Georgia High School Football Top 25 State Rankings (Sept. 14, 2026)

Four weeks in, undefeated is no longer assumptions. It’s proof.

Westlake is 4-0. Brookwood is 4-0. Jackson County just beat the team that was occupying its chair in our Georgia high school football state rankings. Gainesville finally got a win after spending the first two weeks playing Buford and East St. Louis, which is a tough way for any team to begin a season.

And then there’s Grayson. The Rams fell out of our top 25 with an 0-2 start. However they've bounced back and won two straight since. Their reward for getting their lives together is Buford coming to town Friday.

Georgia football has a sense of humor.

Here are the High School On SI Georgia Top 25 state rankings for Sept. 14.

1. Buford

Record: 3-0

Previous ranking: 1

Miami Central made Buford work for four quarters, but the Wolves still came away with an 18-7 win. Jalen Brewster introduced himself with a sack and fumble recovery; now comes Grayson, which has spent two weeks trying to undo its August.

Next: at Grayson, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

TV/Stream: GPB

2. Carrollton

Record: 4-0

Previous ranking: 2

Carrollton beat Hapeville Charter 63-7 and has now scored 240 points in four games. We are rapidly running out of new ways to say the Trojans score a lot.

Next: vs. West Charlotte (N.C.), Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

3. Thomas County Central

Record: 3-0

Previous ranking: 3

Thomas County Central scored only 35 points this week, which apparently counts as restraint after opening with 57 and 63. The Yellow Jackets beat Lithonia 35-7 and remain exactly where they started.

Next: at Brooks County, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

4. North Gwinnett

Record: 4-0

Previous ranking: 4

North Gwinnett handled Mill Creek 45-13 and has now beaten Grayson, Collins Hill, Walton and Mill Creek. At this point, asking whether the Bulldogs are for real feels unnecessarily stubborn.

Next: at Berkmar, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

5. Sandy Creek

Record: 4-0

Previous ranking: 5

Sandy Creek followed its close call against North Clayton by beating Fayette County 51-0. Four weeks ago, putting the Patriots this high felt aggressive; now moving them down would require an explanation.

Next: at Riverdale, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

6. Newton

Record: 4-0

Previous ranking: 6

Newton scored 71 points last week and 70 this week in a 70-14 win over Warner Robins. That's 141 points in two Fridays, which is starting to feel less like football and more like somebody forgot to change the difficulty setting.

Next: vs. Thomson, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

7. Lee County

Record: 4-0

Previous ranking: 7

Lee County followed its impossible comeback at Sequoyah by beating Colquitt County 48-30. The Trojans get a week off before Thomas County Central arrives, which is probably enough reason to enjoy the silence.

Next: vs. Thomas County Central, Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m. after a bye.

8. Creekside

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 8

Creekside has scored 105 points in the two games since its opening loss, including 56 against Newnan. Whatever needed fixing appears to have been located.

Next: vs. Tri-Cities, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

9. Valdosta

Record: 4-0

Previous ranking: 9

Valdosta beat KIPP Atlanta Collegiate 58-18 and has scored 222 points in four games. Titletown has apparently decided subtlety is overrated.

Next: vs. Stockbridge, Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m. after a bye.

10. Cartersville

Record: 4-0

Previous ranking: 11

Cartersville beat West Forsyth 49-13 and has now scored exactly 200 points this season. Four games, four wins and very little suspense.

Next: vs. Villa Rica, Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m. after a bye.

11. Lowndes

Record: 4-0

Previous ranking: 12

Lowndes shut out Blanche Ely 42-0 and has allowed only 14 points all season. The offense can have the headlines; the defense appears perfectly content ruining everyone else's Friday.

Next: vs. Long County, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

12. Toombs County

Record: 3-0

Previous ranking: 10

Toombs County had a bye, so the Bulldogs slide only because Cartersville and Lowndes kept making arguments. After three games and 151 points, nobody has forgotten what they did before the weekend off.

Next: vs. Beach, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

13. Brookwood

Record: 4-0

Previous ranking: 14

We said the trip to Marist would tell us considerably more about Brookwood. A 27-21 road win answered the question without requiring a follow-up.

Next: vs. Duluth, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

14. Blessed Trinity

Record: 4-0

Previous ranking: 15

Blessed Trinity put up 55 on Lambert and remains unbeaten after we didn't even rank the Titans in July. We have reached the portion of the program where bringing up the preseason poll only hurts us.

Next: at Marist, Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m. after a bye.

15. Westlake

Record: 4-0

Previous ranking: 24

Westlake went to Northside-Warner Robins and won 42-14, giving the Lions 191 points through four games. A nine-spot jump sounds dramatic until you watch them keep making our previous ranking indefensible.

Next: at Houston County, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

16. Coffee

Record: 3-0

Previous ranking: 13

Coffee had the week off after winning its first three games by a combined 91 points. The Trojans haven't done anything wrong; a few teams below them simply refused to sit still.

Next: at Crestview (Fla.), Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

17. Milton

Record: 3-1

Previous ranking: 17

Milton went to Tennessee and beat Battle Ground Academy 42-21. After opening the season with two one-point games, the Eagles appear to have discovered the benefits of leaving a little breathing room.

Next: at Johns Creek, Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 p.m. after a bye.

18. Grayson

Record: 2-2

Previous ranking: 21

Grayson has gone from 0-2 and evicted from our rankings to two straight wins after beating Brunswick 44-31. The comeback tour now welcomes Buford, which is less a final exam than somebody setting the textbook on fire.

Next: vs. Buford, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.
TV/Stream: GPB

19. Langston Hughes

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 22

Apparently scoring three points against Grayson annoyed somebody. Hughes answered by beating Morrow 66-6, which qualifies as a response.

Next: vs. Northside-Columbus, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

20. Benedictine

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 19

Benedictine was idle after consecutive wins over Hebron Christian and Camden County. Statesboro gives the Cadets their next opportunity to make that Week 1 loss feel even more ancient.

Next: at Statesboro, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

21. Marist

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 20

Marist finally allowed more than three points and lost 27-21 to unbeaten Brookwood. A six-point loss to the No. 13 team costs the War Eagles a spot, not their membership card.

Next: at Campbell, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

22. Houston County

Record: 2-1

Previous ranking: 16

Houston County scored 66 points and lost, which seems like the sort of thing that should require paperwork. Allowing 73 is enough to send the Bears down the rankings, but losing a seven-point track meet isn't enough to throw them out.

Next: vs. Westlake, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

23. Archer

Record: 4-0

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Archer shut out Collins Hill 21-0 and has allowed just 36 points across four wins. We could continue pretending not to notice, but that would become a personal choice.

Next: at Roswell, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

24. Jackson County

Record: 3-0

Previous ranking: Not ranked

Jackson County beat North Oconee 20-14, which makes this particular transaction fairly simple: beat the team occupying the chair, take the chair. The Panthers are unbeaten and officially in.

Next: at Mountain View, Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

25. Gainesville

Record: 1-2

Previous ranking: Not ranked

We dropped Gainesville after losses to Buford and East St. Louis because 0-2 had to mean something. A 20-10 win over McEachern means something too, so the Red Elephants are back.

Next: vs. Oceanside Collegiate Academy (S.C.), Friday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.

Dropped Out

North Oconee — previously No. 18

Worth County — previously No. 23

Roswell — previously No. 25

North Oconee's 20-14 loss to Jackson County makes that swap fairly straightforward. Worth County's 17-game winning streak ended with a 30-16 loss at Thomasville, while Roswell falls out through no fault of its own after a bye — Archer and Gainesville simply gave us fresher arguments for the final two spots.

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