Friday was a big night for the rushers as Callaway’s Qua Whitfield, Hebron Christian’s Gavin Hall, Calhoun’s Caden Williams and Jefferson’s Sammy Brown all topped the 200-yard mark in Week 10 victories.

Jefferson and Thomasville are back in the top 10 after victories over ranked opponents Friday, and Bowdon is No. 1 for the first time since 2006 after the 10th weekend of high school football. Bowdon, which didn’t play last week, moved into the top spot in Class A Division II after previous No. 1 Early County lost to Eufaula, Ala., 31-28. Bowdon (8-1) has lost only to Central-Carrollton, a Class 4A school. Early (6-2) has lost consecutive games, although to strong teams.

Nick Woodford of Northeast in Macon, Tate Morris of McIntosh and Jaden Gibson of Rabun County maintained their leads in rushing, passing and receiving yards this week, although several epic performances last week shook up the standings.

Several games around the state this weekend will determine likely region champions. Among them are Eagle’s Landing Christian at Callaway, Irwin County at Brooks County, Loganville at Jefferson, Putnam County at Thomson and Thomasville at Dougherty.

Below are the computer Maxwell Ratings’ projected first-round matchups in classes 3A through A. With three weeks left in the regular season, not all predictions will come true, of course, but the bracket itself – showing which regions match up against each other in the first round and beyond – is set in stone.

Buford’s Justice Haynes, Fannin County’s Corbin Davenport and Upson-Lee’s Ja’Quan Bentley rushed for a combined 882 yards, Alpharetta’s Ben Guthrie passed for 420 yards and seven touchdowns, and McIntosh’s Marcus Malone had 413 all-purpose yards in Week 9 games.

Buford’s grip on the No. 1 ranking in Class 7A is tighter than ever with three weeks remaining in high school football’s regular season. Buford, ranked at the top since preseason, defeated then-No. 3 Mill Creek 37-29 on Friday in a game between unbeaten Gwinnett County rivals. It was Buford’s second win over a ranked 7A opponent as the Wolves beat current No. 6 North Cobb 21-14 last month. Buford (7-0) doesn’t have a top-10 opponent on the remainder of its schedule.

Northeast sophomore Nick Woodford put more distance between himself and the field last week with a career-high 302 rushing yards in a 49-16 victory over Kendrick. Woodford has rushed for a GHSA-leading 1,619 yards and 25 touchdowns in seven games. Other state leaders are McIntosh quarterback Tate Morris (2,126 passing yards) and Rabun County’s Jaden Gibson (1,078 receiving yards).

All eyes will be on the big Class 7A showdown between No. 1-ranked Buford and No. 3 Mill Creek, but there will be other important region matchups this weekend, as well. Among the games in which the winner will emerge with at least a share of first place in their regions are Aquinas-Lincoln County, Cambridge-Kell, North Cobb Christian-South Atlanta, Rabun County-Elbert County and Sandy Creek-Carver of Atlanta.

It’s too soon to know who’ll finish where in each region, but the GHSA brackets are set. That is, it’s predetermined which regions will face off against each other in the first round and beyond. Below are the computer Maxwell Ratings’ projected first-round matchups in classes 7A through 4A.