TIFTON — Three local teams were included in the initial Associated Press Georgia High School Top 10 for their classifications, but Tift County was left off the list.
The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane and the Cook High Hornets are ranked side-by-side in the intitial Top 10 for Class AA released Monday. Meanwhile, the Turner County Rebels were ranked No. 9 in the Class A poll.
Fitzgerald was ranked No. 5, just ahead of Cook at No. 6. The teams are new region opponents after Fitzgerald moved to Region 1-AA after being a consistent playoff team in Region 2-AA. They joined Cook, the Region 1-AA runner-up last year, in a region that features several teams that are expected to be contenders including Brooks County and Randolph-Clay — teams that also received votes in the poll.
In Region 1-AAAAA, the Tift County Blue Devils started out just out of the top 10 in the Class AAAAA poll. Tift received votes in the poll but did not break the top 10.
Four other region opponents are on the list, however. The two-time state champion Lowndes High Vikings are ranked No. 1, followed by the Valdosta Wildcats at No. 6, the Warner Robins Demons at No. 8 and — perhaps surprisingly — the Colquitt County Packers at No. 10.
The Packers were voted fifth in the preseason Region 1-AAAAA poll behind Tift. In the poll, Lowndes, Valdosta, Warner Robins and Tift were the top four — in that order.
The differences in the statewide poll and the region poll suggests that there is a variance of opinions among the state’s sports writers about Region 1-AAAAA. The AP poll was voted on by writers across the state while the Region 1-AAAAA poll was voted on by writers who cover the region teams.
The Tifton Gazette’s Steve Carter participated in both polls.
For a complete list of all the region rankings, see page 2B.
The Associated Press 2006 Georgia high school pre-season football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses and total points.
Class AAAAA
1. Lowndes (8) 89
2. Brookwood 78
3. Camden County (1) 72
4. Parkview 50
5. Stephenson 49
6. Valdosta 34
7. Kell 22
8. Warner Robins 18
9. McEachern 12
tie Central Gwinnett 12
10. Colquitt County 8
Others receiving votes: Roswell, Walton, Tift County, Norcross, East Coweta, Newnan, Marietta.
Class AA
1. Charlton County (7) 88
2. Greene County 72
3. Calhoun 66
4. Buford 58
5. Fitzgerald 42
6. Cook 38
7. Greater Atlanta Christian (2) 38
8. Dublin 33
9. Macon County 19
10. Darlington 14
Others receiving votes: McIntosh County Academy, Brooks County, Randolph-Clay, Washington-Wilkes, Lovett, Vidalia, Morgan County, Swainsboro.
Class A
1. Lincoln County (9) 90
2. Bowdon 72
3. Johnson County 65
4. Hawkinsville 56
5. Bremen 50
6. Twiggs County 45
7. Savannah Country Day 40
8. Clinch County 31
9. Turner County 7
10. Landmark Christian 5
Others receiving votes: Commerce, Portal, Gordon-Lee, Social Circle, Jefferson, Seminole County.
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