Improvement Tracker: Valdosta rises to top spot in Class 6A after second round
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 a Georgia Football Coaches Association luncheon in Macon.
Class 6A
+9.50 - Valdosta (Shelton Felton)
+8.66 - McEachern (Kareem Reid)
+4.12 - North Gwinnett (Eric Godfree)
+4.07 - Harrison (Luqman Salam)
+4.03 - Brookwood (Chad Nighbert)
Class 5A
+16.36 - Jackson County (Korey Mobbs)
+11.06 - Northgate (Kevin Whitley)
+10.46 - Seckinger (Tony Lotti)
+8.59 - New Manchester (Olten Downs)
+4.68 - Shiloh (Tino Ierulli)
Class 4A
+31.47 - Lithonia (Kevin Barnes)
+17.50 - Locust Grove (Garry Fisher)
+17.23 - Griffin (Bernard Goodrum)
+16.70 - M.L. King (Joel Kight)
+14.42 - Creekside (Maurice Dixon)
Class 3A
+25.86 - North Clayton (Cap Burnett)
+17.25 - West Laurens (Kip Burdette)
+13.15 - Sandy Creek (Darius Smiley)
+10.89 - Westside-Augusta (Cedric Mason)
+10.69 - Jenkins (Tony Welch)
Class 2A
+17.35 - Franklin County (Chuck Holland)
+15.31 - Sumter County (Will Rogers)
+10.35 - Columbus (Robert Peters)
+10.05 - Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (Mac Bryan)
+3.74 - North Murray (Preston Poag)
Class A Division I
+11.19 - Haralson County (Randy Crutchfield)
+9.30 - Worth County (Jeff Hammond)
+8.75 - Oglethorpe County (Michael Holland)
+6.58 - Heard County (Shane Lasseter)
+6.30 - Pepperell (Brandon Haywood)
Class A Division II
+19.41 - Screven County (Ron Duncan)
+12.40 - Wheeler County (Thomas Smith)
+7.32 - Mount Zion-Carroll (Brad Gordon)
+3.44 - Treutlen (Alan Shurling)
+3.91 - Hawkinsville (Tim Suttles)
Class 3A-A private
+15.94 - Landmark Christian (Tommy Lewis)
+9.48 - Greater Atlanta Christian (Tim Hardy)
+7.94 - Whitefield Academy (Robert Walsh)
+5.88 - Fellowship Christian (John Thompson)
+5.20 - Holy Innocents' (Nick Perrotta)
GIAA
+17.76 - John Milledge Academy (J.T. Wall)
+11.95 - Loganville Christian (Nathan Murphy)
+6.21 - George Walton Academy (Logan Beer)
+4.95 - Stratford Academy (Paul Carroll)
+4.40 - Deerfield-Windsor (Jake McCrae)