Poll Talk: Lassiter takes over at No. 1 in AAAAAA
Lassiter had played varsity football for 38 seasons before winning a region championship or finishing a regular season 10-0. Those achievements came in 2009.
Now, the Trojans have reached a new milestone. They are the No. 1-ranked team in Class AAAAAA.
Lassiter takes on the top spot after previous No. 1 Camden County lost to Colquitt County 13-12 last week. Lassiter completed its second-ever 10-0 regular season with a 34-6 victory over Etowah.
Lassiter and Norcross are the only 10-0 teams in the highest classification entering the state playoffs, which begin this week. Lassiter had never been ranked in the top 10 until 2009, so the rise to the top has been quick and recent.
New to the rankings this week are South Gwinnett for Parkview in AAAAAA, Stephenson for Thomas County Central in AAAAA, Carrollton for Carver-Atlanta and Monroe Area in AAAA, Callaway for North Hall in AAA, Screven County for Cook in AA and Aquinas and Walker for Prince Avenue Christian and Savannah Christian in A.
The next rankings will be published after the state championship games Dec. 14-15 at the Georgia Dome.
Class AAAAAA
1. (2) Lassiter (10-0)
2. (3) Norcross (10-0)
3. (4) Grayson (9-1)
4. (5) North Gwinnett (9-1)
5. (1) Camden County (9-1)
6. (6) Lowndes (9-1)
7. (7) Lovejoy (9-1)
8. (8) West Forsyth (9-1)
9. (10) Colquitt County (7-3)
10. (NR) South Gwinnett (8-2)
Class AAAAA
1. (1) Northside-Warner Robins (10-0)
2. (2) M.L. King (10-0)
3. (3) East Paulding (10-0)
4. (6) Kell (9-1)
5. (7) Tucker (8-2)
6. (8) Ware County (9-1)
7. (9) Warner Robins (8-2)
8. (10) Flowery Branch (8-2)
9. (NR) Stephenson (7-2)
10. (5) Allatoona (9-1)
Class AAAA
1. (1) Sandy Creek (10-0)
2. (2) Marist (9-1)
3. (3) Burke County (9-1)
4. (5) Stockbridge (9-1)
5. (6) Griffin (9-1)
6. (7) Jonesboro (9-1)
7. (8) Cairo (8-2)
8. (10T) Westside-Macon (9-1)
9. (10T) Ridgeland (9-1)
10. (NR) Carrollton (7-3)
Class AAA
1. (1) Thomson (10-0)
2. (2) Carver-Columbus (9-1)
3. (3) Buford (7-3)
4. (4) Washington County (9-1)
5. (5) Peach County (9-1)
6. (6) Cartersville (10-0)
7. (7) St. Pius (8-2)
8. (8) North Oconee (9-1)
9. (10) Blessed Trinity (8-2)
10. Callaway (9-1)
Class AA
1. (1) Calhoun (10-0)
2. (2) Brooks County (10-0)
3. (3) Vidalia (10-0)
4. (4) Fitzgerald (8-2)
5. (6) Lamar County (9-0-1)
6. (8) Heard County (10-0)
7. (9) Jefferson (9-1)
8. (10) Lovett (6-4)
9. (5) Greater Atlanta Christian (7-3)
10. (NR) Screven County (9-1)
Class A
1. (1) Eagle’s Landing Christian (9-1)
2. (2) Emanuel County Institute (9-1)
3. (3) Athens Academy (10-0)
4. (5) Lincoln County (9-1)
5. (7) Wilcox County (8-2)
6. (9) Irwin County (7-3)
7. (10) Wilkinson County (7-3)
8. (8) Calvary Day (9-1)
9. (NR) Aquinas (8-2)
10. (NR) Walker (10-0)
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257 comments Add your comment
datguy
November 12th, 2012
12:07 pm
Really y’all drop TCC out of rankings after a lose… They were ranked 4 and fell all they way out… This is really some bs
Fred
November 12th, 2012
12:08 pm
@DOSTA DAWGS – I think the N vs S thing is more of a south thing. Yea, you get some people up here talking about it but it seems to mostly be in response to the big talk coming out of the south. I think your numbers should be 12.5% to win against 7 other regions that have a 12.5% chance as well. I can assure you we discount the other northern regions just because they are in the north.
Heisenberg
November 12th, 2012
12:10 pm
I had on both Alpharetta/Johns Creek and Parkview/S Gwinnett Friday night. Alpharetta/Johns Creek was certainly more entertaining and Josh Dobbs is the real deal.
Was not quit sure what to make of Parkview/S Gwinnett. I had not previously seen either play but was aware of their body of work. Jordan Ramey is a good athlete but his throwing motion reminded me of Philip Rivers and there was room for improvement in his accuracy. But maybe the Parkview defense should get the credit for that. Parkview looked a bit 1 dimensional on offense but maybe the was the SG defense.
I sense the Parkview team I saw Friday would lose on the road to a Walton team with a healthy TJones playing. But the Parkview team that upset Grayson earlier this year would beat Walton easily.
Fred
November 12th, 2012
12:11 pm
@Pack Daddy – You might want to check your facts. Clayton County schools lost accreditation because of the foolishness at the school board level, not at the school level.
whocares
November 12th, 2012
12:20 pm
Sportsnut. Not too sure about that. Valdosta and Colquitt are teams that both pass and run effectively and can play from behind. Lowndes and Camden are stout defenses that keep opposition scores down, so their offense can eat up time. Lowndes has come from behind twice this year, both in the fourth quarter. Stephenson the QB for Lowndes had his worse game of the year against Camden, and if he plays how he played against Valdosta and Colquitt, Lowndes can come from behind. But only time will tell now. Its one game at a time. And right now Lowndes is focused on Marietta. We will worry about Lovejoy, Grayson or NG when the time comes. Best of luck to all the teams. Especially Norcross, cause they are going to see what real football is when they meet Camden. Kamara wont get 30yards of rushing that game. And thats being generous
Fred
November 12th, 2012
12:24 pm
@Heisenberg – Lassiter and Grayson are both on the left side of thebrackets. They can’t meet in the Dome. You might get to see that game in the semis though if we both make it that far.
Fred
November 12th, 2012
12:28 pm
@datguy – We were number one in the state and in the nation (at least in most polls) when we lost and we just flat disappeared from the rankings and media coverage. It happens. Remember these are ranking, not standings. You are the playoffs so that is all that matters at this point.
KD
November 12th, 2012
12:28 pm
No respect for Monroe, they lose to a 7-3 athletic team and fall ALL the way out of the top 10, from fourth place, NO RESPECT AT ALL !!!!!!!!!!!!
LassiterAlumni2011
November 12th, 2012
12:28 pm
Its time to do work Now Trojans them Brookwood Ponies cant handle Eddy Printz Willie Police Juwan Dickey Lane Jackman Ryan Jekins Blake Willson Logan Doar on O and For D Josh Danforth Ryan Gildea Trenton Gant Patrick Levindowski Chris Murphy and did i mention where ranked 10th in Offense and 7th in Defense yall want some of Printz and the trojans come get some TrojanNation Its time to Rise UP lets go TROJANS and all of COBB
Colquitt Fan
November 12th, 2012
12:29 pm
Did the Lowndes kid even complete a pass against Colquitt? If he did it wasnt more than a couple. Lowndes knew what plays we were running and still only squeaked out a 3 pt win on a punt return
The Cross
November 12th, 2012
12:41 pm
Todd Holcomb-Given the resume of Norcross this season (5-0 vs. AAAAAA playoff teams) and (3-0 vs. top ten teams), I am wondering what your mindset was when looking at the rankings and a new #1 after Camden’s loss.
Thanks Todd.
Heisenberg
November 12th, 2012
12:46 pm
Oh that is right Fred. S Gwinnett win over Parkview moved Grayson out of the Camden/Norcross bracket. I think in my mind I still had them in there.
Taking a second look at the bracket cold make for some nice north/south matchups: Grayson vs Lowndes, Camden vs Norcross, Cloquitt vs McEachern, & Lassiter vs Valdosta.
I see where Wheeler got the 4th slot (apparently without mini games) from region 5 for the right to be slaughtered by Grayson. Wheeler is not good on defense but they have some speed on offense at multiple positions. Their QB is like 9 foot 6 inches tall and looks like he can run sideline to sideline in about 4 strides. He can throw it OK too and Wheeler receivers can make tough catches.
Mbrown
November 12th, 2012
12:49 pm
Nice to see the Trojans on top! BTW, they have not been playing football for 38 years…the school didn’t open until 1981.
whocares
November 12th, 2012
12:56 pm
Colquitt Fan. It only takes one pass to win a game and sometimes none. You win one game in 8 years against Lowndes and you think that you are unstoppable. The very next year you loose again and now Lowndes is stealing signs. Remember every coach that sends signs in, changes them regularly. Your coach is so arrogant that he hasn’t changed them in two years. Come on anyone with a third grade education can steal signs two years old. And remember its not illegal to steal signs. Everyone from NCAA to the NFL does it. Remember GHSA stated they found no wrong doing. So just live with with it and move on. Cause next year your gonna Lose again.
She thinks my tractor's sexy
November 12th, 2012
12:58 pm
@bksmith get back to work, someone is waiting for french fries in the drive thru.
little help please
November 12th, 2012
1:01 pm
@jvillebil Thanks.
little help please
November 12th, 2012
1:04 pm
That figures. As soon as I get my answer here they finish filling out the brackets on GHSA site. lol
jvillebil
November 12th, 2012
1:07 pm
LOL
bksmith14
November 12th, 2012
1:13 pm
i love it…..you lost to walton is right……..and they lost to grayson 24-0……..cd have been a lot worse had coach conn wanted it to be……lassiter is not in the same category as grayson….right now. i believe the teams from region 1 are the only teams that can be a real threat to beat grayson
Fred
November 12th, 2012
1:20 pm
@Heisenberg – 9′ 6″ huh? Well, you know what they say about the higher the harder the fall! Who is “they” anyway?
Seriously, we have been up against so great athletic QBs this year and have mostly done a good job. As I have said before, it is hard to be accurate while running for your life or laying on your back. Our D line and backfield compliment each other. The backs keep things mostly bottled up enough to give the line the chance they need and the line is good enough to trough the opposing QB off his game.
bksmith14
November 12th, 2012
1:20 pm
lassiter will lose to valdosta if valdosta plays like they playe this past fri beating coffee 44-8……lassiter is a good football team……..but their defense is not in the same league as grayson…camden…lowndes
Fred
November 12th, 2012
1:21 pm
“throw the opposing QB” Dang I hate typos!
bksmith14
November 12th, 2012
1:21 pm
north cobb is more of a threat to beat valdosta than lassiter is in my opinion. time will tell
jvillebil
November 12th, 2012
1:24 pm
Coffee & Brunswick were the # 5 & 6 teams in 1-AAAAAA. Neither one of them was a cake walk. They average 24 & 26 points a game in a brutal region. So other than Tifton, there wasn’t a cake walk in that region on any given night. I’m not saying that a team from this region will win the state hands down, I’m just making the remark that these 4 teams in the state playoffs are all battle tested. I would go as far as to predict more of these 4 teams will make the elite 8 than any other region in the state.
VWildcatFan
November 12th, 2012
1:43 pm
@JustHere
There is no such thing as should have, you either did or you didn’t.
VWildcatFan
November 12th, 2012
1:50 pm
bksmith.
I think Lassiter will be a tough opponent for Valdosta or any team in 1-6. They really seem to play hard and play together.
Heisenberg
November 12th, 2012
1:56 pm
I mentioned earlier I though Valdosta would be tough but Lassiter would host that game. The one thing I found curious is 1 of 3 losses Valdosta has was to AA Brook County. Granted Brook is 10-0 and ranked #2 in AA. But a AAAAAA playing a AA team just does not happen every week, let alone getting beat by them. Can anyone enlighten me on this?
Colquitt Fan
November 12th, 2012
1:59 pm
Did I say it was illegal? I said y’all knew what we were running and barely squeaked by. And I was just asking how he had an outstanding game by handing tha ball off. You misconstrued everything I said. And we had 3 losses, how did I say we were unbeatable? We had two morons for coaches before Propst, I’d say he’s giving Lowndes some good games
yo
November 12th, 2012
2:06 pm
Colquit Fan you are looking at the Lowndes/Colquit game though a homers eyes.
How many offensive points did Colquit score?
How many offensive penalties did Lowndes have?
Wasn’t that the luckiest bounce you have ever seen after a blocked field goal attempt?
How much total yardage did Lowndes have?
How much total yardage did Colquit have?
You have one thing right.
Lowdes did keep Colquit in the ball game.
Colquitt Fan
November 12th, 2012
2:10 pm
Yea y’all won. Penalties are part of the game. its not our fault yall were indisciplined. We had 7 offensive points, y’all had 10. Y’all really blew us out
Colquitt Fan
November 12th, 2012
2:14 pm
*undisciplined. Dang phone. But Lowndes is a really good team. I’m just saying y’all squeaked by us and now you act like we don’t belong on the field with Lowndes. You wouldn’t want Colquitt in the playoffs
bksmith14
November 12th, 2012
3:21 pm
lowndes beat colquitt and did not play well…..both teams (colquitt and lowndes) have gotten better since then, i would take lowndes again in a rematch, but for that to happen lowndes has got a LOT of work to do……..colquitt….not as much…..mceachern and then norcross or camden…..
marietta (7-3) lovejoy (9-1) Grayson (9-1) and either lassiter (10-0) or valdosta (7-3) talk about the death gauntlet to have to go through……..yikes!!!
it can happen though…….my confidence level for lowndes against all the teams except grayson above would be 75% in our favor………..i give it a 50-50 shot to beat grayson at grayson. be a low scoring affair with team who makes the least mistakes and winning
jvillebil
November 12th, 2012
3:35 pm
Grayson got a taste of that championship last year and even though they let there guard down against Parkview I think that was their wake up call. I think it’s will be tough to beat them at home. S.Gwin lost only 2 games (1) to Norcross a 10-0 team and then got manhandle by Grayson 41-0. I think Grayson has gotten better as the season progressed and are ready for the playoffs.
NGHS 09
November 12th, 2012
3:49 pm
Everyone try to remember that opinions are ONLY opinions and nobody can predict anything. I see a lot of arrogance on this blog that is being mistaken for confidence. It’s only Monday for Pete’s sake. Save some for Friday.
DOSTA DAWGS
November 12th, 2012
4:00 pm
@ Colquitt Fan – We are in the same region and I wish you guys the best, but werebyou at the Coquitt/Valdosta game. The only reason Colquitt came back was because the Valdosta coach took his foot off the gas pedal. Valdosta didn’t throw a pass the entire second half!! Valdosta did whatever they wanted against Colquitt. I know Colquitt feels they could’ve won that game, but had the Valdosta coach not acted like a fool in the 2nd half, Valdosta would have scored 50 or 60pts. Also, Colquitt hasn’t beaten Valdosta in 3yrs!!
@Heisenberg – The Valdosta 28-24 loss to 2A Brooks County was the Boise State win over Oklahoma some years back. No slight to Brooks, but they were alot more fired up to play Valdosta than Valdosta was to play them. This Valdosta team is very young and still learning how to go about their business week in and week out.
NGHS 09
November 12th, 2012
4:08 pm
Regarding Kamara, gap integrity and playing stout assignment football can bottle him up….BUT he returns kicks and catches passes also. He is certainly not just a runner, and if your defense misses a tackle in open space kiss him good bye. I’ll say the same for Autry. When Kamara hits the hole he is like a flash of lightning…here one minute and gone the next. If he hits the edge and the defense doesn’t contain, kiss him goodbye. There’s not a secondary player in the state that can catch him once he’s in open space. No team is unbeatable and no player is unstoppable. To think so is childish and wishful thinking. Each match up has its own dimensions and game plan, so comparing wins a losses between team “x” and team “y” is useless. Just admit you don’t know what will happen and you’re desperately hoping your team will win.
NGHS 09
November 12th, 2012
4:09 pm
@ bksmith14…You assume to much LOL
NGHS 09
November 12th, 2012
4:16 pm
No disrespect intended and I certainly don’t want to get you stirred up, but it seems to me like you are the embodiment of wishful thinking LOL.
Colquitt Fan
November 12th, 2012
4:59 pm
Valdosta has certainly had our number no doubt. Yes i was at the game and y’all outplayed us for three quarters. Valdosta always brings their A game against us. I really like y’all’s coach. But y’all didn’t need to throw the ball, y’all were running the ball. I believe we made adjustments against the run. I also believe there wasn’t anything y’all could do against us defensively at the end, especially since tie breakers are determined that way.
The Cross
November 12th, 2012
5:33 pm
whocares-Real football and holding Kamara to thirty yards? Really? I am guessing you’ve already watch film on Norcross? Or are just like alot of other South Georgia posters who type some ignorant post and try to pass it as fact. Number 1, our O-line is better than any line I have watched in Region 1. They are big, athletic and well-coached. Number 2, when we arrived down in Moultrie for our pre-season game a lot of their fans thought they were going to bottle Kamara up as well. He took the first off tackle 64 yards and had three more runs of 50+ yards. I can guarantee you one thing, he will beat anyone on Camden’s team in a foot race. If Cole Seagraves, ran one from 60 yards out, I don’t believe Alvin Kamara will have any trouble getting to the end zone. Oh and if you are thinking that loading the box will shut us down we will burn you with the pass.
Norcross is better than Camden and you shall see in three weeks if you get that far.
The Cross
LTrojan Fan
November 12th, 2012
5:45 pm
WOW…bksmith14 has spoken and we might as well not even play the games. Lets just let him decide who will win the championship and we don’t even have to go through all this stuff. NOT!!! bksmith14…it is obvious that you are young by the way you type and speak. You need to grow up, boy. By the way…there is a reason why they play the games. ANYONE can beat any team any given week. Just look at what Lassiter was able to accomplish as a number 4 seed last year. Even the McEachern coach was overheard after the game saying “they were better than we thought they would be”.
So, let me give you a little advice. Support your team and stop blasting and putting down other teams. This is HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL!!!
bksmith
November 12th, 2012
5:55 pm
I’m just an idiot trying to compensate for my short comings. My mom just called me so I have to go eat dinner. We’re having spaghetti Os.
whocares
November 12th, 2012
6:03 pm
The Cross. First off I am a Lowndes Fan. And we have one of the best defenses in the state. I have watched film on Norcross, you can have the big, athletic guys all day long. Our D Line is athletic and quick. Also our secondary is very quick. You might burn us once, but then again any secondary can get burnt once during a game. But you will not have Kamara running all over the field. Just ask Camden. JJ and Williams both were held under 30. Kamara will not get to the edge, and he will not run a 64 or anything over 50 against Lowndes D or Camdens. Seagraves run was a fluke, and he only got there because of the support down field, other wise he only runs for a max of 15. But we will see, I will let you sit on your soap box, and gloat about how Norcross is the Best, and beat you chest and anything else you want to do. When you meet Camden. Till then best of Luck.
The Cross
November 12th, 2012
6:49 pm
whocares-Beat my chest? I wish you and your fellow Region 1 had more perspective. You guys beat your chest so much that I wouldn’t be surprised if the hospitals check alot of you boys in with a bruised heart. Your loyalty towards your team is something to be admired however your arrogence about your regions and teams are nauseating. I purposeful write MOSt of my posts over the top arrogant and confrontational as a spoof on the South Georgia posters because that is 75% of what I read from you. I don’t have any clue what is going to unfold over these next 5 weeks, but I do know football and I have watched a lot of teams and I will say when Norcross brings it’s “A” game I have yet to see a team that is better. They are solid in most every facet of the game and I believe we will be a very tough out for anyone…including Camden. Camden did not play their best last Friday and if they were to play that way against Norcross we would have beaten them by a minimum of two scores. I have seen us play below our potential as well and fortunately it has not cost us a game so far. My only point is that EVERY Region 1 supporter who truly believes that ALL Region 1 teams are better than the other 28 in this tournament, I believe you guys are in for a rude awakening and your awakening might start Friday.
The Cross
Falconguy45
November 12th, 2012
7:00 pm
Lassiter folks…… I know I made a harsh statement, but Cobb schools need to prove themselves in here. This is a tough bunch.
HS football fan
November 12th, 2012
7:06 pm
I believe Lassiter as well as everyone else has a lot to prove…what happened so many years ago doesn’t have any impact on what happens going forward. The only teams that can claim benefit from their championship is the schools who won over the last 2 years as their Seniors know what the pressure & the feeling of winning a championship feels like. Good luck to all!
Falconguy45
November 12th, 2012
7:13 pm
I am looking forward to a Lowndes/Grayson semi finals. I believe this match up will happen.
2fast4u
November 12th, 2012
7:25 pm
PackDaddy is right on one point. Loveyjoy did have AAAAA numbers last year and was in AAAA. Lovejoy was in the highest classification 7 of the last 11, SO WHAT. I think Pack Daddy’s and the others point to you is. You’ve made it past the first round twice (in the years you made it to the play offs) and the only time you made it past the second round was last year when you had 5A numbers in the 4A division. Sportsnut – It’s going to take more than your mouth to impress people. Beat Lowndes in the second round, then we’ll talk. For now I agree with others. Lovejoy will go 1 and out and only because they play Tri-Cities.
Columbia Blue
November 12th, 2012
7:28 pm
@ The Cross
I am sure Norcross has a great team. It will be a great game if Camden and Norcross play each other. I personally believe region 1 AAAAAA is the best in the state. Ask yourself a question, how many QUALITY teams did Norcross play in their region? Would you like to play Camden, Lowndes, Valdosta, and Colquitt in consecutive weeks? After last Friday night the Camden Wildcats will not take anything for granted. If you do not come to play in region 1 AAAAAA you will be watching the play-offs on TV. Camden and Norcross will be a great game. Our defense is the real deal.
HS football fan
November 12th, 2012
7:34 pm
Falcon guy…I think you mean quarterfinal