A week after suffering a 36-28 loss to Irwin County, Macon County rebounded with a victory against a Fitzgerald team that was ranked No. 4 in Class AA and came in as a 17-point favorite, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings. Fitzgerald (1-3), a state finalist the past two seasons, is off to its worst start since 1999.
2. Douglas County 21, Northgate 0: Douglas County went 6-4 in 2016 but finished in fifth place in 5-AAAAAA and failed to reach the postseason because it lost to the league's four playoff teams. The Tigers have one under their belt now, avenging a 14-13 loss to Northgate, which was an 11-point favorite this year. Northgate was the third-place team in 2016.
3. Franklin County 46, Habersham Central 45: Habersham Central has averaged 46 points in its first three games but is just 1-2 after this overtime loss. Habersham Central beat East Hall 72-55 in the opener before losing to White County 24-21. Franklin County, a 12-point underdog, had not scored a point in losses to White County and Stephens County.
4. Spalding 42, Lovejoy 41: Lovejoy will take a two-game losing streak into its 4-AAAAAA showdown with Stephenson on Friday after losing to Spalding, a 22-point underdog. Yesiah Clemons' 10-yard run and the ensuing extra point with 2:53 remaining provided the winning points. Spalding had started the year with losses to Griffin and Jonesboro.
5. New Manchester 23, Creekside 0: Creekside is 0-3 for the first time since 1994 after losing its 5-AAAAAA opener to a team that came in as a nine-point underdog. Creekside has been outscored 89-0 in its three games. New Manchester began its program in 2011 and had a streak of three consecutive years with at least five wins end last year (1-9).
Worth noting: Banneker, under first-year coach Mario Allen, is 3-0 for the first time since 2011 after a 26-9 victory over seven-point favorite Whitewater, which won 19-14 last year. Banneker was 0-10 in 2014 and 2015 but improved to 5-5 last season ... Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpewas the most surprising winner of the week, according to Maxwell's projections, beating 28-point favorite Gordon Lee 24-7. LFO avenged a 51-24 loss in 2016 and ended a four-game losing streak in the series. ... Marietta is 3-0 for the first time since 2007, but it needed a 75-yard touchdown pass in the final minute to salvage a 24-20 victory over Pebblebrook, which was a 28-point underdog. Marietta went 3-7 in 2016 but beat Pebblebrook 38-7. ... North Atlanta is 3-0 for the first time since 2010 after a 14-0 victory over Dunwoody in the teams' 7-AAAAAA opener. The Warriors went 1-9 overall last season, including a 14-10 loss to Dunwoody, and finished in last place in the region. ... Woodlandof Cartersville, which snapped a 17-game losing streak with a 31-30 victory over Rockmart on Sept. 1, ended a 13-game losing streak in region games with 20-6 win in its 7-AAAAA opener against Cass, a 10-point favorite.
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