When the first of the state football high school polls comes rolling out today, expect the Griffin High Bears to move from No. 2 to No. 1. Thanks to a 50-0 win Friday against Forest Park and No. 1-ranked Tucker’s 35-7 loss to Marist, the Bears will likely move up to the top spot in the state’s two largest and oldest polls — the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Association Press.

Griffin, which was second in both polls, already had two first-place votes last week in the Associated Press Poll. In the state’s third major poll, the Georgia PrepCountry.com Coaches poll, the Bears were No. 3 in Class AAAA last week behind No. 2-ranked Southwest-DeKalb and No. 1-ranked Tucker.

The Bears were also ranked No. 3 in the Mawell Rankings and No. 1 in the Max Prep Poll as well as No. 3 (behind No. 2 Tucker and No. 1 Westside-Macon) in Ken Massey’s consensus rankings, which takes all of the polls mentioned above and crunches out yet another poll.

Any way you cut it, Griffin will be either No. 1 or No. 2 in two weeks when it plays at No. 7 North Clayton (which will also likely move up in the polls) because the Bears are off next week.

*****

NIGHT OF FIRSTS: It was a night of firsts for Skipstone Academy Friday against Heritage Christian in its first-ever home football game. Milestone events on the Warriors’ brand new field included:

n The first TD was by Heritage Christian’s Jake Smith on a 40-yard run (11:30, 1st quarter). n The first penalty of the game was on Skipstone for offensive holding.

n Skipstone’s initial first down came on a 24-yard run by QB Dustin Barnett (9:05, first).

n Skipstone’s first turnover on the new field was a fumble by Ty Reeves, which was returned for a touchdown by Heritage’s Austin Hurler in the 1st quarter.

n Skipstone’s Braxton Pryor recorded the team’s first home-field fumble recovery (33.9, first) and the team’s first quarterback sack at home (6:38, third).

n Tommy Couch nabbed Skipstone’s first interception at home and ran it back 41 yards (1:52, fourth). Couch also scored the team’s first home touchdown on a 10-yard run (51.8, fourth) and Barnett scored Skipstone’s first home-field 2-point conversion seconds later.

*****

FINISHED PRODUCT: Skipstone head football coach Bob Cupp was overjoyed to walk on the home field with the team before the game.

It wasn’t too long ago that he, the team and school officials spent evenings and weekends gathering sod, laying and watering it and basically putting the field together from scratch.

“It is awesome to see this field now,” he said. “It was very special when we came out here hours before the game and walked the field as a team. It was an unforgettable moment.”