Georgia High School Football Games of the Week: Coffee hosts Top-25 battle, Milton heads to Florida

The opening weekend of high school football in the state of Georgia delivered thrashings, upsets, plenty of weather delays and more.

With a game now under the belt for most of the state’s top teams, things will begin to ramp up this week. Headlining the in-state festivities is a single On3 Massey Ratings Georgia top-25 matchup between No. 6 Coffee and No. 14 Ware County in Douglas. Multiple Peach State programs will also be in action on ESPN across the coming days.

Below are the top games of the week in the state of Georgia as teams look to build off their season-opening wins and losses.

The On3 Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

Georgia Games of the Week

#14 Ware County vs. #6 Coffee — Friday, Aug. 23
While Friday night’s matchup between Ware County and Coffee won’t be filled with top-ranked prospects, it is the lone top-25 matchup of the week in Georgia and is sure to deliver fireworks. Coffee looked dominant in its season-opening 59-6 win over Bainbridge, while Ware County cruised to a 40-10 drubbing of Appling County last week. It’s early, but Coffee’s defensive power ranks No. 3 in the state and could provide a real edge for the Trojans all season.

#2 Milton vs. American Heritage (Fla.) — Friday, Aug. 23
After besting Buford 13-10 in one of the most anticipated games across the nation last week, Milton jumped to No. 2 in the state rankings and No. 27 in the national rankings. Now, the Eagles will travel from Alpharetta to St. Thomas Aquinas High in Florida to take part in the ESPN High School Football Kickoff. A Top-100 national program awaits in American Heritage. Multiple big prospects will be on the field on Friday, from Milton Miami QB commit Luke Nickel and Florida State WR commit CJ Wiley to Heritage running back Byron Louis and elite junior Texas QB commit Dia Bell.

#3 Mill Creek vs. #29 Norcross — Friday, Aug. 23
Opening the season on the road had no impact on Mill Creek’s offense, as it put 56 on Lambert in a 30-point victory. Another test away from home is on tap, though the Hawks may find things a bit tougher against Norcross, the No. 29 team in the state. Norcross allowed just 10 points in its victory at Lanier to kick off the 2024 campaign.

#26 Grayson vs. Thompson (Ala.) — Thursday, Aug. 22
Grayson was stunned in its season-opener last Friday, falling to now No. 10 Collins Hill at home in a tight, weather-lengthened 20-19 loss. The Rams have a big opportunity on Thursday to get back on track, however, as they’ll head to Alabama to take on Thompson — the top team in the state and No. 23 team nationally — in the ESPN High School Football Kickoff. The Warriors are led by Auburn four-star EDGE commit Jared Smith and Auburn safety commit Anquon Fegans, as well as 2027 QB Trent Seaborn, one of the best sophomore passers in the country. Grayson will counter with a defense led by elite 2026 linebacker Tyler Atkinson and a stout defensive front.

#39 Woodward Academy vs. #10 Collins Hill — Friday, Aug. 23
Despite being down by 16 at halftime, Collins Hill stormed back to beat Grayson late in a big upset to kick off the season last week. The Eagles jumped 15 spots up to No. 10 in the state rankings as a result and will now gear up for their home opener against Woodward Academy. The War Eagles were far from outclassed in their 24-14 loss to No. 5 Carrollton on ESPN last week and will look to put in another strong performance this week.

#23 Rabun Gap-Nacoochee vs. Baylor (Tenn.) — Sunday, Aug. 25
Rounding out the ESPN High School Football Kickoff on Sunday, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee will head to Tennessee to take on Baylor School in Chattanooga. The Eagles jumped into the Georgia top 25 following a 41-17 stomping of Benedictine last weekend. Georgia Tech offensive lineman commit Justin Hasenhuetl and North Carolina tight end commit Marshall Pritchett will lead Rabun Gap against Baylor blue-chip wide receiver Cameron Sparks and Ole Miss running back pledge Shekai Mills-Knight.