Ranking the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:
1. Hiram 41, Carrollton 14: Hiram (3-5 overall, 2-4 in 7-AAAAA) was the biggest underdog of the week to come up with a victory, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings, beating 29-point favorite Carrollton, which was ranked No. 6 in AAAAA last week. Hiram had lost 12 consecutive games against ranked opponents since beating No. 10 Dalton in 2009.
2. M.L. King 27, Jonesboro 17: Jonesboro was seen by many as the best bet to join Tucker, Stephenson and Lovejoy as the playoff teams from Region 4-AAAAAA, but M.L. King moved into fourth place with the 10-point victory over 17-point favorite Jonesboro. M.L. King (3-4, 2-2) lost to the Cardinals 21-14 last season and finished last in the eight-team region.
3. Morgan County 22, Monroe Area 21: Defending region champion Morgan County moved into sole possession of first place in 8-AAA and handed eight-point favorite Monroe Area its first loss of the season. It was Morgan County's first victory against a ranked opponent since 2004 (Commerce) and ended an 18-game losing streak against the Top 10.
4. Temple 17, Spencer 13: Temple went 5-0 in non-region play last season but failed to make the playoffs after going 1-4 in 5-AA. This victory against 17-point favorite Spencer might be the one that gets it over the hump this year. Spencer went 3-2 in region play in 2016 and beat the Tigers 32-0. Temple is seeking its first playoff appearance since 2011.
5. Claxton 31, McIntosh County Academy 26: Claxton ended an 18-game losing streak and scored more than 16 points in a game for the first time since 2014. McIntosh County Academy, which was the Class A public-school runner-up last year and beat Claxton 49-13, was a 20-point favorite by Maxwell. Both teams are 1-2 in subregion A of Region 3-A.
Worth noting: Grady, which won the Region 6-AAAAA title last year, beat 17-point favorite North Springs 30-26 for its first victory of the season. North Springs is 0-4 all-time against the Grey Knights and was outscored 201-12 in the previous three meetings. ... Heard County moved into sole possession of first place in 5-AA with a 35-28 victory over Callaway, which was ranked No. 5 last week and was a six-point favorite. The loss snapped Callaway's 25-game regular-season winning streak. ... Marietta beat Hillgrove for the first time since 2012 and just the second time in eight all-time meetings, scoring 14 points in the final 1:22 to win 28-17. Marietta, which missed the playoffs in 2016, is tied for first place in 3-AAAAAAA. ... Montgomery County beat Johnson County 30-21 for its first victory against the Trojans since 1987, snapping a 17-game losing streak in the series. Eagles coach John Bowen is 9-8 in two seasons after inheriting a team that was 0-10 in 2015. ... Savannah Country Day beat seven-point favorite Savannah Christian 20-14, ending an 11-game losing streak in the series. Savannah County Day had not beaten Savannah Christian since a 21-0 win in 2005 and trails in the series 21-9.
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