this season after shutting out Allatoona 31-0 last Friday night. Their schedule hasn’t been overly tough, but they’ve passed the eye test with the results that they’re getting.

20. Roswell (5-1)

Last Week: 21

The Hornets are up one spot to No. 20 in this week’s Power 25 after beating Chattahoochee 63-7 last Friday night. They’ve played down to their competition at times this year, but they’ve looked impressive in the past three weeks.

21. Blessed Trinity (5-1)

Last Week: 22

The Titans are up one spot to No. 21 in this week’s rankings after not playing a game. They were off last week, but will be back in action this week against Westminster.

22. North Oconee (8-0)

Last Week: 24 

The Titans are up two spots to No. 22 after winning a shootout against Eastside 40-35. They trailed with two minutes to play before scoring a touchdown in the closing seconds to keep their undefeated season alive.

23. Eastside (7-1)

Last Week: 19

The Eagles come in at No. 23 in this week’s rankings after losing a heartbreaker to North Oconee 40-35 last Friday night. Given how evenly matched the two teams were, they belong one spot behind the Titans in the rankings.

24. Lowndes (6-1)

Last Week: Not ranked 

The Vikings are ranked this week after beating Tift County 26-7 last Friday night. Sitting at 6-1 on the season, they’ll have a great opportunity to climb in the rankings further with a win at home against Camden County this Friday.

25. Houston County (6-1)

Last Week: Not ranked 

The Bears are back in the Top 25 for the first time in weeks after a couple of teams suffered bad losses. The Bears are sitting at 6-1 on the season, and they’ve rebounded very nicely after losing to Warner Robins in early September.