HS rankings: West Forsyth, Heritage drop in; Alpharetta, Flowery Branch drop out

West Forsyth and Heritage-Conyers, schools that had break out seasons in 2011, joined the high school football rankings this week after big opening-night victories.

West Forsyth, a 6-year-old school, is No. 10 in Class AAAAAA, bumping Alpharetta from the rankings. West Forsyth was ranked for the first time in its history in the year-end 2011 rankings after an 11-2 finish. The Wolverines defeated No. 9 Gainesville of AAAAA 32-30 on Thursday. West Forsyth was never in danger of losing the lead after taking a 32-15 halftime advantage.

Heritage, a 26-year-old school, had never been ranked in the top 10 until a two-week stay in 2011, when the Patriots had their first-ever 10-win season (10-2). On Friday, Heritage defeated Northgate (11-1 last season) 9-7. They take the place in AAAAA of Flowery Branch, which lost to No. 1 Northside-Warner Robins 45-7.

Other teams entering the rankings this week are Dodge County for Blessed Trinity in AAA and Laney and Early County for Dublin and Westminster in AA.

Eight games this week will match ranked teams. They are:

No. 1 Peach County of AAA is home against No. 10 Baldwin of AAAA.
No. 2 Marist of AAAA is home against No. 8 Thomas County Central of AAAAA.
No. 2 Buford of AAA is home against No. 9 Gainesville of AAAAA.
No. 3 Brooks County of AA is at No. 9 Valdosta of AAAAAA.
No. 4 Wilkinson County is home against No. 9 Landmark Christian in A.
No. 4 St. Pius is home against No. 5 North Oconee in AAA.
No. 7 Colquitt County is home against No. 8 Lovejoy in AAAAAA.
No. 8 ECI of A is at No. 8 Washington County of AAA.

Class AAAAAA
1. Grayson (2-0)
Last week: Beat Miami Central 35-3. Grayson won a game between teams ranked No. 1 by national polls, as Grayson was the pick of ESPN, while Miami Central was USA Today’s top team. Grayson amassed 355 total offense to Miami Central’s 22. Miami had two running backs committed to FBS (formerly called Division I-A) schools but was held to 17 yards rushing and 3-of-12 passing. It was 21-3 at halftime. Grayson got two short touchdown runs from Robert Nkemdiche and longer scoring plays from Wayne Gallman and Jordan Germany.
Next: Sept. 14 at Parkview (1-0)
2. Camden County (2-0)
Last week: Beat Vanguard, Fla. 53-7. Camden drove 99 yards on its first possession and led 40-7. Auburn-bound LB Jarrad Davis had nine tackles. Brice Ramsey was 6-of-9 passing for 157 yards and two touchdowns. JJ Green rushed for 40 yards on four carries, had one sack and broke up the only pass thrown his way. Camden Next: Friday vs. Johnson, Savannah (0-1)
3. Walton (2-0)
Last week: Beat McEachern 37-35. Anthony Price kicked the game-winning 43-yard field goal with 25 seconds remaining. Tyren Jones had his second consecutive 300-yard rushing game, carrying 47 times for 332 yards and four touchdowns, giving him nine TDs in two games. McEachern had taken a 35-34 lead with 2:15 to play on Taj Griffin’s third touchdown and a two-point conversion run by QB Tymashian Clemons. Next: Sept. 14 at North Cobb (1-0)
4. Lassiter (1-0)
Last week: Beat Hillgrove 37-29. Robert Dowling returned an interception 75 yard on the third play of the game as Lassiter built a 37-0 halftime lead and then held on for the victory. UCLA-bound QB Eddie Printz was 19-for-25 for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Lassiter outgained Hillgrove 232-38 in the first half and 362-247 in the game. Next: Friday at Sprayberry (0-2)
5. North Gwinnett (2-0)
Last week: Beat A.C. Flora, S.C. 38-0. QB Michael Haynes was 18-of-26 passing for 236 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 62 yards. Flora, a Class AAA semifinal team in South Carolina last year, had negative rushing yardage. Next: Sept. 14 vs. Norcross (1-0)
6. Lowndes (1-0)
Last week: Beat Luella 50-23. Lowndes had 473 yards in total offense, and Nick Burgman (140) and Tevin Brown (93) were the leaders among 12 ball carriers. Next: Friday vs. Newton (0-1)
7. Colquitt County (1-1)
Last week: Beat Thomas County Central 35-33. Central, ranked No. 9 in AAAAA, got within 35-33 late on a 78-yard TD pass, but Colquitt ran out the clock with a couple of first downs. Bobby Hill had 13 catches for 136 yards, and Maleek Lewis rushed for 117 yards. Colquitt allowed 395 yards in total offense. Colquitt used two quarterbacks. Cole Segraves was 9-for-15 for 99 yards, and Daniel Mobley was 7-for-11 for 85 yards. Next: Friday vs. Lovejoy (1-0)
8. Lovejoy (1-0)
Last week: Beat Mundy’s Mill 44-6. Lovejoy took a 41-0 lead in the first half as Alejandro Benefield threw four TD passes. Georgia Tech-bound RB Travis Custis had 101 total yards. Next: Friday at Colquitt County (1-1)
9. Valdosta (1-0)
Last week: Beat North Augusta, S.C. 28-7. Valdosta got 100-yard rushing efforts from Nelson Herring (140) and Malcolm Joseph (135) and blew open a 7-0 halftime lead with three second-half touchdowns QB Shelby Wilkes was 12-of-18 passing for 104 yards. Valdosta outgained North Augusta 410-184, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
Next: Friday vs. Brooks County (2-0)
10. West Forsyth (1-0)
Last week: Beat Gainesville 32-30. QB A.J. Erdely, who has committed to Middle Tennessee, passed for 126 yards and scored a touchdown for West Forsyth, which led 32-15 at halftime and held on. Gainesville scored an inconsequential touchdown with 7 seconds left. Jake Wieczorek and Trevor O’Brien each had touchdown runs.West Forsyth intercepted all-state QB DeShaun Watson four times. Next: Friday vs. Flowery Branch (0-1)

Class AAAAA
1. Northside-Warner Robins (1-0)
Last week: Beat Flowery Branch 45-7. Northside had 356 yards rushing, with three players with at least 70 in Keshun Hill (78), Donte Bryant (72) and Glenn Smith (70). Hill, a preseason all-state wide receiver, scored three touchdowns on runs of 30 and 40 yads and had an 11-yard TD pass. It was 7-7 at halftime.Next: Thursday vs. Veterans (0-1)
2. Tucker (1-0)
Last week: Off. Next: Sept. 7 at North Atlanta (0-1).
3. Kell (1-0)
Last week: Off. Next: Sept. 7 vs. Woodstock (0-2)
4. Stephenson (0-0)
Last week: Game with Pine Forest, Fla., was canceled. Next: Friday at Arabia Mountain (1-0)
5. M.L. King (1-0)
Last week: Beat Stockbridge 23-0. MLK allowed just over 100 yards in total offense and took a 16-0 third-quarter lead when SS Trent Hill caused a fumble that FS Jeremy Tyler returned 25 yards for a touchdown. Junior RB Jamel Smith finished a 70-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run for a 23-0 lead in the fourth. WR Donald Clark scored MLK’s other touchdown on a 15-yard screen pass from Monquavious Johnson, the Redan transfer who won the starting job to replace all-state Jonquel Dawson. Next: Saturday vs. Southwest DeKalb (1-0)
6. Warner Robins (1-0)
Last week: Beat Veterans 29-0. Danny Hite rushed for 132 yards rushing on 19 carries, and Warner Robins had 332 yards rushing as a team. Matt Monday kicked three field goals. Next: Sept. 14 at Peach County (1-0)
7. East Paulding (1-0)
Last week: Beat North Paulding 38-17. TB Kamani Thomas rushed for 227 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries and FB Kyler Neal had 166 on eight carries. East Paulding had 464 yards rushing, 20 passing, and held North Paulding to less than 200 yards. Malik Bruce returned an interception for a touchdown. Next: Woodland, Cartersville (0-1)
8. Thomas County Central (1-1)
Last week: Lost to Colquitt County 35-33. Against a ranked AAAAAA team, QB Adam Choice rushed for 133 yards on 20 carries and was 5-of-8 passing for 153 yards. Deondre Cooksey returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, and his 78-yard reception from Choice made it 35-33 in the final minutes, but Central didn’t get the ball back. Next: Friday at Marist (1-0)
9. Gainesville (0-1)
Last week: Lost to West Forsyth 32-30. QB DeShaun Watson was 25-of-43 passing for 282 yards and three touchdowns but was intercepted four times. Gainesville trailed 32-15 at halftime and never seriously threatened to take the lead. Next: Friday at Buford (1-0)
10. Heritage, Conyers (1-0)
Last week: Beat Northgate 9-7. Harrison Kulp scored all of Heritage’s points on his three field goals, including an 18-yarder with a minute to go for the final 9-7 margin in a game between teams that reached the second round of the AAAA playoffs last year. Heritage is ranked for only the third time in its history. Next: Friday at Rockdale County (0-1)

Class AAAA
1. Sandy Creek (1-0)
Last week: Banneker 52-6. Cole Garvin passed for 215 yards, with 117 of those going to Georgia-committed junior WR Demarre Kitt. Cole had four TD passes, two to Kitt. Next: Friday at Newnan (2-0)
2. Marist (1-0)
Last week: Beat Clarke Central 30-13. Marist coach Alan Chadwick got his 300th victory. QB Myles Willis rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries. He also threw a 27-yard TD pass to Gray King. Next: Friday vs. Thomas County Central (1-1)
3. Cairo (1-0)
Last week: Beat Thomasville 21-0. Next: Friday at Bainbridge (0-1)
4. Carrollton (0-1)
Last week: Lost to Oxford, Ala. 21-17. Carrollton led 17-7 at halftime, with Oxford’s only score a kick return, but couldn’t hold the lead against a school that made the Alabama Class 6A semifinals in 2011. Carrollton had 174 yards in total offense. Oxford took the lead on Racean Thomas’ 17-yard run with 4:16 left. Thomas, who also returned the kickoff return for a score, is one of the top RB prospects in the South. Next: Friday vs. Chapel Hill (1-1)
5. Statesboro (1-0)
Last week: Beat Lakeside, Evans 26-7. Dequan Daniels rushed for 110 yards and scored three touchdowns in the first half, when Statesboro took a 19-7 lead. Next: Friday at Richmond Academy (0-1)
6. Griffin (1-0)
Last week: Beat Dutchtown 42-16. Griffin trailed 16-7 at halftime but scored 35 second-half points. Sophomore RB Malik Miller rushed for 80 yards and scocred three touchdowns. Junior QB Jaquez Parks was 12-of-28 passing for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore WR Quay Mangham had four catches for 117 yards. Next: Friday at Northgate (0-1)
7. Stephens County (1-0)
Last week: Beat Franklin County 28-7. All-state RB Chaz Thornton rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns, and Tomas Colbert had five catches for 168 yards and a touchdown. Next: Friday vs. Habersham Central (0-1)
8. Burke County (0-1)
Last week: Off. Next: Sept. 7 vs. Hephzibah (0-1)
9. Jonesboro (1-0)
Last week: Beat Mount Zion, Jonesboro 33-7. Patrick Petty rushed for 83 yards on 10 carries and returned an interception for 38 yards and a touchdown. Taurean Ferguson, committed to Vanderbilt, blocked punt and caught a TD pass. Cameron Sutton, committed to Tennessee, scored on a 7-yard run and ran an interception for a touchdown. Jonesboro head coach Tim Floyd sat out the game with a two-game suspension for breaking a recruiting rule, according to the Clayton News Daily. Next: Friday at Westover (1-0)
10. Baldwin (1-0)
Last week: beat Jefferson County 33-14. Kentavious Thomas scored two touchdowns, rushed for 78 yards and had two catches for 81 yards. It was 21-14 in the fourth quarter before Baldwin settled it with a pair of touchdowns. Baldwin is 5-0 against Jefferson County in a series that began in 2002. Next: Friday at Peach County (1-0)

Class AAA
1. Peach County (1-0)
Last week: Beat Perry 21-14. Demarcus Robinson scored Peach County’s touchdowns on pass receptions of 95 and 27 yards and a 30-yard interception return. Perry had the edge in first downs 18-11 but committed two turnovers to Peach’s none. Peach has won 18 of the past 19 in the series. Next: Friday vs. Baldwin (1-0)
2. Buford (1-0)
Last week: Beat Elbert County 14-3. Montgomery VanGorder threw a 37-yard TD pass to Thomas Wilson in the fourth quarter to put Buford in control of a defensive-minded game. Buford had only 210 yards of total offense. It was the first time in 28 games that Buford has been held to less than 20 points. Next: Friday vs. Gainesville (0-1)
3. Carver-Columbus (1-0)
Last week: Beat Spencer 47-6. Carver led 35-0 at halftime and played the second half with a running clock. Marion Moore scored two touchcdowns including a 94-yard kick return following Spencer’s only score in the fourth quarter. Rashad McCarter returned a fumble 54 yards for Caver’s first touchdown less than three minutes into the game. QB Torrance McGee had 93 yards pasing and 88 rushing. The Carver-Spencer game is called the Heritage Bowl. Carver has won the last 14 and leads the series 37-12-1 Next: Thursday vs. Shaw (1-0)
4. St. Pius (1-0)
Last week: Beat Westminster 21-3. Ryan Braswell rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns for St. Pius. Next: Friday vs. North Oconee (0-0)
5. North Oconee (0-0)
Last week: Off. Next: Friday vs. St. Pius (1-0)
6. Thomson (1-0)
Last week: Off. Next: Sept. 7 vs. Lakeside, Evans (0-1)
7. Elbert County (0-1)
Last week: Lost to Buford 14-3. Elbert’s all-state running back, Tyshon Dye, was held to 66 yards rushing. Next: Friday vs. Cedar Shoals (1-0)
8. Washington County (2-0)
Last week: Beat Grovetown 65-14. Grovetown returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, but Washington County led 44-7 at halftime and put up 558 yards in total offense. Preseason all-state QB William Walker rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns and was 5-of-5 passing for 133 yards and two touchdowns.Next: Friday vs. Emanuel County Institute (1-0)
9. Jackson (1-0)
Last week: Beat Mary Persons 24-23. Down 21-10 late in the third quarter, Jackson came back as junior RB DeEric Bell rushed for 162 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Next: Friday at Eastside (1-0)
10. Dodge County (2-0)
Last week: Beat Dublin 61-7. Dodge put up over 400 yards rushing against a school that had beaten Dodge eight straight times. Next: Friday vs. Hawkinsville (0-1)

Class AA
1. Calhoun (1-0)
Last week: Beat Ridgeland 42-35. Calhoun drove 68 yards in the final minute to break a 35-35 tie. Ridgeland had tied the game on AJC Super 11 Vonn Bell’s 24-yard run plus a two-point conversion. Taylor Lamb, who stands No. 5 on GHSF Daily’s Player of the Year Watch, was 27-of-42 passing for 280 yards and two touchowns passing. Bell had 90 yards rushing on eight carries, and Darrell Bridges rushed for 123 yards for Ridgeland. Preseason all-state WR Josh Barnes had eight catches for 94 yards. Next: Friday at Dalton (1-0)
2. Fitzgerald (1-0)
Last week: Off. Next: Friday vs. Irwin County (0-0)
3. Brooks County (2-0)
Last week: Beat Monroe 21-18. Malcolm Parrish hit Deric Herring with a 55-yard pass in the final minute for the winning touchdown. Parrish hit Herring on a 20-yard pass to set up Parrish’s 1-yard TD run that made it 13-12 late in the fourth, but Monroe returned the kickoff 95 yards to give Monroe an 18-13 led. Parrish, who stood 10th in GHSF Daily’s state Player of the Year watch last week, threw for 217 yards but completed on 12 of 26 passes. Next: Friday at Valdosta (1-0)
4. Cook (1-0)
Last week: Beat Worth County 36-2. QB Ross Pickle threw for 124 yards and rushed for 63. Worth led 2-0 when a fumble was returned 99 yards for a touchdown by Jeremiah Smith 99 yards. Next: Friday vs. Crisp County (0-1)
5. Lovett (2-0)
Last week: Beat Blessed Trinity 24-7. Lovett held BT, a previously ranked team in AAA, to 127 total yards and nine first down. DB Grant Haley had two interceptions. DB Winn Martin had an interception and a forced fumble. LB Brant Wells had an interception and a sack. Next: Sept. 14 vs. Marist (1-0)
6. Greater Atlanta Christian (2-0)
Last week: Beat Savannah 31-8. Kyle Scales scored two touchdowns and rushed for 73 yards for GAC. Next: Friday at Apalachee (1-0)
7. Vidalia (1-0)
Last week: Beat West Laurens 21-14. Tra Hardy scored on a 3-yard run in the first overtime, and West Laurens was stopped. Vidalia’s D.J. Mincy was 11-for-21 for 156 yards and touchdown passes of 35 and 42 yards to Jordan Black. Vidalia was held to 34 yards rushing. Next: Friday vs. McIntosh County Academy (0-1)
8. Laney (1-0)
Last week: Beat Butler 43-0. Laney allowed minus-7 yards in total offense. Preseason all-state RB George Myers rushed for 68 yards on 11 carries. Next: Friday vs. Westminster (0-2)
9. Lamar County (0-0-1)
Last week: Tied Spalding 3-3. Lamar PK Tyler Scandrett kicked a 22-yard field goal with no time left to get a tie in former Tucker coach Franklin Stephens’ first game at Lamar. Lamar had the ball at its own 20 with 3:40 left on its trying drive. Lamar’s Lawrence Austin rushed for 141 yards on 15 carries. Spalding was held to 144 yards in total offense. Next: Friday vs. Eagle’s Landing (0-1)
10. Early County (1-0)
Last week: Beat Seminole County 55-20. Ladonis Bryant caught TD passes of 60 and 67 yards from Jacori Taylor in the first half and set up another score with a 69-yard run as Early led 36-0 after two quarters. Bryant finished with three catches for 128 yards and 70 yards rushing. Taylor was was 6-of-11 passing for 188 yards and rushed for 40 yards. Next: Friday at Miller County (1-0)

Class A
1. Lincoln County (1-0)
Last week: Beat McCormick, S.C. 24-0. Lincoln County allowed only three first downs, no completed passes abnd 65 yards of total offense. Ben Turner threew two TD passes, and Lincoln was 18-of-25 passing for 247 yards. Next: Friday vs. Washington-Wilkes (1-0)
2. Wilcox County (1-0)
Last week: Beat Wilkinson County 43-39. QB Makail Grace passed for 407 yards (19-of-27 passing) and scored on a 4-yard run with 46 seconds for the final margin. Grace rushed for 75 yards on 18 carries. Johnathan Howard had 11 receptions for 205 yards. Quinn Tisdol had four for 125. Wilcox outgained Wilkinson County 546-365, according to the Cordele Dispatch. Both teams scored six touchdowns, but Wilcox was 5-of-5 on extra points (Robert Carrillo) and made a two-point play. Next: Friday vs. Monroe (0-1)
3. Eagle’s Landing Christian (1-1)
Last week: Beat Briarwood Christian, Ala. 32-7. RB Keyante Green rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries in 2.5 quarters. ELCA allowed on 162 yards of offense, 11 rushing. WR Matthew East had a 73-yard touchdown run. Briarwood made Alabama’s Class 5A semifinals last season.
Next: Friday vs. Clinch County (0-1)
4. Wilkinson County (0-1)
Last week: Lost to Wilcox County 43-39. Wilkinson returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in the first half and Qb David Whipple was 14-of-27 passing for 203 yards and rushed for 57 yards, according to the Cordele Dispatch. Next: Friday vs. Landmark Christian (1-1)
5. Charlton County (1-0)
Last week: Beat Brantley County 20-0. Charlton allowed only 99 yards of total offense while recovering five Brantley fumbles. QB Trae Harrington passed for 132 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 40 yards and a score. Next: Friday vs. Ware County (0-1)
6. Aquinas (1-0)
Last week: Off. Next: Friday at George Walton Academy (1-0)
7. Calvary Day (2-0)
Last week: Beat Bryan County 28-17. Calvary Day led only 7-3 at halftime but gained control when Bryan County had a bad snap to its punter. DL Chandler Bennett recovered and ran it 5 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead, and Bryan got no closer than the final margin from there. Jake Clemens was 10-of-17 passing for 118 yards and rushed for 64 yards. Next: Sept. 14 at Montgomery County (0-1)
8. Emanuel County Institute (1-0)
Last week: Off. Next: Friday at Washington County (2-0)
9. Landmark Christian (1-1)
Last week: Beat Athens Christian 31-7. Next: Friday at Wilkinson County (0-1)
10. Savannah Christian (0-1)
Last week: Off. Next: Sept. 7 at Prince Avenue Christian (1-0)