By: Kenneth Harrison

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

We’re almost at the midway point for the high school football regular season. I want to take a look at some of the top teams in 7A and see how they have done thus far.

#1 Buford: The Wolves are the top team in the state and ranked #4 nationally by USA Today. They are reigning state and national champions. They have beaten some strong teams like #6 Gainesville (6A), Miami Central (FL) and Grayson.

They got a boost after Week 1 when five-star defensive lineman Jalen Brewster transferred in from Texas. He’s also rated #4 nationally for the class of 2027.

They’re about to start region play this week. AAAAAAA Region 8 is extremely weak. There’s only one other team that has at least a .500 record.

#2 Carrolton: The Trojans are always competing for a state title but coming up just short. They were 14-1 last season, with the only loss coming to Buford in the state championship game. They also lost the state championship in 2024 and 2022.

There are only three other teams in AAAAAAA Region 2 but they are tough. They consist of Douglas County, #8 Westlake and East Coweta. Carrolton is a legit contender. They are ranked #12 nationally.

#3 Newton: This is an odd position for the Rams because they aren’t a traditionally good program. They have a lot of talent on the roster this year like four-star RB Kevin Hartsfield.

They started the season with a double overtime win against Douglas County. Since then, it’s been all blowouts. A couple of notable teams they beat are #8 Roswell (6A) and Warner Robins.

They’ll start October playing at #8 Westlake. They also have Grayson and Archer in their region, so we will find out if The Rams are contenders.

#4 North Gwinnett: The Bulldogs advanced to the state semifinals last season. They picked up where they left off and they have not played a close game yet. They’ve won every game by double digits, with the closest margin of victory being 13 points.

They’ve already started region play but they will play the tough teams later in the season. That includes #6 Brookwood, Peachtree Ridge and Parkview.

#5 Lowndes: The Vikings are also beating up on the competition. They finished last season 10-2, losing in the second round of the playoffs to North Gwinnett. They start play in AAAAAAA Region 1 October 9^th, which is considered the toughest region in the state.

That consists of Camden County, Richmond Hill, #7 Valdosta and #10 Colquitt County. The Vikings are looking to win their first state title since 2007.

#6 Brookwood: The Broncos have looked good so far. They were 10-3 last season, so they have started to get back to being one of the best programs in Gwinnett County. I spoke about AAAAAAA Region 7 earlier when I talked about North Gwinnett, so I won’t mention that here. Their last state title was in 2010.

#7 Valdosta: The Wildcats have more wins than any football program in the country. They also have 24 state championships, with the most recent from 2016. They advanced to the state semifinals last season, before losing to Buford.

This team knows how to win but things will get tougher when they begin region play in mid-October.

#8 Westlake: The Lions are playing well. This school is known for producing talented players like Cam Newton, Adam “Pacman” Jones, Malik Willis, Chance Warmack and A.J. Terrell.

They get to the playoffs consistently but have never won a state championship.