We’re back covering another week of must-see high school football action across the state.
Week 1 saw several high-profile battles between nationally ranked teams in Georgia. We have several new interesting games this week as more of the state’s top programs will face off Friday night.
Follow below for the latest highlights, notable moments and other standout information from all games in Week 2.
To submit entries — highlights, notable moments or impressive stats — for consideration, tag @theleoreport on X.
To see live scores for all games, go to ajc.com/sports/varsity/football/scores.
Several Southwest Georgia games have been hit with lightning delays in the last couple hours.
Coffee at Ware County, Irwin County at Worth County and Thomas County Central at Cairo have all reported weather delays.
Another AJC Super 11 selection and UGA commit flexed his muscles with a physical play.
North Oconee EDGE Khamari Brooks plowed through two Clarke Central offensive lineman, flushing the quarterback and forcing a sack. Check it out, courtesy of @JedMay_ on X.
Two favored teams from Jackson County are on upset watch tonight, tied at halftime.
Jefferson entered its Week 2 home game against Jackson County as a 26.5-point favorite.
The Dragons and Panthers are tied 3-3 at halftime. Jefferson finally scored its first points with 1:29 before halftime on a 43-yard field goal, according to Sara Tidwell of the Athens Banner-Herald.
Commerce was a 13.5-point favorite against East Jackson but is tied 0-0 at the break.
Craig Dandridge, a four-star wide receiver and UGA commit, just showed another reason why he was an AJC Super 11 selection this season.
And it had nothing to do with receiving.
Dandridge looked like a Georgia offensive lineman on this Cambridge touchdown, blocking three defenders for a teammate on a screen pass behind him.
Rabun Gap is off to a very ideal start at Grayson.
The Eagles, who come from a boarding school in Northeast Georgia, have jumped out to a 12-0 first-quarter lead over the reigning 6A state champion Rams.
Rabun Gap scored its first touchdown on a blocked punt.
Grayson quarterback and UNC commit Travis Burgess apparently suffered an injury but is back in action, according to Wesley Powell.
To read about Rabun Gap, the 15-year-old program independent of GHSA with an international roster, you can check out the AJC Varsity story below.
How a small private school in far North Georgia has built a football power
To get y’all pumped for another Friday night, check out some of the top hype videos and graphics posted by teams from around the state.
Several well-known programs did not live up to their reputation in Week 1.
Here's a look at three teams that enter Week 2 looking to prove themselves as better than they were last weekend.
1. Bowdon: The defending state champions of Class A Division II started the season with a 26-0 loss to Fellowship Christian. The Red Devils hope a return home and an inferior opponent will help kickstart the offense, led by 5-star wide receiver Kaiden Prothro.
2. Cedartown: The Bulldogs entered the season as a 12-point favorite against visiting Rockmart. Not only was Cedartown upset, but it lost 56-7 at home.
The Bulldogs figure to have a reset game in front of them tonight against Berkmar.
3. Collins Hill: The nationally top-100-ranked Eagles had a brutal opponent to start the season in Grayson, but Collins Hill didn't help itself much in a 51-3 loss. The Eagles had multiple special teams mishaps resulting in safeties, they struggled with pre-snap penalties and turnovers and they fumbled several snaps in the blowout loss.
Tonight's game at Woodward Academy is much more favorable in terms of competition, but the Eagles need to prove they can play clean football.
Infamous high school football coach Rush Propst will make his coaching debut with Coosa Christian (Alabama) tonight.
But of course, the game won't be in Alabama. It'll be right back in South Georgia, where Propst coached two powerhouse programs.
Rush Propst is reportedly back to coaching, returns to Georgia next Friday
Propst's Conquerors will visit Pierce County at 7 p.m. tonight. Propst is Coosa Christian's interim head coach after former coach Mark O'Bryant was suspended by the school.
Storms appear to be rolling in from the East Coast throughout the night. The Weather Channel radar shows storms from northeast to southeast Georgia.
More storms are predicted to cover a larger portion of the state by 10 p.m.
Before we move on to Friday night coverage, let's look back on three main highlights from last night.
1. Red Elephant Stampede
Gainesville swept a home-and-home series over Moody from Alabama last night. The Red Elephants, who beat Alabama's No. 20 team (MaxPreps) 31-7 on the road last season, left no doubt at home.
Gainesville jumped out to a 35-0 lead by halftime and finished with an impressive 49-7 win.
2. Washington wins single-digit brawl over Hardaway
It wasn't an offensive clinic by any means, but Washington took its first win of the season in its home opener against Hardaway.
The Bulldogs beat the Hawks 7-2 on first quarter touchdown, according to a MaxPreps report.
3. Upset: Turner County handles Tift Area Academy
GIAA member Tift Area Academy was given a 58.2% chance to beat Turner County at home last night.
But Turner Count left no doubt with a 28-7 win, their first of the season.
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