Each week, we’ll take a look at four of the state’s top teams — two from the boys’ side, two from the girls — and see how they’re doing at this point in the season.
Here are the latest AJC rankings. Now, let's move on to the four featured teams.
Lassiter Trojans (8-4)
Upcoming matches: at No. 10 Etowah (11-3) on Wednesday; at North Paulding (4-8) on Friday.
Notes: The defending-champion Trojans are ranked No. 4 in 6A-7A thanks to how well they've played some of the state's other top programs. Notable wins include Milton, No. 6 Roswell, No. 8 Walton and A-5A's No. 1 Westminster and No. 2 Lovett. They were competitive in losses to A-5A's No. 4 Blessed Trinity, Pope, as well as Middle Creek and Lake Norman of North Carolina.
Johns Creek Gladiators (12-3)
Upcoming matches: at No. 2 North Gwinnett (12-0) on Tuesday; vs. North Atlanta (2-11) on Saturday.
Notes: The Gladiators are 6A-7A's No. 5-ranked team and are seeking to end North Gwinnett's 12-game win streak to open the season. Their three losses came to ranked teams — No. 1 Lambert, No. 6 Roswell and No. 7 Grayson — and though they haven't beaten a ranked team, they've beaten seven teams with winning records.
Lassiter Lady Trojans (11-2)
Upcoming matches: vs. No. 5 Walton (6-6) on Friday.
Notes: The Lady Trojans are ranked No. 2 in 6A-7A, with notable wins coming against No. 8 Mill Creek, A-5A's No. 3 Kell, Texas' Hockaday, and Florida's Bishop Moore, Winter Park and Lake Highland Prep. They have just one matchup this week, but it's a big one against Walton.
Starr's Mill Lady Panthers (14-2)
Upcoming matches: Off this week.
Notes: The Lady Panthers — ranked No. 4 in A-5A — don't play this week after playing four games last week, when they went 3-1. They'll have one game remaining in their regular season when they return to action next week and that's against McIntosh (7-6) at home. Their most notable win is against 6A-7A's No. 10 Johns Creek, though they were competitive in their only two losses, which came to 6A-7A's No. 3 West Forsyth and No. 7 Centennial.
