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Last week’s upsets
          How about going from a 29-point Maxwell underdog to a win? That’s what Westfield did in knocking off defending GIAA AAAA champ St. Anne-Pacelli.
          It was an 18-point turnaround, 15-point underdog ACE holding off Spencer.
          There was a 31-point turnaround with Dublin’s drubbing of Swainsboro, which was Painsboro for the night.

Last week’s surprises
Thomas County Central was in control, but beat Northside by 25 less points than predicted. It’s doubtful either team played starters a whole bunch.

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

Loughdmouthings

The Falcons’ last drive Sunday was a good one. Amazing what proper blocking and holding on to the ball can do.

Conversely, the defense couldn’t not match that, most of the day. Sorry, Artie Haters, that loss to Minnesota is not on Smith or the offense. Brutal defensive fundamentals.

Dave Ragone is listed as the offensive coordinator. Maybe give him a quarter or two on Sundays to coordinate some offense and see what happens.

Can’t hurt. …

Yes, there are Southern Cal folks missing the Clay Helton Days.

And Texas A&M folks fondly recalling Kevin Sumlin.

And some Oklahoma goobers suddenly want Lincoln Riley back.

In other news, Georgia Tech folks are erasing the last head coach’s name from their brain hard drives, with big smiles. …

Man, some of these college “media” websites, you can imagine the staffers sounding like a laugh track at a coaches’ press conference. …

It does appear that that ol’ epicenter of college football out west in the mountains a whole lot of airheads were raving and slobbering and butt-kissing about is no longer out there in the mountains.

The second coming of whoever is ripping his players, ripping his assistants – of whom he hired and brought amid massive raves for no legit reason – is now, as predicted by some lucid and objective folks – just a mediocre program having a mediocre season.

Gee, the new guy at Georgia Tech has more wins in his first full year over top 25 programs than the world-changer has over top 50 (as per Sagarin Ratings) programs.

And the HBCU revolution – the number of rosters that are a mess remains disheartening – from three years involved isn’t quite materializing. …

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Yessir, those graduation rates sure were, well, interesting, to say the least. All over. No, don’t say “laughable” while giggling, or while hearing stories galore about the whole plan being just to push ‘em through so they don’t come back and cause problems. Nooo, don’t do that.

Even if those involved in the “grading” smirk and grumble. But hey, it sure livened up an already too-lively Twitter with administrative bragging.

And it gave some places the chance to post more pictures about adults at meetings or posing and smiling, because, of course, it’s all about the adults and meetings and self congratulations. …

To note: Joshua Dobbs didn’t have a big stat day Sunday, but he currently has a higher QB rating than Matthew Stafford, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Kenny Pickett, among others. He has a W this year against Dallas and one-possession losses to Baltimore, the Giants, and Commanders, while playing for a bad team that just got hammered by Cleveland. …

Some of the brilliance painfully overheard recently – you have no earthly idea how bad it gets – on Friday night streamers ‘n screamers:

Biff: “I don’t know what happened.”

Sparky: “I don’t know either.”

Then what’re y’all doing th … ah, yeah, don’t know. OK.

“There are region championship complications on the line.”

“(Team) starts out the ballgame out in the second half.”
“I was going to say something funny there.” No, no you weren’t. “I had something funny.” No, you didn’t. Rest assured.

“Uh, 23 plus 11, that’s 33 if my math is correct.”

Sponsored by extra-strengthy anything.

Waiting for somebody one time to apologize for being helpful with time and score in and out of commercials. …

That Josh Dobbs could show up on Wednesday, not take a snap, know hardly anybody’s names, throw not a pass in practice, and play that way on the road says a number of things.

One: Nobody overcomplicates their world like football coaches. Nobody makes it more difficult or convoluted or illogical than football coaches.

As a species. Vast majority. Complexity loses more big games than wins big games. But I’ll tell ya this, simple stuff like TACKLING PROPERLY and COVERING YOUR MAN win more games than anything else. On every level. …

Advice to coaches for next year: When you’re a burly favorite in your last regular-season game – you know the truth, don’ thave to say it in public – go ahead and play that last game on Thursday.

Like Jones County did. Makes a lot of sense for a few reasons. First, better officials. Second, you can give an extra day rest to some players who need it. And third, you get a chance to scout your first-round opponent with a few bodies and sets of eyes.

Nothing tells more truth than eyeballs on a game.

And the reality is that a team not playing an 11th game isn’t going to complain about finishing a day early. …

Dear Arthur Smith Whiners: Did you see the fourth quarter of Dallas-Philadelphia? Was horrrrible. Both teams deserved to lose. Players and coaches. Was worse than the entire Atlanta-Minnesota game. …

It’s November. Would the person doing Warner Robins’ MaxPreps scoretracker pleasepleaseplease realize that no, no no no, Jhayden Jones is not – not not not – the quarterback throwing touchdown passes. Nope. Been Judd Anderson doing that for, goodness, since August. …

Your early time-saving, not-paid-by-the-word, no performance art kickoff weather: High of 67ish, low of 44ish, pretty much clear. That’s brisk goin’-home weather.

If you actually go and stay past halftime like a good supporter. …

Your kickoff weather report that has nothing do with Montana or the Bahamas: Friday high around 73, low around 56, rain likely Friday night, better than 50 percent chance. Unfortunately.

Polls

As we hit the end of the regular season, an expansion: Top 10 for Division I, top 20 for Division II. Well, not really, because of a dearth of teams of at least even records that deserve a ranking.

And not all .500 teams are automatic. For example, while neither is ranked, it says here at HQ that 4-6 Tattnall ranks ahead of 5-5 Stratford and Westfield, and that both are ahead of AA Gatewood (8-2) and Central Fellowship (7-2-1).

Rankings at the end of the season will have everybody, but a head’s up: a whole lot of teams will be tied at the final spot.

Division I (6A-5A-4A-3A, 13 teams)

1. Houston County, 8-2
2. Perry, 8-2
3. Warner Robins, 7-3
4. Mary Persons, 9-1
5. Jones County, 7-3
6. Upson-Lee, 8-2
7. Westside, 8-2
8. Baldwin, 6-4
9. Howard, 5-5
10. Vacated
No other Division I team is at .500.

Division II (AA-A, GIAA, 34 teams)

1. John Milledge, 10-0
2. Bleckley County, 8-2
3. Northeast, 8-2
4. Dublin, 8-2
5. Lamar County, 8-2
6. Macon County, 8-2
7. FPD, 6-3-1
8. Putnam County, 6-4
9. Washington County, 5-5
10. ACE, 8-2
11. Southwest, 6-4
12. Hawkinsville, 6-4
13. Taylor County, 6-4
14. Wilkinson County, 5-4
15. Jasper County, 5-5