Class AAAAAAA

1. Grayson (8-0)
2. McEachern (6-0)
3. Norcross (7-0)
4. Milton (5-1)
5. East Coweta (8-1)
6. Shiloh (9-0)
7. Wheeler (6-2)
8. Archer (8-1)
9. Peachtree Ridge (8-1)
10. Cherokee (6-1)

Class AAAAAA

1. Tri-Cities (8-0)
2. Tucker (10-0)
3. South Cobb (8-1)
4. Chattahoochee (7-3)
5. Lanier (4-3)
6. Pope (7-0)
7. Alexander (5-2)
8. Richmond Hill (9-0)
9. New Manchester (5-1)
10. Allatoona (5-1)

Class AAAAA

1. Eagle’s Landing (6-0)
2. Lithonia (8-0)
3. Dutchtown (8-1)
4. Kell (7-1)
5. Hiram (5-1)
6. Cedar Shoals (5-1)
7. Miller Grove (7-2)
8. Veterans (7-0)
9. Warner Robins (6-1)
10. Carrollton (2-3)

Class AAAA

1. Woodward Academy (10-0)
2. Sandy Creek (3-3)
3. Eastside (8-1)
4. North Clayton (4-1)
5. Denmark (7-2)
6. Cross Creek (8-0)
7. Americus-Sumter (6-0)
8. Chapel Hill (5-3)
9. Marist (6-0)
10. Baldwin (4-2)

Class AAA

1. Pace Academy (7-3)
2. Windsor Forest (5-1)
3. Johnson-Savannah (5-1)
4. Monroe (5-0)
5. Hart County (3-0)
6. Dawson County (7-1)
7. Franklin County (8-1)
8. Westside-Macon (4-4)
9. Westminster (7-1)
10. Long County (5-1)

Class AA

1. Therrell (8-2)
2. Swainsboro (5-0)
3. Vidalia (5-1)
4. Banks County (5-0)
5. Spencer (4-2)
6. Glenn Hills (6-3)
7. Jeff Davis (5-0)
8. Butler (4-2)
9. Laney (4-1)
10. Woodville-Tompkins (4-2)

Class A-Private

1. St. Francis (6-1)
2. Greenforest (5-2)
3. Mt. Pisgah (7-0)
4. Walker (7-1)
5. Trinity Christian (7-4)
6. Wesleyan (3-0)
7. Mt. Bethel (1-3)
8. Galloway (7-1)
9. Christian Heritage (4-0)
10. Whitefield Academy (4-3)

Class A-Public

1. Treutlen (6-0)
2. Wilcox County (2-0)
3. Lanier County (7-0)
4. Terrell County (4-0)
5. Calhoun County (3-1)
6. Wilkinson County (2-3)
7. Macon County (5-0)
8. Irwin County (0-0)
9. Greene County (5-0)
10. Pelham (0-0)

Entering Week 4, top teams across the state have been tested but as the clock has hit zeros, the favorites have managed to get the job done as for another week there are no new number one teams over our eight classifications.

It’s been a white-knuckle ride in Class 7A for No. 1 Grayson. Coach Geoffrey Pierce’s Rams pulled another game out of the fire, rallying to beat host No. 7 Wheeler at the Tournament of Champions Classic, 73-68. Winthrop-signee Toneari Lane scored 19 points including four big threes. Mississippi State-signee Deivon Smith had 16 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals while USF-signee Caleb Murphy pitched in 15 points and 4 steals. Kaden McArthur logged important minutes and finished with 11 points and 4 steals. No. 5 East Coweta edged rival Class 4A No. 2 Sandy Creek 67-63. No. 6 Shiloh continues its climb, up another spot after beating two early season disappointments in Berkmar (58-47) and Holy Innocents’ (84-40). No. 8 Archer led wire-to-wire in a 58-43 win over Class 5A No. 6 Cedar Shoals, getting 15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals and 1 block from unsigned senior guard CJ Hines. Out of the poll are Campbell (4-5) and Pebblebrook (3-5). The two Region 2 rivals have struggled with the Spartans losing four straight including losses to Hillgrove (58-55), Pebblebrook (68-66) and Marietta (62-52). The Falcons have played a tough schedule but haven’t been able to get over the hump with their latest loss coming to Class 6A No. 4 Chattahoochee 66-65 at the TOC. Debuting are No. 9 Peachtree Ridge and No. 10 Cherokee. The Lions have been led by the likes of sharpshooter Christian Williams, highflyer Brandon Avant and garbage guy Navaughn Maise.  The Warriors break into the poll following a 52-47 win at Class 4A No. 5 Denmark. 6-foot-5 All-State guard Taihland Owens and 6-foot-7 Elijah Tucker anchor the Warriors offense with help from gritty 6-foot-5 post Zack Vickers. Consistent offense outside of the three veterans will be what determines Cherokee’s success.

The state’s strongest region since conception, Region 5, is starting to become the focal point in Class 6A yet again. No. 1 Tri-Cities is unblemished, but the gauntlet awaits them. The Bulldogs passed their first test, escaping Douglas County 68-62. Elsewhere in Region 5, Langston Hughes (3-4) tumbles from the poll with three-straight losses. Their bad week started with a 61-60 loss to returnee No. 7 Alexander and got worse with losses against South Paulding (53-42) and Lee, AL (76-45). The Cougars of Alexander have found their footing after a slow start and called their shot before making their perfect week prediction come to fruition. Alexander polished off a 3-0 week with a 97-80 win over No. 9 New Manchester, getting a career-high 46 points from Jaylon Brown as he outdueled Dee Topps and his 27-point performance. Outside of Region 5, No. 2 Tucker survived Morrow 65-64 in overtime before knocking off Lausanne Collegiate, TN 77-73 at the Atlanta vs. Memphis Classic.  No. 3 South Cobb led from the opening tip and helped knock Sequoyah (5-3) out of the Top 10 with a 78-68 win. The Chiefs were also out-toughed by Etowah in a 72-58 loss. No. 4 Chattahoochee was in danger of a steep drop after losing 55-51 to North Atlanta but rebounded with a 66-65 win over Pebblebrook to move up one spot. No. 10 Allatoona tumbles four spots after losing 76-68 at Dalton as Franklin Almonte hung 34 points and 8 rebounds on the Bucs. Benefiting from the middle of the rankings mayhem is No. 5 Lanier and No. 6 Pope who rise three and four spots, respectively. Debuting in the poll is No. 8 Richmond Hill. The Wildcats scored wins over Camden County (48-44), Statesboro (52-47) and South Effingham (74-37) to move to 9-0. Coach Bill Henderson’s team is powered by 6-foot-3 junior Jaeden Marshall (15.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.4 apg) and 6-foot-2 senior Sheldon Lewis (14.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4 apg, 2.3 spg).

No. 2 Lithonia is piecing together a case for the No. 1 ranking in Class 5A. The Bulldogs finally dropped Southwest DeKalb (1-5) from the Top 10 with a 62-54 win and followed up by cutting down Class A-Private No. 2 Greenforest 56-48 at the TOC. Eric Gaines netted 28 points to pace Lithonia. No. 1 Eagle’s Landing and No. 3 Dutchtown tag-teamed to help push Jones County (6-2) out of the poll as the Bulldogs beat the Greyhounds 64-46 before the Eagles won 74-55. No. 10 Carrollton is clinging onto the final spot after falling two positions. The Trojans haven’t been at full strength this year and are without Melvin Edwards thanks to an ankle injury. The Trojans beat Villa Rica 57-53 and Paulding County 82-81 with a loss to No. 5 Hiram 72-70 sandwiched in between. The Hornets couldn’t keep the momentum however, losing 67-60 to Villa Rica. Jonesboro (4-3) sinks from the rankings after losing 55-50 in overtime to Griffin, barely beating Riverdale 56-53 and losing to Class 7A No. 4 Milton 55-50. The early season prediction of Class 5A being a crapshoot has rung true so far as now three new teams break into the rankings. It’s a middle Georgia invasion as No. 8 Veterans and No. 9 Warner Robins debut while DeKalb County’s No. 7 Miller Grove cracks the poll for the first time in over a year. The Wolverines are closing in on matching last year’s 9-win total with a 7-2 mark. A 55-46 win over Class A-Private No 5 Trinity Christian highlights Miller Grove’s recent resume. 6-foot-2 junior Zyair Greene is leading the attack averaging 16.7 points per game. The Wolverines will have a chance to gain some separation from the middle of Region 5 as they host rival Southwest DeKalb on Tuesday. The Panthers are in dire need of a win, sitting at 1-2 in the region after also losing to Columbia 53-50 this past week. Veterans earned a nice 66-55 win at Northside-Warner Robins and are off to their best start in over a decade at 7-0. The core of 6-foot junior DeAngelo Hines (12.5 ppg), 6-foot-6 sophomore TJ Grant (11.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.8 bpg), 6-foot-2 senior Jaylyn Williams (11.3 ppg, 5 rpg, 4 apg) and 6-foot-1 senior Horace Johnson (7.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3 spg, 1.5 bpg) rounds out the Warhawks’ production. Warner Robins is into the poll after cracking Class 3A No. 8 Westside-Macon 62-38 at the HypeSouth Hardwood Invitational. Seniors Quon Dillard and Keshun Houser have provided toughness for the Demons.

No. 3 Eastside rises one position in Class 4A after an 80-71 win over No. 4 North Clayton, offsetting 42 points from Jermaine Lattimore by getting 33 from Myles Rice. No. 7 Americus-Sumter dispatched of Dougherty 57-44 while No. 8 Chapel Hill dropped a tough one against Class 6A No. 9 New Manchester 78-68. Howard (6-2) slips from the poll following losses to Upson-Lee (78-77) and Spalding (56-44). Back into the Top 10 is No. 10 Baldwin. They got revenge with a 67-59 win over Hancock Central.

There is some shuffling atop Class 3A as No. 2 Windsor Forest leapfrogs both No. 3 Johnson-Savannah and No. 4 Monroe after the Knights pounded Beach (6-3) 79-49 sending the Bulldogs to the land of the unranked after Beach also lost 64-54 at Brunswick. The Atomsmashers fall a spot after losing 68-66 to Zebulon B. Vance, NC. No. 6 Dawson County blasted GAC (4-3) and sent the Spartans packing with a 72-40 loss at home as Emmanuel College-signee Jasper Gibson outscored the entire GAC roster with 42 points – 36 coming in the first half. GAC also lost to St. Pius X 53-44 earlier in the week, sealing their fate as they await to return to full strength outside the Top 10. The third team to exit the rankings is Jefferson (4-4), who continues to play .500 ball, losing to Monroe Area 71-68 before beating North Forsyth 72-45. Flooding the bottom of the poll is No. 8 Westside-Macon, No. 9 Westminster and No. 10 Long County. Out of the three, Long County has the most to prove in South Georgia. The Blue Tide haven’t had an overly difficult schedule, but they’ve handled their business with their latest wins coming against McIntosh County Academy 51-46 and Wayne County 51-46. 5-foot-9 junior Tostadas Pouncey and 6-foot-4 senior Trajan Weatherspoon provide scoring from all over the floor. Westside-Macon is fully on the mend as Preseason All-State guards Kowacie Reeves Jr. and Javian Mosley played their first games together this past week and defeated rival Central-Macon 68-62, the duo combining for 53 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Westminster has been the biggest surprise. They started their season with a 69-62 win over a shorthanded Class 6A No. 7 Alexander and have flourished since outside of a 64-61 overtime loss to ML King. The core of Alex Edler, Jayson Longacre and David Perchik have taken turns hitting big shots. We will get a true litmus test come Friday when the Wildcats travel to No. 1 Pace Academy.

No. 2 Swainsboro has looked good in Region 2-AA. The region places four teams in the Class 2A poll. The Tigers are up two spots after ripping returnee No. 10 Woodville-Tompkins 73-55 and traditionally respectable Tattnall County 66-46. The Wolverines are back in the rankings however after bouncing back with a 56-50 win over No. 3 Vidalia. The Indians only drop one spot after No. 5 Spencer tumbled two positions following an 0-2 week, losing to Central, AL in overtime 73-67 and to Heritage-Conyers 69-56. The fourth team out of Region 2 to grace the poll is No. 7 Jeff Davis who has seen CJ Parker and Ti King play well in support of Murray State-signee Ja’Queze Kirby. Douglass (6-2) exits the Top 10 after a 75-72 loss to Washington.

No. 3 Mt. Pisgah cracks the Top 3 in Class A-Private in their first year under Head Coach Matt Hixenbaugh. The Patriots dumped Mt. Paran (5-2) from the rankings with a 47-46 win before beating debutant No. 10 Whitefield Academy 64-42 and outlasting Pinecrest Academy in overtime 71-65. Mt. Paran also lost to Pinecrest Academy 69-47 to seal their fate. Whitefield Academy is into the Top 10 at 4-3 after a 55-54 upset over No. 4 Walker. Their win was enough to springboard them into the poll even though they were subsequently defeated by Mt. Pisgah and No. 1 St. Francis, 66-45. Walker regained their composure after their loss and defeated No. 7 Mt. Bethel 64-50.

Class A-Public’s defending state champion No. 5 Calhoun County was knocked off for the first time since the 2017-18 state playoffs, losing 67-61 to No. 4 Terrell County who skyrockets into the rankings. No. 3 Lanier County is up two spots and will host No. 2 Wilcox County on Tuesday. The Patriots tipped off their season with wins over Atkinson County (63-51) and Dodge County (84-35). No. 6 Wilkinson County lost 67-61 at Hancock Central, who is on the verge of breaking into the Top 10. Jaquavious Peek, Desmond Dunn and DMyron West have helped guide No. 9 Greene County to a 5-0 start.  Out of the poll to make way for Terrell County is Clinch County (0-0) who has yet to play a game.