Houston County jumps Ware County for No. 2 behind Northside
A week ago, Houston County was only two points behind Ware County for the No. 2 spot in GHSA Class AAAAA in the Georgia Sports Writers Association poll.
Apparently, the Bears’ 41-13 win over Veterans was more impressive than the Gators’ 37-8 victory over Hampton, because Houston County has jumped Ware County for the No. 2 spot this week. The Bears are right behind neighbor and region rival Northside and three spots ahead of neighbor and region rival Jones County.
Region 2-AAAAA makes up three-fifths of the top five in that class, Jones County getting three more points than Mays, which beat the Greyhounds in a quarterfinal last year and lost to Northside in the state championship.
Stockbridge, which ended Houston County’s season in the quarterfinals last year, is No. 6.
The top four teams all got first-place votes, Northside getting eight more than Houston County. And the showdowns are coming up, with Jones County at Northside on Sept. 17 and Houston County at Warner Robins a day later.
West Laurens improved two spots to No. 6 in Class AAAA after beating Vidalia, which fell from fourth to eighth in Class AA.
Mary Persons was nudged out in Class AAAA, thanks to Jonesboro’s 17-15 win over then-No. 5 Sandy Creek. Jonesboro was 11th last week, two points behind the Bulldogs.
Washington County hung on to a spot, tying Central-Carrollton for ninth in Class AAA, while Peach County dropped out.
Fitzgerald stayed at No. 2 in Class AA while Macon County moved up one to fourth. Lamar County returned to the poll, at No. 10, after thumping Pike County.
Hawkinsville fell from the Class A rankings, which have no Middle Georgia representation. Stratford is 14th, followed by Tattnall Square and Hawkinsville.
There was no change at the top of any of the classifications, but the race in Class AAAAAA is tighter, with top-ranked Archer getting three more points and one more first-place vote than Colquitt County.
This story was originally published September 2, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Houston County jumps Ware County for No. 2 behind Northside ."