With not every team in the state getting their season underway, the rankings are still a work in progress. It isn’t fair to penalize teams who haven’t played, but it also is difficult to move teams around in favor of those teams yet to tip, but with that being said, here is how things have played out thus far…
In Class AAAAAA, No. 2 Norcross scored a pair of easy wins while No. 3 Westlake might have been the most impressive team out of the top 10. Junior Chuma Okeke made an instant impact in his first game with his new team, going for 23 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and four steals. No. 8 Tift County forces its way into the state picture with an impressive win over 4A No. 8 Worth County 77-61 and a devastating 56-18 blowout of Eddie Martin’s Buford Wolves. Berkmar fell from No. 8 to out of the poll with a loss to 5A No. 6 Heritage-Conyers 65-55. If it weren’t for Tift’s excellent play, Berkmar likely would have survived another week. A handful of Gwinnett County schools are knocking at the door to make a top ten appearance.
No. 6 Heritage-Conyers has put Class AAAAA officially on watch of its presence. They hop up two spots and have looked great behind Jordan Thomas, Charles Moore, Isaiah Banks and Byron Abrams. Wins over ranked opponents No. 5 SWAC and former No. 8 Berkmar look nice on the resume. Both No. 7 Warner Robins and No. 8 Cedar Shoals have done some early season thumping. Senior Keith Gilmore has led No. 10 Southwest DeKalb into the polls. He is averaging 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. Jones County drops out after losing to 4A No. 7 Henry County 77-67 and Baldwin, a 3-21 team a year ago, 68-41.
In Class AAAA, No. 5 Sandy Creek has steamrolled opponents with its mixture of athleticism, shooting and defense. No. 6 St. Pius has been steady behind the stellar play of Kerney Lane. The versatile southpaw is averaging 27 points per game to pace the Golden Lion attack. No. 7 Henry County knocked off 6A No. 10 Newton, using a late Javon Greene freethrow to win 67-66, after losing 86-63 in a scrimmage vs. the Rams. Columbia slips out of the top ten narrowly and is replaced by 2014 quarterfinalist Upson-Lee, who has smashed their two opponents.
The wild, wild west that is Class AAA has already begun shaking up. It is a wide open field with No. 1 Laney the early favorite. State runner-up Morgan County tumbles all the way out of the rankings after a 57-52 loss to Cherokee at the Battle at the Rock tournament. The Bulldogs will have plenty of time to regroup after the upset loss. No. 5 South Atlanta leaps up five spots after a pair of convincing wins. Things haven’t always been pretty with No. 6 Blessed Trinity, but their grind-it-out style of play has started them off at 2-0. Monday’s 38-24 win against Meadowcreek further proved that the Titans are one of the best in the state at controlling tempo. Cedar Grove debuts at No. 8 after a shocking upset of defending 1A-Private state champion St. Francis.
AA No. 4 GAC suffered a setback against Alabama powerhouse Brewbaker Tech, but still holds onto their spot. No. 5 Thomasville picked up a pair of wins in a home-and-away tilt with Valdosta. No. 7 Holy Innocents’ moves down a spot while No. 9 Rabun County jumps one after a 79-59 win over Dawson County and a No. 10 Swainsboro loss.
No. 1 Greenforest looks like the class of A-Private with its size inside and dominating play. No. 2 St. Francis holds onto the second spot after No. 3 North Cobb Christian didn’t play and No. 4 Whitefield Academy fell to Sacred Heart (Al.) 67-62, after the Knights of St. Francis beat them 74-58. No. 5 SWAC was blown out by 5A Heritage. No. 9 Lakeview Academy lost a competitive match with 2A No. 4 GAC, 73-61.
Not much going on in A-Public. Hancock Central defeated Putnam County by 10. No. 6 Randolph-Clay is averaging 99 points per game.
Class AAAAAA
1. Shiloh
2. Norcross
3. Westlake
4. Wheeler
5. Milton
6. Pebblebrook
7. Collins Hill
8. Tift County
9. Lambert
10. Newton
Class AAAAA
1. Miller Grove
2. McIntosh
3. Gainesville
4. Allatoona
5. Brunswick
6. Heritage
7. Warner Robins
8. Cedar Shoals
9. LaGrange
10. Southwest DeKalb
Class AAAA
1. Lithonia
2. Jonesboro
3. Liberty County
4. Bainbridge
5. Sandy Creek
6. St. Pius
7. Henry County
8. Worth County
9. Grady
10. Upson-Lee
Class AAA
1. Laney
2. Jenkins
3. East Jackson
4. Calhoun
5. South Atlanta
6. Blessed Trinity
7. Callaway
8. Cedar Grove
9. East Hall
10. Central-Macon
Class AA
1. Seminole County
2. Pace Academy
3. Crawford County
4. Greater Atlanta Christian
5. Thomasville
6. Vidalia
7. Holy Innocents’
8. Early County
9. Rabun County
10. Swainsboro
Class A-Private
1. Greenforest Christian
2. St. Francis
3. North Cobb Christian
4. Whitefield Academy
5. Southwest Atlanta Christian
6. Landmark Christian
7. St. Anne-Pacelli
8. Stratford Academy
9. Lakeview Academy
10. Tattnall Square
Class A-Public
1. Calhoun County
2. Hancock Central
3. Treutlen
4. Wilkinson County
5. Turner County
6. Randolph-Clay
7. Greenville
8. Dooly County
9. Portal
10. Terrell County
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