Class AAAAAAA

1. Grayson (1-0)
2. McEachern (0-1)
3. Wheeler (1-0)
4. Newton (1-0)
5. Berkmar (0-0)
6. Milton (0-0)
7. Osborne (0-1)
8. Peachtree Ridge (1-0)
9. Norcross (0-1)
10. Walton (0-0)

Class AAAAAA

1. Alexander (0-0)
2. Woodward Academy (0-1)
3. Riverwood (0-0)
4. St. Pius X (0-0)
5. Jonesboro (0-0)
6. Shiloh (1-0)
7. Lakeside-Evans (0-0)
8. South Paulding (0-0)
9. Langston Hughes (0-0)
10. Lanier (0-1)

Class AAAAA

1. Kell (1-0)
2. Eagle’s Landing (0-0)
3. Maynard Jackson (1-0)
4. Dutchtown (0-1)
5. Hiram (0-0)
6. Chapel Hill (0-0)
7. Mays (0-0)
8. Tri-Cities (0-0)
9. Union Grove (1-0)
10. Warner Robins (0-0)

Class AAAA

1. Pace Academy (0-0)
2. McDonough (0-0)
3. Holy Innocents’ (0-0)
4. North Oconee (1-0)
5. Madison County (0-0)
6. Walnut Grove (1-0)
7. Central-Carrollton (0-0)
8. Seckinger (0-0)
9. Fayette County (0-0)
10. Benedictine (0-0)

Class AAA

1. Sandy Creek (0-0)
2. Douglass (1-0)
3. Cedar Grove (1-0)
4. Cross Creek (0-0)
5. Johnson-Savannah (1-0)
6. Dougherty (0-1)
7. Calvary Day (0-0)
8. Long County (0-0)
9. Hebron Christian (1-0)
10. Adairsville (0-0)

Class AA

1. Columbia (0-0)
2. Westside-Augusta (1-0)
3. Butler (0-0)
4. Southwest-Macon (0-0)
5. Dodge County (0-0)
6. Thomson (0-0)
7. Spencer (0-0)
8. North Cobb Christian (0-0)
9. Walker (0-0)
10. Vidalia (0-0)

Class A D-I

1. Mt. Vernon (0-0)
2. Darlington (0-0)
3. Paideia (1-0)
4. Savannah (0-1)
5. St. Francis (0-1)
6. Mt. Pisgah (0-1)
7. King’s Ridge (0-0)
8. Oglethorpe County (0-0)
9. Swainsboro (0-0)
10. Temple (0-0)

Class A D-II

1. Christian Heritage (0-0)
2. Portal (0-0)
3. Calhoun County (0-0)
4. Greenforest (0-1)
5. Mitchell County (0-0)
6. Macon County (0-0)
7. Clinch County (0-0)
8. Randolph-Clay (0-0)
9. Jenkins County (0-0)
10. Charlton County (0-0)

Week 1 of the GHSA season is in the books, gifting us a handful of Top 10 showdowns across multiple classifications and already affording us a new number one team in Class 7A. Georgia’s Elite 8 Tip-Off Classic, SWD Showdown IX, Hoops 4 Hunger, Double Trouble Invitational and North Georgia Showcase highlighted the opening weekend. One take away from the first two days of the season is this: You better practice your free throws. With the elimination of the one-and-one bonus and the implementation of an automatic two free throws on the fifth team foul, games have quickly turned into free throw shooting contests and have lengthened the duration of each game by slowing the pace. So far, the experimentation of the new foul rules have not earned rave reviews from coaches or those in the stands.

The Elite 8 Tip-Off Classic featured six preseason Class 7A Top 10 teams in action. No. 1 Grayson usurped No. 2 McEachern for the top spot in the state, knocking off the Indians 79-62 behind Gicarri Harris’ 20 points and 6 assists and Appalachian State-signee Anthony Alston’s 17 points to withstand a 29-point effort from Rutgers-signee Ace Bailey. No. 3 Wheeler rallied past Class 5A No. 4 Dutchtown 52-49 as Kennesaw State-signee Ricky McKenzie scored 17 points and Arkansas State-signee Josh Hill tallied 16 points. No. 4 Newton shook off a slow start and erased a 26-19 halftime deficit to beat No. 7 Osborne 55-45 while Carrollton (0-1) couldn’t do the same, dropping out of the poll following a 71-65 loss to Class 5A No. 3 Maynard Jackson, wasting a 28-point outing from O’Brien Watkins. No. 9 Norcross sinks three spots after losing to Grovetown 59-52 at the Double Trouble Invitational and having Centennial transfer Kennedy Warren ruled ineligible. Entering the rankings is No. 8 Peachtree Ridge. The Lions won at Class A D-I No. 4 St. Francis in the Double Trouble Invitational 83-64, Connor Teasley dumping in 24 points.

Two ranked teams lost in Class 6A, headlined by No. 2 Woodward Academy’s defeat at Hoops 4 Hunger against Class 3A No. 2 Douglass, 71-68. Deke Cooper provided 20 points and 8 rebounds in the loss. Over at the North Georgia Showcase, No. 10 Lanier was beat by Preseason Class 4A No. 9 Walnut Grove 76-62, dropping four spots in the poll. Tahai (20) and Amari (19) Morgan combined for 39 points in defeat. Preseason All-State selection DeAndre Cowan, a transfer, was ruled ineligible zapping the Longhorns of a critical perimeter scorer. No. 6 Shiloh climbs two spots with their 69-61 win over Winder-Barrow at the North Georgia Showcase. North Carolina move-in Jullien Cole collected 19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals while Tylis Jordan added 19 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Class 5A defending state champion No. 1 Kell rolled past Class A D-II No. 4 Greenforest 85-61 at the Elite 8 Tip-Off Classic. Alabama A&M-signee Jaylen Colon posted 20 points and 7 assists while South Florida-signee CJ Brown tacked on 18 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Connor Staphylaris and Carman-Ainsworth, MI transfer Chris McLavish sank four three-pointers apiece, finishing with 16 and 14 points, respectively. No. 3 Maynard Jackson has lost Kennesaw State-signee Mekhi Turner for 2-6 weeks after getting hurt in their scrimmage, but the Jaguars still clawed out a 71-65 win over Preseason Class 7A No. 9 Carrollton 71-65, Cassius Watkins (22) and Yusef Bowyer (20) combining for 42 points. No. 4 Dutchtown saw a fourth quarter lead slip away after Joah Chappelle fouled out, losing to Class 7A No. 3 Wheeler 52-49. No. 9 Union Grove moves up a spot after trouncing East Coweta 75-55 at the Blockbuster Classic.

Two Region 8-4A teams won their season debuts at the North Georgia Showcase. No. 4 North Oconee woke up in the second half against Clarke Central after trailing 31-25 at the break to score a 72-65 victory. Trailing 46-45 heading into the final frame, the Titans turned to All-State guard Byrd Carter to make the final push. Carter scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter. Justin Payne netted 17 points and Evan Montgomery double-doubled with 14 points and 13 rebounds while the Titans harassed Marcus Gillespie into 18 points on 6-23 shooting. No. 6 Walnut Grove springs up three spots thanks to a 76-62 win over Preseason Class 6A No. 6 Lanier. Chase Roux (24), Marcus Smith (21) and Tyler Jewell (16) spearheaded the attack from the backcourt.

In Class 3A, No. 2 Douglass held off Class 6A No. 2 Woodward Academy 71-68, leading a majority of the game at Hoops 4 Hunger. The Astros were led by their impact transfers. Noah Treadwell collected 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists while RJ Winegarner posted 15 points and 7 rebounds. Region 5 foe No. 3 Cedar Grove blew out Eastside 73-30 at SWD Showcase IX getting 19 points from Jayden Scott and a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double from Manny Green. No. 5 Johnson-Savannah rises a spot after winning at Southwest DeKalb 57-56 at the SWD Showcase, Joshua Quarterman erupting for 29 points. No. 6 Dougherty slides a position with a 51-46 loss to Westover. No. 9 Hebron Christian edged Parkview 67-66, Blake Wilson with the game-winner. Wilson finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds while MaTaj Glover netted 23 points.

There is no movement in Class 2A, but there could be soon. No. 2 Westside-Augusta hammered Miller Grove 81-36 at Hooping in Middle Georgia. DeMarco Middleton scored 18 points while Lavonta Ivery chipped in 16. Ivery’s former team No. 6 Thomson is stilling waiting for football players to return but got bad news with Tramon D’Antignac injuring his ankle and requiring surgery, putting him on an eight-week timetable to potentially return.

Class A D-I remains unchanged although three teams suffered losses. No. 3 Paideia handled their business at SWD Showcase IX, beating Lithonia 60-44. No. 4 Savanah fell at SWD Showcase IX, losing 81-72 to Tucker in Coach George Brown’s debut. Over at Double Trouble Invitational, No. 5 St. Francis lost to Class 7A No. 8 Peachtree Ridge 83-64 while Region 6 brethren No. 6 Mt. Pisgah was knocked off by Wilson Academy 71-54.

Only one game was played in Class A D-II, but there still is substantial news afoot. No. 4 Greenforest was overpowered by Class 5A No. 1 Kell at the Elite Tip-Off Classic 85-61, Elijah Lewis with 24 points. The biggest news coming in the classification is No. 10 Charlton County losing three-point specialist Jarvis Wright to Ware County. The 19.9-point per game scorer leaves a massive void for the Indians and drops them three spots in the poll yet to even play a game.