Buford defeated Cook on Friday night in a key Class AA quarterfinal. Photo by Josh Martindale

South Georgia has the tradition, but this year, Gwinnett has the crown in terms of playing the state’s best football.

After Friday night’s quarterfinals action, Gwinnett teams had taken four games from opponents from South Georgia, including two out of three in Class 5A from programs in the esteemed Region 1. And, even more impressively, all three 5A Gwinnett squads were on the road against their South Georgia, Region 1 foes.

Despite South Georgia teams routinely taking home state titles throughout history in Georgia high school football, Gwinnett County has become a serious factor in all classifications on a yearly basis. While reaching the level of consistency over decades, as South Georgia has, Gwinnett is certainly at the forefront of Georgia high school football now.

From Parkview and Brookwood’s success in the 90’s to Wesleyan’s and Buford’s recent success in Class A and AA, Gwinnett has its footprint on prep football from top to bottom.
The quarterfinals of the state playoffs further improved the respect for Gwinnett football.
Collins Hill, Grayson and Mill Creek each traveled from their Gwinnett campuses to Region, South Georgia stadiums Friday and two of them came away with unexpected victories while the third fought valiantly in defeat. Despite the long bus ride and a huge disparity in fans at the games, the Eagles and Rams upset their homestanding foes.

And those two adversaries just so happen to be two of the most highly decorated programs traditionally in the state – Valdosta and Lowndes.

If those two upsets weren’t enough, there are two other games that add to Gwinnett’s cache of football glory. Wesleyan upset defending state champ Wilcox Co. in Class A while Buford defeated unbeaten Cook in Class AA. Cook was one of the favorites for the state title and had defeated Class 5A Colquitt previously this season, The same Colquitt squad that has advanced to the semifinals. Wesleyan, on the other hand, beat a talented Wilcox Co. squad who boasts quarterback/defensive back Nick Marshall, who is considered one of the best players in the state, regardless of classifications.

While this Gwinnett domination may only last one year, it proves that the county can play with the state’s best. And it is a good bet that Gwinnett squads will continue to be a force throughout the state in at least three of the five classifications.

And just think- North Gwinnett and Peachtree Ridge, who were both ranked in the Class 5A top five for weeks, are sitting at home.

It is safe to say that the quality of football being played in Gwinnett right now is as good as there is in the Peach State.