Georgia High School Football Top 25 State Rankings: Aug. 31, 2026

Buford remains No. 1 as Newton surges into the Top 10, Lee County climbs nine spots and preseason No. 2 Grayson falls out.

After a 2-0 start the Newton Rams have soared into the Top 10 of the Georgia state rankings. | Flash Myton

The problem with preseason rankings is that I basically commit to being publicly wrong. And just like my favorite Taylor Swift lyrics, "It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me"

Two weeks ago, Grayson was my No. 2 team in Georgia Top 25 High School Football State Rankings. Today, the Rams are 0-2 and unranked. Both losses came against teams that now rank in our Top 5, so I wouldn't expect to see Grayson out of the Top 25 for the rest of the season. However, no other 0-2 teams are currently in the Top 25, and at some point the scoreboard gets a vote.

Elsewhere, Sandy Creek spent August treating classification as a suggestion, Newton leapfrogged from No. 24 in the preseason to the Top 10, and Lee County has made a fairly convincing argument that No. 20 in the preseason was disrespectful.

The preseason poll was my best guess. Now that football has started, the rankings are starting to heal.

Here is the Georgia High School On SI Top 25 after Week 2.

High School On SI

PREVIOUS: PRESEASON | WK1 | WK2 |

1. Buford

Record: 1-0

Previous ranking: 1

Buford had the week off, which remains an extremely effective way to defend the No. 1 ranking. The Wolves are now headed to North Carolina for their first road test.

Next: at Mallard Creek (N.C.), Friday, Sept. 4, 7 p.m.

Watch: FloFootball

2. Carrollton

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 2

CJ Cypher threw six touchdown passes as Carrollton beat Columbia 61-6. The Trojans have now outscored two opponents 116-13, which is less a start to the season than a warning to anyone else on the schedule.

Next: at Catholic-Baton Rouge (La.), Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT

3. Thomas County Central

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 3

Thomas County Central followed 57 points against Colquitt County by scoring 63 against Lincoln, giving the defending champions 120 points through two games. I spent July wondering if they belonged this high; the Yellow Jackets have spent August wondering why we asked.

Next: vs. Lithonia, Friday, Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m. after a bye

4. North Gwinnett

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 4

North Gwinnett followed its win over Grayson by shutting out Collins Hill 40-0. At this point, our preseason No. 8 ranking is starting to feel like something I'd prefer not to discuss further.

Next: vs. Walton, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

5. Sandy Creek

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 5

First Grayson. Then a 21-0 shutout of Douglas County. Sandy Creek keeps beating larger schools, and Caleb Hill and company appear deeply uninterested in our preseason assumptions.

Next: at North Clayton, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

6. Langston Hughes

Record: 1-0

Previous ranking: 6

Hughes had the weekend off after dropping 56 on North Atlanta. The Panthers return against a Grayson team looking for its first victory — and a path back into the Top 25.

Next: vs. Grayson, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

7. Lee County

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 16

A 51-0 opener got our attention. Beating Miami Carol City 23-20 got Lee County nine more spots in the rankings and earned us the right to never speak of No. 16 again.

Next: at Sequoyah, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

8. Newton

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 18

Newton survived Douglas County in overtime and then went to Roswell and won 42-15. The Rams aren't climbing the rankings anymore; they're collecting back rent.

Next: vs. Locust Grove, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

9. Valdosta

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 12

Valdosta has scored 108 points through two games after handling Howard 56-6. Titletown is starting to look dangerous again.

Next: vs. Bradwell Institute, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

10. Creekside

Record: 0-1

Previous ranking: 8

Creekside drops because everybody around it keeps winning, not because I've forgotten what Gary Walker and the Seminoles can do. A Saturday trip to New Jersey will show us what's next.

Next: at St. Joseph Regional (N.J.), Saturday, Sept. 5, 1 p.m.

11. McEachern

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 11

McEachern went to South Florida and came home with a 20-13 win over West Broward. There are prettier ways to be 2-0, but road wins don't need glam shots.

Next: vs. Marietta, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

12. Lowndes

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 15

Lowndes has allowed six points in two games after shutting out Harris County 38-0. That is not technically a request for attention, but it works anyway.

Next: vs. Lithonia, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

13. Toombs County

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 17

Toombs County followed 58 points against Benedictine with a 44-6 win over Vidalia. I didn't rank the Bulldogs in the preseason, and they have spent two Fridays filing the proper paperwork over my mistake.

Next: at Swainsboro, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

14. Cartersville

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 14

Cartersville has scored 97 points while allowing 14. No argument here.

Next: at Woodstock, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

15. Gainesville

Record: 0-1

Previous ranking: 10

Gainesville's only loss remains a competitive game against Buford, so I'm not throwing in the towel on the Red Elephants just yet. Their reward, however, is a trip to East St. Louis because apparently the schedule was designed with a personal grudge or with the hope of getting Lil Wayne half-time performance.

Next: at East St. Louis (Ill.), Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

Watch: FloFootball

16. Brookwood

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Brookwood beat Mill Creek 36-8 after opening with a 52-7 win. At 2-0 with a combined margin of 88-15, the Broncos have moved beyond asking politely to be ranked to letting me know that they're here now.

Next: vs. South Gwinnett, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

17. Blessed Trinity

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: Not ranked

A 44-0 opener followed by a 21-20 win over Milton gets you into the rankings, especially when a roster includes players such as DJ Jacobs. I'm not handing the Titans the keys to the state yet, but they're definitely in the building.

Next: at Hebron Christian, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

18. Houston County

Record: 1-0

Previous ranking: 19

Houston County was off, which means its 38-14 opening win over West Forsyth gets another week to sit on the résumé. Sometimes doing nothing really does work.

Next: vs. Jones County, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

19. North Oconee

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 22

North Oconee followed its 42-point opener by beating Stockbridge 38-24. Two games, 80 points and no losses make a pretty convincing case.

Next: vs. Clarke Central, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

20. Milton

Record: 1-1

Previous ranking: 9

Milton has played two one-point games, beating North Cobb and losing to Blessed Trinity. Derrick Baker and the Eagles are 1-1, but they're basically two plays away from either 2-0 or a full-blown existential crisis.

Next: vs. Cambridge, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

21. Douglass

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: 23

Ending Carver-Columbus' 27-game winning streak got Douglass into the Top 25. Following that with a 36-20 win over Hampton shows the Astros still deserve to be here.

Next: at Douglas County, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

22. Coffee

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Coffee has won its first two games by a combined 55 points, including a 27-7 victory over Ware County.

Next: vs. Zephyrhills Christian Academy (Fla.), Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

23. Benedictine

Record: 1-1

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Losing 58-21 to Toombs County was a rough introduction. However, beating defending private-school champion Hebron Christian 48-17 one week later was a pretty convincing request for reconsideration.

Next: vs. Camden County, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

24. Marist

Record: 2-0

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Marist followed a 10-3 win over Woodward Academy with a 53-0 shutout. Two wins and three total points allowed will get you an invite to the party eventually.

Next: vs. Brookwood, Friday, Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m. after a bye

25. Worth County

Record: 1-0

Previous ranking: 21

Worth County didn't play in Week 2, so the defending state champion slides more because of what others did than anything the Rams did wrong. Lyndon Worthy and company get Early County next and can gain some ground back.

Next: at Early County, Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.

Dropped Out

Grayson — previously No. 13
Roswell — previously No. 7
Douglas County — previously No. 20
Hebron Christian — previously No. 24
Norcross — previously No. 25