Poll Talk: Lamar County is new No. 1 in AA

Highlights/observations of the latest rankings –

- North Gwinnett’s victory last week, over Norcross, was the first by a No. 1 team in the highest class this season. That’s really just two losses (Norcross, Colquitt County), although Lovejoy was the highest-ranked team on the schedule the week before at No. 2 when the Wildcats lost to Colquitt County.

- Norcross, nationally ranked in preseason, is unranked in September, at 1-2.

- Four teams from Region 1 are ranked in AAAAAA. None is Lowndes.

- M.L. King, formerly No. 4 in AAAAA, is out of the rankings after losing to Mays. Creekside joins the Top 10. Creekside is very talented with the Berry twins and others, but from a human-interest perspective, it’s nice to see the Seminoles start 3-0 (avenging two 2012 losses) in the wake of the tragic death of De’Antre Turman before the opener. Kudos to first-year coach Olten Downs, who did great work at Riverdale before coming to Creekside.

-Marist is out of the Top 10 after the overtime loss to Lovett. Statesboro took Marist’s place.

-Lamar County is the new No. 1 team in AA after Calhoun’s loss to Carrollton. Lamar is the team that hired away former Tucker coach Franklin Stephens after the 2011 state title. It’s also the team with three Georgia Tech-committed players in Qua Searcy, Lance Austin and Lawrence Austin.

-Lots of teams ranked for the first time in a while. They include Coffee (2008), Creekside (2007), Macon County (2006) and Pace Academy (first ranking ever).

Some big games this week –

McEachern at Marietta

Mill Creek at Peachtree Ridge

Tift County at Thomas County Central

Burke County at Statesboro

St. Pius at Lovett

Vidalia at Benedictine

Class AAAAAA

1. (1) North Gwinnett (3-0)

2. (2) McEachern (3-0)

3. (3) Colquitt County (3-1)

4. (4) Lovejoy (2-1)

5. (7) Mill Creek (3-0)

6. (8) Camden County (3-1)

7. (9) Peachtree Ridge (3-0)

8. (NR) Valdosta (3-0)

9. (NR) Hillgrove (3-0)

10. (NR) Coffee (3-0)

Class AAAAA

1. (1) Tucker (3-0)

2. (2) Stephenson (3-0)

3. (3) Northside-Warner Robins (3-0)

4. (5) Kell (3-0)

5. (6) Gainesville (2-1)

6. (7) Thomas County Central (3-1)

7. (8) Allatoona (3-0)

8. (9) Warner Robins (2-0)

9. (10) Ware County (2-1)

10. (NR) Creekside (3-0)

Class AAAA

1. (1) Sandy Creek (2-0-1)

2. (2) Carrollton (3-0)

3. (4) Stockbridge (3-0)

4. (6) Monroe Area (3-0)

5. (7) Griffin (3-0)

6. (3) Burke County (1-1)

7. (8) Wayne County (3-0)

8. (9) Mary Persons (3-0)

9. (NR) Statesboro (3-0)

10. (10) Westside-Macon (2-1)

Class AAA

1. (1) Buford (3-0)

2. (2) St. Pius (3-0)

3. (3) Cartersville (3-0)

4. (6) Washington County (3-0)

5. (5) North Hall (3-0)

6. (4) Carver-Columbus (2-1)

7. (7) Callaway (2-0)

8. (8) Jefferson County (3-0)

9. (9) Hart County (3-0)

10. (10) North Oconee (1-1)

Class AA

1. (2) Lamar County (3-0)

2. (5) Lovett (3-0)

3. (4) Greater Atlanta Christian (4-0)

4. (3) Jefferson (2-1)

5. (6) Washington-Wilkes (3-0)

6. (1) Calhoun (2-1)

7. (7) Vidalia (3-0)

8. (8) Brooks County (2-1)

9. (9) Benedictine (3-0)

10. (NR) Macon County (2-0)

Class A

1. (1) Eagle’s Landing Christian (3-0)

2. (2) Landmark Christian (4-0)

3. (3) Lincoln County (1-1)

4. (4) Aquinas (2-0)

5. (5) Savannah Christian (1-0-1)

6. (6) George Walton Academy (2-1)

7. (7) Prince Avenue Christian (2-1)

8. (8) Seminole County (3-0)

9. (NR) Irwin County (2-0-1)

10. (NR) Pace Academy (3-0)

WSBTV