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

Parkview roars back into the Top 10; Thomas County Central makes a move

Week 11 of the regular season featured a couple of Top 10 showdowns with Carrollton tangling with Westlake and Newton tangling with Parkview.

Carrollton held serve at home and Parkview scored a big road victory at Newton to get themselves back into the Top 10, and more importantly, back into the Region 4-7A championship conversation.

Thomas County Central also earned a big win last week, shutting out Houston County, 27-0, on the road.

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

1. Mill Creek

(8-0)

We see time and time again a team have a letdown performance after picking up a big win, and that’s what happened to the Hawks last week against a young Collins Hill team. After beating Buford to take over the No. 1 spot, the Hawks got a scare against the Eagles, but were ultimately able to hold on and win the game 24-18. 

2. Buford

(7-1)

After suffering their first loss of the season to Mill Creek, the Wolves took out their frustrations on Dacula and took it to them. The Wolves dominated from start to finish and routed the Falcons, 66-0. The Wolves aren’t going anywhere and if anything, their loss to Mill Creek was the wakeup they needed to go on a deep run in the Class 7A state playoffs.

3. Colquitt County

(8-0)

The Packers defense has given up a lot of points this season, but it hasn’t mattered. With weapons all across the board on offense, the Packers have scored points in bunches this season and last Friday night’s 52-34 win over Lowndes was no different.

4. Walton

(8-0)

After suffering a scare against North Cobb three weeks ago, the Raiders have since rebounded with back-to-back blowout wins against Kennesaw Mountain and Cherokee to improve to 8-0 on the season. A 10-0 regular season for the Raiders is all but a lock at this point in the season. 

5. Carrollton

(8-1)

Playing their biggest game in weeks, the Trojans came out of the gates hot against Westlake and never looked back en route to a dominant, 31-7, win over the Lions. In a game many expected to be close, the Trojans proved to be the better team and now have their sights set on a 10-0 regular season.

6. Gainesville

(8-0)

The Red Elephants jump two spots to No. 6, their highest ranking of the season after another blowout victory. They improved to 8-0 on the season after destroying Shiloh, 55-0, and they’re looking as good as ever. Look out for the Red Elephants come playoff time.

7. Parkview

(6-2)

After falling out of the Top 10 for the first time all season, after losing to Archer last week, the Panthers are back up to No. 7 after taking down Newton on the road, 28-21. The Panthers never trailed in the game and did all of it without their Top 2 running backs. The Panthers have battled through injuries all season, but find themselves in a good spot moving forward.

8. Newton

(6-2)

The Rams finally lost a game this season, and it came at the hands of the Parkview Panthers, 28-21, last Friday night. The Rams never could quite get things going in the second half, and as a result, find themselves in a dogfight for the Region 4-7A championship with Parkview, Grayson and Archer, who has yet to lose a region game. The Rams will be just fine moving forward. 

9. Grayson

(6-2)

The Rams made quick work of Brookwood last Friday night, beating them 57-10 to improve to 6-2 on the season. After Newton’s loss to Parkview, the Rams are right back in the thick of things for the Region 4-7A title, but will need to beat a red-hot Archer squad on the road this Friday. 

10. Norcross

(7-1)

The Blue Devils remain at No. 10 in this week’s rankings after another good performance last Friday night. They shutout Meadowcreek, 48-0, and now sit at 7-1 on the season. Their two biggest games have still yet to be played, starting with Peachtree Ridge this Friday night at home.

11. Thomas County Central

(8-0)

The Yellow Jackets started their two-game Region 1-6A gauntlet last Friday night with a 27-0 shutout of Houston County, which is more than enough to get them up to No. 11 in this week’s rankings. The Yellow Jackets are an extremely good football team, and they’ll get another opportunity to show it this Friday against Lee County.

12. Lee County

(7-1)

The Trojans fall back one spot to No. 12, and it didn’t have anything to do with their performance last Friday night. They dominated Northside, 56-7, to improve to 7-1, but after Thomas County Central’s shutout victory against Houston County, a team Lee County beat 44-35, it was only right to flip-flop them in the rankings. But the Trojans will have an opportunity to jump back ahead this Friday if they can beat the Yellow Jackets on the road.

13. Douglas County

(8-0)

The Tigers are up one spot to No. 13 in this week’s rankings after improving to 8-0 with a 48-14 win over East Paulding last Friday night. The Tigers are only two wins away from completing a perfect 10-0 regular season.

14. Westlake

(6-2)

The Lions are down five spots to No. 14 after getting out-classed by Carrollton, 31-7, last Friday night. Are the Lions contenders to win a Class 7A state championship? Most likely not, but with only two losses to two Top 10 teams, the Lions are still one of the best teams Class 7A has to offer.

15. Langston Hughes

(6-2)

As we inch closer to the end of the regular season, the Panthers are really starting to regret their 30-27 loss to Douglas County a few weeks back. The Panthers won again last Friday to improve to 6-2, but their hopes of winning another Region 5-6A championship are quickly slipping away. 

16. Calvary Day

(8-0)

The Cavaliers are up one spot to No. 16 after blowing out Savannah Country Day, 49-0, last Friday night. The win marks three straight shutouts for the Cavs, who improved to 8-0 on the season. Look out for the Cavs come playoff time.

17. Cedar Grove

(4-5)

It’s weird to see the Saints have a losing record this deep into a season, but considering the schedule they have played, it shouldn’t come as that big of a surprise. However, they’re coming off a great 31-7 win over rival Sandy Creek last Friday night and are still in position to win the Region 5-3A championship.

18. Houston County

(6-2)

After getting shut out at home against Thomas County Central, the Bears fall back a couple of spots to No. 18 in this week’s rankings. Class 6A is absolutely loaded this season and with the playoffs right around the corner, the Bears just might be a step below some of the other Class 6A teams that are ahead of them in the rankings.

19. Benedictine

(9-0)

The Cadets remain at No. 19 in this week’s rankings after taking down a good Wayne County team, 38-21, on the road last Friday night. Right now, the Cadets are the clear No. 1 team in Class 4A.

20. Rome

(7-1)

The Wolves picked off another win last Friday night, this time by defeating River Ridge in dominant fashion, 55-0, to improve to 7-1 on the season. The Wolves have not played a competitive team since Carrollton way back on September 1, but they’re beating bad teams how they should.

21. Marist

(7-1)

The War Eagles won their seventh straight game last Thursday night after defeating North Atlanta, 16-3. At this point, it doesn’t look like the War Eagles will lose again and will finish out the regular season winners of nine in a row.

22. Milton

(6-2)

The Eagles won their third straight last Friday night to improve to 6-2 on the season. It hasn’t been the season the Eagles had hoped for, but they’re still in a position to win the Region 6-7A championship ahead of the Class 7A state playoffs.

23. Roswell

(8-1)

The Hornets improved to 8-1 on the season and picked up their fifth straight win after blowing out Sprayberry, 49-7, last Friday night. The Hornets have just one game left against Alpharetta in two weeks.

24. North Oconee

(8-0)

The Titans are now 8-0 on the season after shutting out Walnut Grove, 49-0, last Friday night. They still haven’t been tested this season due to their egregiously large region, but they continue to handle business against teams they are expected to dominate.

25. Peachtree Ridge

(8-0)

The Lions have won eight games for the first time since 2015, and there are still two games left in the regular season. Their hardest game of the season, however, will come this Friday night on the road at Norcross, which will in all likelihood determine the Region 7-7A championship.