In 1977 a new British-American rock band hit the scene and released a song called “It Feels like the First Time.” It reached as high as number four on the charts. For the highly successful band, it remains one of their biggest hits ever.

For eight Georgia High School Football teams, the start of the 2017 season certainly feels like the first time they’ve ever started a season so well…or certainly the first time in a very long time. Those eight schools have all started their season’s at-least 5-0 and for all eight it’s their best season-starts in at least 23 seasons.

​Here’s a countdown look at the Top Five:

5. Winder-Barrow Bulldoggs (6-0) for the first time since 1989 – Not only is this Winder-Barrow’s best start in 29 seasons, the Bulldoggs’ (and that’s not a misspelling) six wins represents their most since 2003 when the team finished 8-3. Three of Winder-Barrow’s six wins have come by a touchdown or less. Back in 1989, the Bulldoggs finished 10-1.  The program’s best-ever season came in 1993 when Winder-Barrow reached the state semifinals. That season the Bulldoggs recorded the only three playoff wins in school history dating back to 1955. Winder Barrow will go from 7-0 Friday night at Lanier.

4. Meadowcreek Mustangs (6-0) for the first time ever dating back to program start in 1986.  No fluke for Coach Jason Carrera’s team where only one of the six wins has been decided by less than two touchdowns. Carrera has to be a leading candidate for state Coach of the Year. Bad doesn’t even begin to describe Meadowcreek’s football history. There’s been ten 0-10 seasons. There’s been seven 1-9 seasons.  The Mustangs entered this season having gone 15-173 since 1998. That’s an average of less than one win per season over the last 19 years!  Meadowcreek will face Region 7-7A’s four playoff teams from a year ago in their final four games this season. The Mustangs will try to make it 7-0 Friday night vs. Brookwood.

3. Tift County (7-0) for the first time since 1983. I’ve already written a good deal about the Blue Devils in this space and now Tift is off to its best start in 35 seasons. That 1983 team started the season 9-0 but it’s how they finished that Blue Devils remember best.  Tift won their one and only state championship in 1983 demolishing LaGrange 59-6 in the Final. The 2017 Blue Devils also have a high-powered offense led by quarterback Griffin Collier and three-star wide receiver Rashod Bateman who is committed to Minnesota and leads the state in receiving yards. Back in 1983, Coach Gene Brodie led Tift to the state title. The Blue Devils will go for 8-0 in the stadium that bears his name, two weeks from now when Tift welcomes number-one ranked Lowndes to town.

2. Lee County (7-0) for the first time ever dating back to program start in 1971. And we here at GPB have taken notice. We have the Trojans ranked number one in our 6A Poll.  Lee County has not had a close game since I called their 21-17 win over Mary Persons in the Corky Kell Classic.  Not that I’ve had anything to do with it haha.  Not one of their six wins since has been decided by less than 25 points. They have a little recruited QB who is very good in Jace Orndorff. He’s much like Tift County’s Griffin Collier in a lot of ways.  The Trojans defense is led by Michigan 4-star commit Otis Reese, the ninth-ranked outside linebacker in the country. Lee has allowed just seven points total in their last three games. The Trojans must wait a week before getting their shot at 8-0 when they host Northside-Warner Robins.

1. Jones County (6-0) for the first time since 1930. Way back then, the Greyhounds finished the season 6-0-1 in just their second season ever. Things are a little different here in 2017. Led by quarterback Teldrick Ross, Jones County has scored less than 42 points just once and that was a 34-26 win over Eagles Landing. That’s the only game the Greyhounds have played that they didn’t win by at least 29 points. Jones County’s coach is Justin Rogers who came to the program four years ago after serving as the offensive coordinator for Griffin’s 2013 State Championship Team. He had a QB with the Bears named Jacquez Parks who was the State Player of the Year. Rogers says Ross is a lot like Parks.  The Greyhounds have had only 10 playoff seasons in their 88-year history and three of those have come in Rogers’ first three seasons. Bank on this being the fourth straight season. The Greyhounds will go for 7-0 two weeks from now when they host Union Grove.

Honorable Mentions:  Burke County (5-0) and Cedar Grove (5-0) for the first time since 1991.  Toombs County (5-0) for the first time since 1995.

Here’s a look at this week’s verbal commitments in Georgia:

Stockbridge OT James Ohonba committed to Michigan State. 247 Sports Composite 4-Star and #24 ranked OT in the nation.

Loganville CB Donte Burton committed to Wisconsin.  247 Sports Composite 3-Star.

Brookwood ATH Jamison Collier committed to Ohio.  247 Sports Composite 3-Star.

Brunswick CB Jaylen Jackson committed to Cincinnati.  247 Sports Composite 3-Star.

 See ya’ Friday 7-10 p.m. for another edition of Football Fridays in Georgia on GPB.  We’ll be talking about all this and more!

*Special thanks to GHSFHA.org.  A wonderful resource for researching Georgia High School Football.