Lee County vaults to No. 2; Westover, Mitchell County, Miller County join Top Ten rankings

LEESBURG — Apparently, beating one of the best high school football teams in America gets people’s attention.

Lee County made the biggest local move in the Georgia High School Football Daily rankings released Monday, vaulting four spots from No. 6 to No. 2 in Class 6A after Friday night’s dramatic 23-20 victory over Carol City of Miami.

But the Trojans weren’t alone.

Westover broke into the Class 4A top 10, Mitchell County climbed to No. 6 in Class A and Miller County joined the rankings for the first time since 2009 as Southwest Georgia teams made their presence felt across the state polls.

Lee County’s rise came after the Trojans erased a 20-8 halftime deficit against a Carol City team that entered the game ranked No. 18 nationally in the consensus rankings.

The comeback happened largely because of a second-half defensive performance that was difficult to ignore.

Carol City didn’t record a first down after halftime.

The Chiefs never crossed midfield.

And a Lee County team that appeared to be in trouble after two quarters walked off Trojan Field in front of a sellout crowd with one of the biggest victories in the program’s recent history.

Lee County finished with a 240-165 advantage in total offense. Quarterback Cohen Lawson completed 9 of 15 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, while Jace Murray led the defense with 14 tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss.

KJ Streeter provided one of the game’s defining moments with a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown.

The reward was a four-spot jump Monday.

Only one team remains ahead of Lee County in Class 6A, and the Trojans know that team well.

Defending state champion Thomas County Central remained No. 1 after hammering Lincoln of Tallahassee 63-14.

In fact, Region 2-6A is beginning to look like a collection of state championship contenders.

Coffee moved up to No. 4 after beating Ware County 27-7, while Houston County slipped to No. 9 during an open week.

That means four teams from the same region occupy spots in the Class 6A top nine.

Lee County (2-0) travels to Sequoyah (2-0) Friday before the Trojans eventually turn their attention toward that rugged region schedule.

Westover also received some recognition Monday.

The Patriots entered the Class 4A rankings at No. 10 after shutting out Seminole County 34-0 Friday night.

Westover is 2-0 and has outscored its first two opponents 64-12, but head coach Corey Joyner isn’t interested in celebrating a ranking two games into the season.

“We just have to keep getting better every week,” Joyner said.

Cairo remained No. 3 in Class 4A after its scheduled showdown with Worth County was postponed because of weather.

Worth County didn’t play, either, but the defending state champion Rams held onto the No. 2 position in Class 3A.

Toombs County remained No. 1 after beating Vidalia 44-6.

Then there is Mitchell County.

Two games. Two ranked opponents. Two victories.

The Eagles moved to No. 6 in Class A after beating Hawkinsville 30-26 behind a huge performance from quarterback Jadarian Hudson.

Hudson completed 11 of 17 passes for 221 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 13 times for another 118 yards and a score.

King Grissom was on the receiving end of almost everything Hudson threw, catching seven passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Mitchell County opened the season by beating then-No. 10 Seminole County, making this the first time since 1992 the Eagles have defeated ranked opponents in consecutive games, according to Georgia High School Football Daily.

That year is worth remembering.

Mitchell County beat ranked Vidalia, Lovett and Washington County in succession to close the season.

The Eagles finished 15-0.

And won a state championship.

Mitchell County (2-0) hosts Randolph-Clay (2-0) Friday.

About 25 miles away, another Class A program reached a milestone that had been even longer in the making.

Miller County is back in the rankings.

The Pirates entered the top 10 for the first time since 2009 after overwhelming Atkinson County 51-25.

Jamarion Shephard rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries. Hezekiah Judkins threw for 140 yards, and Kia’Londre Butler caught five passes for 60 yards.

Miller County will try to prove its return to the rankings isn’t temporary when the Pirates host Clinch County Friday.

There was one piece of bad news for the area in Class A. Early County dropped out of the top 10 during a week in which five teams disappeared from the rankings.

Still, Monday belonged largely to Southwest Georgia.

Lee County is No. 2 in Class 6A.

Worth County is No. 2 in Class 3A.

Cairo is No. 3 in Class 4A.

Westover has cracked the top 10.

Mitchell County is up to No. 6.

And Miller County is ranked for the first time in 17 years.

Two weeks into the season, Southwest Georgia isn’t merely represented in the state rankings.

It’s beginning to crowd them.

Complete Rankings from Georgia High School Football Daily:

Class 7A

No. 1 Buford
No. 2 Carrollton
No. 3 North Gwinnett
No. 4 McEachern
No. 5 Newton
No. 6 Valdosta
No. 7 Lowndes
No. 8 Brookwood
No. 9 North Cobb
No. 10 Westlake

Class 6A

No. 1 Thomas County Central
No. 2 Lee County
No. 3 Hughes
No. 4 Coffee
No. 5 Milton
No. 6 Roswell
No. 7 Creekside
No. 8 Gainesville
No. 9 Houston County
No. 10 Jackson County

Class 5A

No. 1 Cartersville
No. 2 Blessed Trinity
No. 3 Marist
No. 4 North Oconee
No. 5 Lithonia
No. 6 Jefferson
No. 7 LaGrange
No. 8 Benedictine
No. 9 Warner Robins
No. 10 Cass

Class 4A

No. 1 Sandy Creek
No. 2 Troup
No. 3 Cairo
No. 4 Stephenson
No. 5 Peach County
No. 6 Douglass
No. 7 Monroe Area
No. 8 Calhoun
No. 9 North Hall
No. 10 Westover

Class 3A

No. 1 Toombs County
No. 2 Worth County
No. 3 Pierce County
No. 4 Morgan County
No. 5 Appling County
No. 6 Carver-Columbus
No. 7 Burke County
No. 8 Rockmart
No. 9 Northeast
No. 10 Hart County

Class 2A

No. 1 Heard County
No. 2 Fitzgerald
No. 3 Dublin
No. 4 Bleckley County
No. 5 Thomasville
No. 6 Bremen
No. 7 Cook
No. 8 Jeff Davis
No. 9 Swainsboro
No. 10 Dodge County

Class A

No. 1 Bowdon
No. 2 Lincoln County
No. 3 Johnson County
No. 4 Clinch County
No. 5 Emanuel County Institute
No. 6 Charlton County
No. 7 Mitchell County
No. 8 Macon County
No. 9 Taylor County
No. 10 Miller County

Class 4A-2A Private

No. 1 Calvary Day
No. 2 Greater Atlanta Christian
No. 3 Prince Avenue Christian
No. 4 Hebron Christian
No. 5 Holy Innocents’
No. 6 Lovett
No. 7 Savannah Christian
No. 8 Aquinas
No. 9 Fellowship Christian
No. 10 Mount Vernon