Ousmane Kromah, the consensus No. 4 running back prospect nationally, rushed for a career-high 332 yards and scored on runs of 63, 56, 10 and 8 yards in the 44-35 victory over Houston County, the third-ranked team in Class 6A.

Rabun County’s offensive line of right tackle Jack Hood, right guard Alex Yearwood, center Zach Gordon, left guard Caiden Lovell and left tackles Ta’Quavian Hargrove and Michael Johnson with tight ends Carver Jarrard and Walker James paved the way for a school-record 411 yards rushing with 155 yards passing in a 42-28 victory over Fellowship Christian.

Jackson Hughes, a 5-foot-11, 225-pound senior fullback at Marist, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Hughes has a 4.2 GPA and is being recruited to play college football by Johns Hopkins, Davidson, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Cornell, Washington and Lee, and Stetson, among others.

Douglas County’s 30-27 victory over No. 2 Hughes last week was the Tigers’ first win over a No. 1- or No. 2-ranked team since 1988 (Southwest DeKalb), and it ended Hughes’ 17-game winning streak in Georgia. It also improved Douglas County to 5-0 and boosted the Tigers to the No. 4 ranking in Class 6A.

North Cobb began the season 0-2 with respectable losses to top-10 teams Westlake and Buford. Since then, the Warriors and David Eziomume have turned it on. With Eziomume rushing for 205, 268 and 326 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns, North Cobb has won three straight, its latest victory against No. 8 Milton 42-27 last week.

Stephenson’s offensive line of left tackle Jordan Woody, left guard O’Shea Stroman, center Marcus Andrews, right guard Brandon Perkins, right tackle Da’Mario Brown and tight ends Keiron Wright and Romando Craddock paved the way for 435 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in a 48-42 victory over Tucker.

Landon Dolhancyk, a 6-foot-5 senior wide receiver at McIntosh, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Dolhancyk is third in the state (all classes) in receiving yards with 550 yards on 32 catches for the Class 5A Chiefs, whose 4-1 start is their best since 2017.

Lanier County’s football checklist is updating rapidly again. The Bulldogs defeated No. 8 McIntosh County Academy 10-0 last week for their first victory in history over a top-10 team. They had been 0-54 in those games. On Sunday, they entered the Class A Division II rankings at No. 8, their first top-10 appearance in history.

Zion Johnson is a consensus top-250 national prospect among juniors, and his star should only rise after Friday night, when the Newton running back scored all four of his team’s touchdowns in a 27-12 victory over seventh-ranked Westlake, a team with seven Division I-committed players on its defense.

Troup’s offensive line of left tackle Jatorian Blackmon, left guard Steven Davis, center Wade England, right guard Amarius Perdue and right tackle Isaiah Hall with tight end Ben Taylor and immediate subs Bennett Kirk and Gavin Laney paved the way for 611 total yards on 51 plays in a 56-7 victory over Whitewater.

Wes Pope, a junior offensive lineman at Telfair County, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the week. Pope, who has a 4.0 GPA and is ranked No. 1 in his class, plays football, tennis, and golf.

The score progression of Schley County’s victory over Bleckley County tells much of the story. With Schley scoring first, it went 7-0, 7-7, 7-14, 14-14, 21-14, 21-21, 28-21, 28-28, 28-35, 35-35, 35-42, 42-42, 48-42 in overtime. That’s four official lead changes and six ties.

Not yet 100% healthy, Trelain Maddox was limited to seven carries in his first two games for Parkview, his new team. It’s safe to say he’s fully fit now. Maddox, a transfer from Buford who is committed to Georgia Tech, rushed for 220 yards and three touchdowns, the last one a 3-yard run with 1:10 left, in a 35-32 victory over North Gwinnett.

Prince Avenue Christian’s offensive line of left tackle Jake Atha, left guard Caleb Chandler, center Austin Head, right guard Mason Townsend and right tackle Cody Mitchell helped produce 521 total yards (10.2 per play) and six touchdowns with zero sacks, negative plays or penalties in a 45-17 victory over Monroe Area

A.J. Watkins, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior quarterback at Norcross, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the Week. Watkins has passed for 2,963 yards and 35 touchdowns and rushed for 1,249 yards and 14 touchdowns in his career. He has a 3.34 GPA. Watkins is committed to the Air Force Academy.

Northeast coach Jeremy Wiggins has developed a team of giant killers since taking the job at his alma mater in 2018. The Raiders have beaten eight higher-ranked teams from the same classification or larger then. The latest is Fitzgerald, the first No. 1 team that Northeast has beaten in its 53-year history.

Gainesville expected Gavin Hall to be a difference-maker when the all-state running back transferred from Hebron Christian, and he’s been that. Hall has rushed for 203, 170 and 180 yards. His touchdowns have been the difference in all three Gainesville victories.

Hiram’s offensive line of left tackle Jameson Riggs, left guard Christian Dudley, center Travion Thomas, right guard Torrian Edge and right tackle Clinton Richard paved the way for 282 yards rushing and 281 passing (9.1 yards per play) with 16 knockdown blocks and zero sacks allowed in a 52-49 victory over county rival East Paulding, ending a three-game losing streak in the series.

Sire Hardaway, a 6-foot, 160-pound senior quarterback at Douglas County, is the scoutSMART Student-Athlete of the week. Hardaway has a 3.75 GPA and has led the Tigers to a 2-0 record. He has completed 50 of 59 passing attempts (84.7%) for 644 yards and seven touchdowns. He has also rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown.

In 2017, Charley Waters led his alma mater, Jenkins County, to its first playoff victory in 57 years. But almost two years later, the coach needed a break and stepped down. In 2022, the job came open again, and Waters got the chance to resume his unfinished work.