Improvement Tracker: Locust Grove making biggest step forward through first five weeks
GHSF Daily each week will rank the top five teams and their head coaches in each classification based on improvement in the computer Maxwell Ratings from previous seasons and beating preseason expectations. To qualify, teams must have a winning record, make the playoffs, finish in the top four of their region and improve on their playoff advancement or seeding from 2024. The Improvement Tracker is based on an objective formula that uses current and historical Maxwell Ratings. Improvement from 2024 counts most, but the formula also considers previous years to discourage rewarding traditionally strong teams that simply bounce back from a down year. In February, GHSF Daily will present an award to the nine coaches who lead their classifications at the Georgia Football Coaches Association Clinic in Marietta.
Class 6A
+8.50 - McEachern (Kareem Reid)
+7.21 - Rockdale County (Kenderrick Bonner)
+6.75 - Grovetown (D.J. Mayo)
+5.48 - Hillgrove (Justin DeShon)
+4.65 - Buford (Bryant Appling)
Class 5A
+10.81 - Northgate (Kevin Whitley)
+8.93 - Jackson County (Korey Mobbs)
+8.83 - Sequoyah (James Teter)
+6.87 - Thomas County Central (Justin Rogers)
+5.78 - Hughes (Andrico Hines)
Class 4A
+19.58 - Locust Grove (Garry Fisher)
+8.53 - Lithonia (Kevin Barnes)
+4.91 - Walnut Grove (Robert Andrews)
+4.27 - M.L. King (Joel Kight)
+2.66 - Creekside (Maurice Dixon)
Class 3A
+10.17 - Pickens (Craig Bennett)
+8.07 - North Clayton (Cap Burnett)
+6.13 - Sandy Creek (Darius Smiley)
+5.19 - LaFayette (Ethan Thomson)
+3.67 - Westside-Augusta (Cedric Mason)
Class 2A
+7.83 - KIPP Atlanta Collegiate (Corey Jarvis)
+6.35 - Franklin County (Chuck Holland)
+4.97 - Sumter County (Will Rogers)
+3.19 - Columbus (Robert Peters)
+3.00 - Morgan County (Clint Jenkins)
Class A Division I
+4.01 - Worth County (Jeff Hammond)
+3.98 - Haralson County (Randy Crutchfield)
+3.93 - Swainsboro (Scott Roberts)
+1.29 - Thomasville (Jonathan DeLay)
+0.61 - Heard County (Shane Lasseter)
Class A Division II
+7.51 - Crawford County (Dusty Jump)
+5.25 - Mount Zion-Carroll (Brad Gordon)
+4.33 - Seminole County (Cedric Stegall)
+1.68 - Hawkinsville (Tim Suttles)
+0.86 - Screven County (Ron Duncan)
Class 3A-A Private
+11.08 - Landmark Christian (Tommy Lewis)
+-1.62 - Holy Innocents' (Nick Perrotta)
+-1.68 - Greater Atlanta Christian (Tim Hardy)
+-1.73 - Aquinas (James Leonard)
+-2.26 - Whitefield Academy (Robert Walsh)
GIAA
+19.01 - Calvary Christian (Emmanuel Brunson)
+11.05 - Loganville Christian (Nathan Murphy)
+6.32 - Trinity Christian-Dublin (Bruce Lane)
+4.95 - Rock Springs Christian (Clint Ashmore)
+3.53 - Brookstone (Ian Headley)