Middle Georgia HS football power rankings: Perry, Jones, Tattnall move up this week

High school football is well underway in Middle Georgia, and Week 5 saw some exciting games with multiple teams in the Top 10 picking up big wins and a few putting together dominating bounce-back performances after losses in Week 4.

No team dropped out of the Top 10. Friday will feature a showdown between the top team and arguably their toughest test to date.

1. Warner Robins

The Demons have opened their season with four consecutive victories, scoring at least 48 points in each game, while the defense has only given up 16 points in the past two weeks to Northside and Houston County.

Warner Robins will face Lee County next; a showdown of two of the best teams in the state. A win will further solidify Warner Robins as the team to beat in 5A.

Last week: 49-9 win over Houston County

Previous rank: 1

2. Perry

The Panthers were on a bye this week but their resume keeps them in the No. 2 spot. Perry has wins over Houston County, Crispy County and Veterans. The wins have all come in blowouts. Perry matches up with Rutland Thursday night and, once again, should be favored.

Last week: Bye

Previous rank: 2

3. Northeast

Northeast lost 10-7 in Week 4 but bounced back in a significant way with a blowout win over Monroe County. The Raiders can look back at last week’s loss as a learning opportunity, one that should fuel a playoff run. Northeast gets a bye week before taking on Washington County to open region play.

Last week: 27-6 win over Monroe

Previous rank: 3

4. Northside

A blowout loss to Warner Robins could have been a potential turning point in the season. Instead, Northside bounced back with a blowout win over Richmond Hill. A season ago, Richmond Hill defeated Northside by 40 points, but the Eagles are a much different team this year. Next up is Colquitt County, one of the top teams in Georgia and another team that got the best of Northside last season, winning 63-14. This will be a good measuring-stick game for Northside.

Last week: 43-7 win over Richmond Hill

Previous rank: 4

5. Stratford

Stratford is off to a 4-0 start heading into its bye week. If Stratford can knock off Calvary Day coming out of the bye week, then it will go into region play undefeated for the second straight season.

Last week: 34-7 win over Mount Paran

Previous rank: 5

6. Peach County

The Trojans got their first win on the season with a strong performance against another Top 10 team in Mary Persons. It seems the Trojans will once again be the favorites to win the region. Next up is another region matchup against Americus-Sumter.

Last week: 35-13 win over Mary Persons

Previous rank: 6

7. Jones County

After going 1-2 in non-region play, the Greyhounds have responded with back-to-back blowouts to open up their region schedule. Locust Grove is next and is 0-4 to start the season. Look for Jones County to win another game by a large margin.

Last week: 42-9 win over Stockbridge

Previous rank: 8

8. Tattnall

The Trojans are 3-0 to start the season for the second straight year. Tattnall struggled after this point in 2020, losing six of their next seven games before a first-round playoff exit. Tattnall gets Aquinas next, and we’ll know more about the Trojans after that game. A win would solidify them as a fixture in the power rankings.

Last week: 23-14 win over Savannah Country Day

Previous rank: 10

9. Bleckley County

The Royals are 4-0 to start the season and got a well-deserved bye week before they open up region play against Dodge County. A win would be a big step forward for Bleckley County in establishing it as a contender in the region.

Last week: Bye

Previous rank: 9

10. Mary Persons

A loss is never a good thing, but Mary Persons competed well against Peach County, despite the final score.

The Bulldogs were down 21-13 with under five minutes left in the game. A quick kickoff return and garbage time touchdown by Peach County made the loss look worse than it was. Mary Persons will need help to win the region after starting out 0-1 to the favorites. But this should be a playoff team this year after missing for the first time under head coach Brian Nelson last season.

Last week: 35-13 loss to Peach County

Previous rank: 7

No teams dropped out of the top 10

This story was originally published September 21, 2021 at 5:00 AM.