Ranking the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:
1. Northwest Whitfield 12, Dalton 0: Northwest Whitfield, projected as a five-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings, ended an 11-game losing streak against its city-school rival. Northwest’s last victory in the series, which Dalton leads 32-6, was on Oct. 8, 2004. Dalton is 0-3 for the first time since 1975, not including the 2011 season, when it had to forfeit four of its first six games. The Catamounts’ 1975 team overcame the slow start and reached the Class 2A championship game, finishing 9-5.
2. Jackson County 35, Dacula 28: Jackson County was just a one-point underdog, but the victory was especially significant for Panthers head coach Korey Mobbs, who beat his old nemesis for the first time. While at Lanier from to 2020, Mobbs was 58-22 overall but 0-5 against the Falcons, with three losses coming in games that directly determined a region champion. Mobbs has not lost to any other school more than twice.
3. Rockdale County 16, Miller Grove 0: Rockdale County improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2019 with a victory over 20-point favorite Miller Grove. The 2019 team went on to lose its final six games, and then the program was hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, limited to five games in 2020, all losses. The Bulldogs went 4-25 over the next three seasons but appear to have turned a corner.