AJC > Sports > Highschools > Blog > Archives > 2006 > December > 18 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USFinal rankings got you rankled?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’d like to say ‘’I told you so’’ about Roswell, but I can’t.
Even though I was the first to rank Roswell No. 1 in September, I was also the first to boot the Hornets completely out of the rankings when they lost to Wheeler (a decision I still believe was merited under the circumstances at the time).
But I never thought the Hornets were a legitimate state championship contender until the semifinals.
Same goes for Peachtree Ridge, although no need to apologize for that one. I saw the Lions as a dangerous fourth seed and a real sleeper. Just didn’t figure a state title was coming from it.
What I really expected was that a Gwinnett team or a Region 1-AAAAA team – no matter whether it was the usual suspects or new ones – would emerge in the end.
Other teams that I never believed in were Carver of Columbus, East Paulding and Athens Academy. Wrong on all counts.
Teams that I overrated in preseason: Valdosta at No. 5, Parkview at No. 7 in AAAAA; Griffin at No. 1 in AAAA; Chamblee at No. 4 in AAA.
For the final rankings, I veered from tradition and declined to give courtesy No. 2 rankings to the state runners-up.
As best I can tell, LaGrange is the first No. 2 team that failed to make the state quarterfinals since 1976, at least. LaGrange was 11-1 and lost to the eventual two-time Class AAA champion Peach County in the second round after defeating two other semifinalists – Shaw and Carver – in the regular season.
The Georgia Dome semifinals teams aren’t automatically ranked No. 3 or No. 4. Lovett, Early County, Washington County and East Paulding aren’t. Not all quarterfinalists made the top eight, either. Houston County, North Hall, Bleckley County and Pacelli are unranked. It’s tough leaving HoCo out.
My rule was that there are no upsets in the state playoffs. If you beat somebody in the post-season, you finished ranked ahead of that team. But simply advancing more rounds than another team doesn’t necessarily mean you’re better. It depends on who you played and who you beat.
Permalink | Comments (60) | Post your comment | Categories: Poll talk
Comments
By Hab Rader Fan
December 18, 2006 04:06 PM | Link to this
How do you rank Dacula in front of Hab. at the end of the season when Hab beat Dacula in the Regular Season and also went 1 round further in the Playoffs. You guys are out of your minds. By the way their should be not Ties in the Championship games.
By Pick a #1
December 18, 2006 06:35 PM | Link to this
Pick a damn #1! Win or lose, the students want some closure. We’re sick of the ties. Let someone be #1
By EP Raiders 07
December 18, 2006 06:38 PM | Link to this
East Paulding made it to the Dome and are only ranked 5th. I really don’t care though. I’m more than happy with number 5 in the state. No body besides the team, the students, and the fans of “Raider Nation” had any faith in us anyway. If Coach John Reid doesn’t win 4AAAA Coach of the Year, there’s a conspiracy. It was a great season for us in Dallas. Go Raiders!
By Todd Holcomb
December 18, 2006 06:41 PM | Link to this
Hab Fan:
I was prepared for this question because it’s a tough one, and it’s hard to defend, but here goes.
Dacula was ranked No. 8, ahead of Habersham, entering the playoffs in both the AJC and the AP rankings. Dacula was 10th in the coaches’ poll. Habersham was unranked in all three, meaning that the consensus was that Habersham’s full body of work wasn’t as impressive as Dacula’s.
Then in the state playoffs, Dacula just happened to be the team that faced an eventual state finalist first and played Marist close, while Habersham was routed by Northside. Granted, Northside was cthe tougher opponent, but Dacula’s overall performance though 12 games to me is still better than Habersham’s over 13. Three computer rankings I’ve checked also agree, for what that’s worth.
It really comes down to this: Do you throw out losses to Stephens and Rockdale because they were early and because they weren’t region games? It’s reasonable to do that, but it’s not my philosophy when doing rankings. Some games are bigger than others, but they all count.
By Todd Holcomb
December 18, 2006 06:45 PM | Link to this
Pick a damn #1! Win or lose, the students want some closure. We’re sick of the ties. Let someone be #1
I never really thought about breaking the tie. Good point you raise. If I had, it would’ve been Roswell and Dublin. But I think co-champs is the way to go. However, the AP poll comes out tomorrow, and that’s a vote, and unless every single voter goes with co-champs, you’re going to have a single No. 1. That happened in 1978 with Griffin and Valdosta. Valdosta was voted No. 1. Same in ‘69 w/ Athens and Valdosta. Valdosta got the nod then, too. I don’t know what happened in ‘91 (Kendrick-Lakeside) or 2004 (Hawkinsville-Clinch County).
East Paulding made it to the Dome and are only ranked 5th. … No body besides the team, the students, and the fans of “Raider Nation” had any faith in us anyway.
As I said in the opening, I don’t believe making the Dome entitles a team to a top-four rankings, but I’ll say this: I never had faith in East Paulding. Now, I do. Great story that was. As for coach of the year, you’ve got to consider that Conrad Nix won his first-ever state title w/ a team that returned only four starters. If it’s not Nix or Reid, then there’s a conspiracy.
By Todd Holcomb
December 18, 2006 07:07 PM | Link to this
Or maybe not on Dublin, the more I think about it. Let’s say Charlton. They were the defending champs and had to go on the road. But as long as the GHSA recognizes co-champs, I imagine the AJC rankings will do the same.
By EP Raiders 07
December 18, 2006 07:27 PM | Link to this
I really hope that Coach Reid does win coach of the year. He took a team of the same players that only won 3 games last year and took them to the Dome. A school that had only won 38 games in the previous 15 years and never made the playoffs. Northside is always a great team. I just fear that Coach Nix might get this as a lifetime achievement award rather than doing the best coaching job this year. Both coaches are deserving definitely, I just feel that Coach Reid is more deserving.
By Jeff Baker
December 18, 2006 07:37 PM | Link to this
I’m just wondering if king’s Cove will win the state championship?
By Todd Holcomb
December 18, 2006 07:44 PM | Link to this
I’m just wondering if king’s Cove will win the state championship?
You mean defend the title? You can book it. : )
By Dub
December 18, 2006 08:11 PM | Link to this
Todd,
I could care less b/c Peach won the title but, how does Lagrange get a #2 ranking? I know they were #1 and undefeated at the start of the playoffs but it seems unfathomable that they would get the #2 ranking. I believe it should have been Shaw. Anyone’s guess could come after that…. but why Lagrange second?
By HornetFanTillDeath
December 18, 2006 08:13 PM | Link to this
I think you should break the tie! You can’t have two #1 teams all of Roswell is over the fact that we tied the state champion ship becuase in the end we still won our first championship since 1970 but we would like to see a really #1 team. I am not just saying Roswell should be #1 because I go to Roswell but because we 1) have a better record then P’tree and 2)we beat two teams in the playoffs that they lost to in regular season. ya I know they beat Wheeler, who we lost to the week we were #1, but how can you turn down a team like us that has come this far and defeated the odds. Week after week in the playoffs we were predicted to loss and did we? NO!
By Todd Holcomb
December 18, 2006 08:27 PM | Link to this
Re: LaGrange
LaGrange beat Shaw. Simple as that.
LaGrange also beat Carver, the team Shaw beat in the semis. Nothing happened in the playoffs to suggest that LaGrange would not have made the final had LaGrange had Shaw’s draw.
The other key factor here is that LaGrange’s poor draw was a fluke. Peach should’ve been a No. 1 seed and been in the Carver quarter, but subregion nonsense made Peach a No. 2 and stuck Peach in the bracket of the No. 1 team not just from Region 3 but the state.
What happened to LaGrange was random violence. Only two teams finished w/ just one loss, and only two teams beat two of the semifinalists — Peach and LaGrange.
By Todd Holcomb
December 18, 2006 08:31 PM | Link to this
I think you should break the tie!
The reason I didn’t break the tie was because I made one rule for myself in the final rankings: Honor every result in the state playoffs. In other words, if Team A beat Team B in the state playoffs, Team A must be ranked higher. Best example of this was Turner County vs. Pacelli. I think Turner would win 9 out of 10, but Turner didn’t, so Turner didn’t get ranked at all for that misstep.
So, as for Roswell-Peachtree Ridge — Doesn’t matter that Roswell had the better overall season because when it counted, there was a tie. The rankings must reflect what happened, not what I think would’ve or could’ve happened. That’s why I stick with AJC tradition that started in 1955 when the late prep editor Charlie Roberts had a similar dilemma in the first unbroken tie in GHSA finals history: He made Rossville and LaGrange co-No. 1.
By Todd Holcomb
December 18, 2006 08:32 PM | Link to this
By the way, I meant to say LaGrange was the No. 1 seed from Region 2, not 3.
By HornetFanTillDeath
December 18, 2006 08:42 PM | Link to this
I still would like to hear the ajc once give Roswell credit. You guys never do. Every week it was… Collins Hill will win, Brookwood will win, Houston Co. will win, Tift Co. will win, when are you guys ever going to give Roswell the credit they deserve?!?! i guess we will have to wait untill the AP polls come out tomorrow and you all see that Roswell truley is the number one team in the state. Todd I am not saying you did not pick Roswell to be number one at the begining but the rest of the ajc has been very doubtful all season. I hope tomorrow the whole state will see… WE REALLY ARE #1!
By GeorgiaSportsNation
December 18, 2006 08:49 PM | Link to this
The Bears of Houston County should be higher rank. No exuse for leaving them out of the top 10.
By Bryan S
December 18, 2006 08:53 PM | Link to this
HornetFanTillDeath, we Hornets were picked by the AJC to beat Tift Co.
By HornetFanTillDeath
December 18, 2006 08:56 PM | Link to this
i thought so but was not sure. i think they finally started to realize how good we could truely be!
By Todd Holcomb
December 18, 2006 08:58 PM | Link to this
Yes, but it wasn’t just the AJC that didn’t believe Roswell would win in the first round, or the second, or the third or fourth. It was lots of people. To be honest, Roswell’s regular season wasn’t convincing. Played one pretty good team, lost. Beat Lassiter by 7, Milton by 6.
Then, with each win in the playoffs, each one a little more impressive, Roswell earned its respect. But after 9-1, no rational person would’ve predicted a trip to the title game.
Good for Roswell, though. A deserving state champion.
By Todd Holcomb
December 18, 2006 09:07 PM | Link to this
It was pretty tough not ranking HoCo.
I’d been an advocate of the Bears all season. It came down to nit-picking. HoCo didn’t compete well when it had its chance vs. Roswell, whereas the teams that slipped into the Top 10 — Stephenson, Brookwood and Campbell — played toe-to-toe w/ either Roswell or Peachtree Ridge. And I felt Coffee had to be ahead of HoCo since Coffee won that head-to-head matchup and got the higher seed from 1-AAAAA.
I’d put HoCo No. 11, Camden No. 12. I didn’t consider ranking anybody else in the Top 10.
By highschoolfan
December 18, 2006 09:58 PM | Link to this
Shame on the AJC and its final poll. You blast the GHSA for having a tie in the finals and then do the same thing in your final rankings in AAAAA and AA. Where’s the consistency in that?
By juju
December 18, 2006 10:05 PM | Link to this
When are you guys going to start posting the basketball ranking..This website is horrible.. Where is the basketball section.
By Buddy
December 18, 2006 10:28 PM | Link to this
How can there be 3 teams ranked in class AAA with 3 losses and Jackson High School is not ranked? They had 2 losses: 1 to a class AAAAA playoff team in East Coweta and the other to Carver-Columbus that involved a few very questionable calls including the clock stopping with 7 seconds left in the game long enough for Carver to run their field goal team on the field to attempt the winning field goal. Oh yeah, did anyone know that Jackson was the region champion in the region that produced the state champion? Who does the rankings anyway?
By Keenan
December 18, 2006 11:02 PM | Link to this
In the AA final ranking, a school from south georgia, will never out rank Buford, or GAC, why??? If they (ECHS)advance to the semifinals, they are a better team, brackets are brackets and if you lose, you lose.
By jag count
December 18, 2006 11:43 PM | Link to this
todd, How do you justify putting stephenson so low in the top 10 when there was only 4 teams that played longer than they did.
By Todd Holcomb
December 19, 2006 12:31 AM | Link to this
Re: Jackson
Jackson beat only two teams with winning records (Union Grove, 7-5, and Perry, 7-4), and both wins were by 1 point. I can’t rank somebody just because they lost close to Carver. Jackson was a pretty good team but played by far the weakest schedule of any round-of-16 team in AAA.
Shame on the AJC and its final poll. You blast the GHSA for having a tie in the finals and then do the same thing in your final rankings in AAAAA and AA. Where’s the consistency in that?
Curtis Bunn might’ve blasted the rule about ties, but he’s a columnist stating his opinions. He’s not speaking for the AJC, just himself.
As for the decision to have co-No. 1 teams, that simply reflects the reality, which is that the two teams played a tie game in the state playoffs. My rankings reflect who won, lost or tied, not what I think should’ve or could’ve happened. If I did that, Brookwood might be No. 1.
In the AA final ranking, a school from south georgia will never out rank Buford, or GAC, why??? If they (ECHS) advance to the semifinals, they are a better team, brackets are brackets and if you lose, you lose.
Do you also feel that Ohio State should be playing Boise State in the BCS title game? If you lose you lose, and Florida lost, right?
Brackets tell you how many rounds a team advanced. Rankings tell you how good the teams really were.
Early didn’t play GAC or Buford, so let’s take a team that did: Lovett.
Do you think Lovett, by making the semifinals, should be ahead of Buford, no matter what? Buford beat Lovett 42-14 in the regular season. Buford lost only to Charlton County.
If you still believe Lovett should be ranked ahead of Buford, then we just have to disagree. But if you concede Lovett should be behind Buford, then you must be open to the possibility that Early should also trail Buford and GAC.
Look at these 5 scores and tell me what I should conclude from it …
Buford d. GAC 20-7 GAC d. Lovett 25-21 Lovett d. Bleckley 21-14 Bleckley d. Fitzgerald 19-10 Fitzgerald d. Early 33-14
Early did not beat anybody that beat somebody that beat Buford or GAC. So those no counter to that argument. Early played great in the post-season and has my respect, but there’s no way anyone can look objectively at the scores posted by Buford, GAC and Early and conclude anything but that Buford > GAC > Early.
By Ed Danforth
December 19, 2006 12:33 AM | Link to this
Tim McFarlin did the coaching job of the decade and is poised to join the greats. His staff has incredible stability and this Roswell team had only a handful of senior starters. If their tailback and quarterback can stay healthy and Okapu, too, they should win it all next year. Your comment earlier in the year that you couldn’t believe you were ranking them # 1 certainly expressed the sentiment most of us had. Yet, their grittiness prevailed over the long haul.
By Todd Holcomb
December 19, 2006 12:48 AM | Link to this
How do you justify putting stephenson so low in the top 10 when there was only 4 teams that played longer than they did.
Just based on how the teams performed in the post-season, I’d put Stephenson higher, but while the playoffs are the most important thing, they aren’t the only thing when ranking teams, and Stephenson has two skeletons in the closet — McNair and Douglass.
For what it’s worth, one of the BCS computer rankers does the Georgia high schools, and he (Kenneth Massey) has Stephenson No. 21. I don’t agree with that, but it is a reflection of what Stephenson’s raw results look like when compared to other top teams. Most of the other teams had more good wins, and all of them had fewer bad losses.
By war eagle
December 19, 2006 12:50 AM | Link to this
I find it rather amusing that in the tops 6 teams, marist played all 5 of the other schools( MArist being #2), and beat everyone but NSWR. Not only that, we handed everyone else their lunch except for Dacula who played us tough. No wonder we were son banged up last friday. And to EP raider fan or whatever your name is, COACH REID IS A JERK. MArist hasn’t played anyone? well there is your proof. you cant come from a AA Tennesse football school and think you can play with the big boys in GA. Cuz ya’ll lost to us, and we are jsut a bunch of white catholic kids.Coach Nix, for coach of the year. he’s do.
By Todd Holcomb
December 19, 2006 12:54 AM | Link to this
Tim McFarlin did the coaching job of the decade and is poised to join the greats. His staff has incredible stability and this Roswell team had only a handful of senior starters. If their tailback and quarterback can stay healthy and Okapu, too, they should win it all next year. Your comment earlier in the year that you couldn’t believe you were ranking them # 1 certainly expressed the sentiment most of us had. Yet, their grittiness prevailed over the long haul.
Well said. While I did not think that Roswell was a legitimate state contender when I ranked the Hornets No. 1 in September, I did feel there was a lack of respect for what the program had accomplished in order to get that ranking. This was a reigning region champion that happened to be the highest-ranked team from preseason that was still undefeated. Roswell has had good teams, just never an exceptional one, until now. In the highest classification, I mean. But the bottom line is that the state won’t really respect a program until it makes the Georgia Dome, at least, and often the title game. Roswell just entered a whole new world of credibility with this title.
By J-Cat
December 19, 2006 06:58 AM | Link to this
Todd How do you justify ranking Brookwood ahead of CAMDEN COUNTY when the WILDCATS DEFEATED them in the Dome.As usual we’ll just have to prove ourselves again as we’ve done year after year.SEE YOU IN THE DOME IN SEPTEMBER!!
By just an observer
December 19, 2006 07:53 AM | Link to this
Well the corky kell classic teams have been picked and guess the AAAAA CO-CHAMPIONS are not even invited. Goes to show all you guys how much they think of P’ree Ridge’s program. No offense to Parkview or Brookwood but please this year’s Peachtree Ridge’s turn to be there. Also, Norcross 7AAAAA Champs and undefeated season should have been considered. These directors need to be fired, they must be from South Georgia.
By just an observer
December 19, 2006 07:56 AM | Link to this
The corky kell classic should have the teams that finished highest in the state polls at the end of the regular season.
By Todd Holcomb
December 19, 2006 10:23 AM | Link to this
re: Corky Kell
Football schedules are set two years in advance, and the eight Corky Kell teams sign contracts for two years, so Peachtree Ridge wasn’t snubbed. The schedules were set, and Peachtree Ridge is committed to playing Shiloh again.
What the organizers did — as they always do — is re-shuffle those eight teams for the second year so that it’s not the same games again. For example, Camden played Brookwood this year. Next year, Camden will play Warner Robins. The Starr’s Mill-Cherokee game remained the same because those were the only two Class AAAA teams.
As for selection of the teams, it’s not like a bowl game where you take the best team. The way I understand it, the teams bid and must offer up a certain amount of money or guarantee a certain number of tickets sold. You buy your way into the Corky Kell. That’s one reason why more South Georgia teams don’t come, because it’s more expensive for them to travel, not because Dave Hunter doesn’t want them. If Peachtree Ridge wants to go in 2008, the booster club needs to get to work.
Re: Camden in the top 10
Unless it’s in the playoffs, head to head isn’t always the final judge because upsets do happen. All the teams in the Top 10 except for Norcross and North Gwinnett lost games in the regular season to teams that are now ranked behind them. Camden beat Brookwood, but Brookwood beat Central Gwinnett easily, and Central beat Warner Robins easily, and WR beat Camden easily.
In Camden’s case, the ‘Cats just didn’t have a resume worthy of a Top 10 team. The only good win was Brookwood, and that was early and dubious (not that I want to open that barrel of monkies). Aiken was a first-round loser in S.C. The only other tough opponent was Warner Robins, and that was not competitive.
The same might be said about Brookwood, except the Broncos did play a much tougher schedule and was very competitive in every game.
I was more inclined to keep both Brookwood and Camden out (and insert Houston County) than I was to put both Brookwood and Camden in.
By Todd Holcomb
December 19, 2006 10:29 AM | Link to this
By the way, I thought the AP poll was coming out today. I haven’t seen it. Maybe tomorrow. I’m curious to see how the co-champs were handled.
By Bryan S
December 19, 2006 01:42 PM | Link to this
Todd, who are the Corky Kell Matchups?
By Carver-Columbus
December 19, 2006 02:42 PM | Link to this
Hey Todd, I’ve warned you all season about my Carver-Columbus Tigers. And, if they aren’t the preseason favorite to win the AAA title in 07’, you have got to be blinded by the history of schools with winning records that are now on the decline. Carver will lose only 3 seniors on offense and 7 on defense. Of the 6 Division 1-A recruits, only one of them is a senior. There are 3 sophomores that will be added to that list of Division 1-A recruits next year, a 6’3” 330 lbs. defensive tackle, a 6-3 215 lbs. wide-out and a running back with 4.4 40 yard dash speed. Of the 4 teams in the AAA semi-finals, Carver has the least amount of seniors. Carver is loaded with juniors and sophomores with Dome experience.
The defense takes the hardest hit, but we played several underclassmen on the defensive side of the ball. Besides, Carver will always has and always will be good on the defensive side of the ball.
I don’t agree with LaGrange being at the #2 spot. Now you are doing a would’ve, could,’ve and should’ve by saying that Peach Co. should’ve have been in the same bracket as Carver. I really wish that they were so we could’ve found out how tough Peach Co. really is. You are going by what you read, not what you’ve seen. Carver gave the game away to Shaw at the Dome. That loss had more to do with Carver making mental mistakes than it did with Shaw forcing the mistakes.
Coach McGee was trying to draw Shaw offsides late in the second quarter deep in Carver’s territory when the the D-1A prospect, Jr. QB D. Furr ran the play instead of calling a time-out or taking a delay of game penalty. I don’t know if D. Furr had stage fright or what, but in the second half Carver kept getting stupid off-sides penalties, because D. Furr was not checking to see if his receivers were set at the line of scrimmage. That really killed the momentum, because Carver was moving the ball at will on that Shaw defense that all of you sports writers like to talk about so much.
You used the LaGrange victory over Carver in LaGrange as an excuse. I was at the game and LaGrange took advantage of Carver’s unforced turnovers in the first quarter on a cold and wet night in enenmy territory. Carver’s defense shut LaGrange down after that and they could not do anything the rest of the game. Where you play has a lot to do with the whole situation also, because the home team will have their local ref’s calling the game. Hence, Shaw’s 17-14 over-time loss to Lagrange in Columbus, and Carver’s 13-6 loss in LaGrange. During the playoffs you get a better, non-biased crew of ref’s. Hence, Peach County’s 28-7 win in LaGrange during the playoffs.
In the minds of many here in Columbus and contrary to the state of GA’s popular beliefs, Shaw is not the best team in Columbus. And, if anybody thinks that this was a fluke… All that I have to say is we will see you in the Dome again next year and in Columbus for the AAA Championship.
You know what is funny about this whole season? You said that Carver would have to beat LaGrange 63-0 in LaGrange for Carver to be ranked in the top 5. lol The triple-threat from region 2-AAA (Carver, LaGrange and Shaw) are in the top 4 in the final poll. I guess that the final poll is what matters the most… And, now you have a heads up on how to approach the preseason rankings in 07’. Go ahead and crown LaGrange the champ like you did at the beginning of this season. lol
By Todd Holcomb
December 19, 2006 03:14 PM | Link to this
2007 Corky Kell:
McEachern vs. Parkview Camden vs. Warner Robins Brookwood vs. Roswell Starr’s Mill vs. Cherokee
Re: Carver
Great season. I admit I was wrong about Carver. But on the issue of LaGrange-Shaw-Carver, I can’t worry much about why a team won or lost, or else I’d have to see a tape of every game. I’ve got to respect the bottom line. Carver could’ve done something about losing those two games, but there’s nothing LaGrange could’ve done to escape the draw that put Peach in LaGrange’s quarter.
But rest assured that Carver will be a Top 10 team to open the season next year. It’s been a while since that happened.
By stephen
December 19, 2006 06:44 PM | Link to this
How could Early Co. not be third in the AA rankings. They played co-champion Charlton as good as anyone and beat a solid Calhoun team in the playoffs. They were second in the toughest region in AA. You guys need to know we can play a little football down here below Columbus. GO CATS!!!!!!!!
By Golden Lion
December 19, 2006 06:51 PM | Link to this
Todd, I told you Saint Pius would make it far in the playoffs and they did all the way to the dome, What are your thoughts
By just an observer
December 19, 2006 08:05 PM | Link to this
Todd thank you for clearing up the Corky Kell Classic matchups for me.
By football
December 19, 2006 08:41 PM | Link to this
How do you rank Brookwood over Stephenson in the final ranking?
By Todd Holcomb
December 19, 2006 08:49 PM | Link to this
*How could Early Co. not be third in the AA rankings. They played co-champion Charlton as good as anyone and beat a solid Calhoun team in the playoffs. They were second in the toughest region in AA.
I discussed Early up above, but here’s a recap —
Buford d. GAC 20-7 GAC d. Lovett 25-21 Lovett d. Bleckley 21-14 Bleckley d. Fitzgerald 19-10 Fitzgerald d. Early 33-14
It’s not about playing Charlton well. It’s about playing everybody you play well from Day One. Early did that, but not as well as Buford or GAC.
Also, I’m not sure Region 1 is not the best in AA, not when 5-AA has three of my top four teams!
Todd, I told you Saint Pius would make it far in the playoffs and they did all the way to the dome, What are your thoughts.
I certainly didn’t see St. Pius going to the Dome. I picked TCC, in fact. And might’ve been right if they’d kicked the PAT! Or converted the two. So I still tend to think of St. Pius as an overachiever, and I don’t mean that as an insult. But good for SPX because that’s a program w/ some tradition that goes back to the ’60s, and it’s a cradle of coaches. I hear Coach Standard and Walton’s Coach Dudley were STX classmates. St Pius and Marist could be a one-of-a-kind rivalry if the Lions can stay at the top.
By jesse
December 19, 2006 09:31 PM | Link to this
Roswell rocks dude!!! forget the score board we won!!!
By hornets
December 19, 2006 11:12 PM | Link to this
what do u think of the rematch of brookwood vs roswell in the corky kell should b one great game
By lion06
December 20, 2006 01:06 AM | Link to this
could you put the coaches final poll on here please
By jflash9
December 20, 2006 02:25 AM | Link to this
Whats the point in ranking Football teams if it don’t mean anything Charlton County 3,timesState champions Obviously the no.1 team in class AA They should have hosted the championship They did earn that right dont you think!.
I see your final ranking has BrookWood about middle of the pack in the final ranking and Camden some where how is that YOU LOST TO CAMDEN YOU DIDN’T DO NO MORE THAN THEY DID IN THE PLAY OFF’S SO WHAT’S UP WITH YOU PEOPLES, WHY DONT YOU PLAY THEM A GAIN THIS COMING SEASON WE DON’T MIND BEATING YOU A GAIN.
By kriddi
December 20, 2006 10:13 AM | Link to this
im a peach co. grad, and a season ticket holder. im telling you, the best team we faced all year was hart county.
they had a terrific combination of size and speed on both sides of the ball. there are playmakers everywhere. they were well coached and disciplined.
im not a pollster, im not even a fan of polls, but hart should have been ranked ahead of all the columbus teams and lagrange.one of the problems with polls is that pollsters dont watch the teams they are voting for. the pick up a paper, look at the scores, and cast a vote. iknow that voters do the best they can, ecspecially with such limited resources. there will always be snubs, people just need to remember that there was no offense intended towards their favorite school.
By RHSDad
December 20, 2006 12:29 PM | Link to this
Notable that the AJC was petty enough to take one last cheap shot at Roswell by listing them as the second #1 team.
By Corky Kell Match-ups
December 20, 2006 12:30 PM | Link to this
Todd are you sure on the Corky Kell match-ups as I understand from a very good source that Brookwood wanted the Roswell match-up, but Roswell opted to play Parkview to take care of last years unfinished business
By Todd Holcomb
December 20, 2006 08:35 PM | Link to this
could you put the coaches final poll on here please
Sorry, but I can’t copy a poll from another site. The coaches also put co-No. 1’s on the co-state champs. The AP poll, I hear, is due Thursday. I can perhaps post that one hear because we subscribe to AP.
Notable that the AJC was petty enough to take one last cheap shot at Roswell by listing them as the second #1 team.
It was alphabetical order.
im a peach co. grad, and a season ticket holder. im telling you, the best team we faced all year was hart county.
I don’t doubt that, but I can’t rank somebody high based on one game unless it’s Brookwood.
your final ranking has BrookWood about middle of the pack in the final ranking and Camden some where how is that YOU LOST TO CAMDEN YOU DIDN’T DO NO MORE THAN THEY DID IN THE PLAY OFF’S SO WHAT’S UP WITH YOU PEOPLES
Brookwood was the toughest team that Roswell played. : )
I discussed the Camden-Brookwood issue in detail above. It’s a tough call, but Brookwood is ahead of Camden in the AJC and coaches poll and two computer polls that I checked. Will be interesting to see if the AP poll makes it unanimous tomorrow.
By powbeech
December 20, 2006 09:47 PM | Link to this
Todd,
Could you please explain or name your 5-AA teams that make up 3 of your top 4 teams in AA?
By Todd Holcomb
December 21, 2006 09:00 AM | Link to this
Could you please explain or name your 5-AA teams that make up 3 of your top 4 teams in AA?
Region 6, I meant.
By Todd Holcomb
December 21, 2006 09:42 AM | Link to this
The AP rankings are out. The AP put more emphasis on rounds advanced in the playoffs and less on the strength of the draw. That’s a philosophical difference that is probably good because it gives us two looks at how teams shoud be ranked.
The AP ”corrected” some complaints that bloggers here were vocal about —
Houston County is ranked. Habersham is ahead of Dacula in AAAA. LaGrange is No. 7 (not No. 2) in AAA. Bleckley is ranked in AA.
A few observations:
Camden County is unranked in the AP and AJC polls. Brookwood is ranked in both.
AP ranked Stephenson ahead of North Gwinnett, even though NG has a better record, advanced as far in the state playoffs, lost to two opponents ranked higher and defeated one Top 10 team. Stephenson lost to two unranked teams and had no wins vs. teams in the AP’s Top 10. I guess the thinking is that Stephenson almost beat P’tree Ridge. So did Campbell, but Campbell is unranked in the AP poll.
In A, ECI is unranked. ECI lost in the first round, but to Hawkinsville 10-6. Hawkinsville wound up No. 5. ECI also beat No. 8 Johnson County 41-0. You’d think ECI could at least steal the No. 10 spot.
The AP also ranked Turner ahead of Pacelli, though Pacelli beat Turner in the state playoffs. I think Turner was better, so I can respect that, but my philosophy was that if somebody beats you in the state playoffs, when it counts the most, then I wasn’t going to override that and put you ahead of that team.
Class AAAAA
co-1. Peachtree Ridge (11-3-1)
co-1. Roswell (13-1-1)
co-3. Tift County (12-2)
co-3 Warner Robins (9-5)
Norcross (12-1)
Stephenson (10-3)
North Gwinnett (11-2)
Houston County (8-5)
Brookwood (9-3)
Coffee (9-3)
Class AAAA
Northside-Warner Robins (15-0)
Marist (13-2)
St. Pius (11-3)
East Paulding (12-2)
Creekside (11-1)
Thomas County Central (9-4)
Starr’s Mill (9-4)
Griffin (11-1)
Habersham Central (10-3)
Baldwin (10-2)
Class AAA
Peach County (14-1)
Shaw (12-3)
Carver-Columbus (12-2)
Washington County (11-3)
Carrollton (11-2)
Hart County (10-3)
LaGrange (11-1)
Grady (10-3)
Cartersville (10-2)
North Hall (11-2)
Class AA
co-1. Charlton County (14-0-1)
co-1. Dublin (14-0-1)
Early County (11-3)
Buford (12-1)
GAC (11-2)
Calhoun (11-2)
Lovett (11-3)
Bleckley County (8-5)
Greene County (9-3)
Washington-Wilkes (10-2)
Class A
Lincoln County (14-1)
Clinch County (12-3)
Athens Academy (13-1)
Commerce (11-3)
Hawkinsville (9-4)
Turner County (10-2)
Pacelli (8-5)
Johnson County (9-4)
Warren County (8-5)
Wilcox County (9-3)
By Todd Holcomb
December 21, 2006 09:46 AM | Link to this
Oh, I guess I forgot to mention the main thing about the AP poll. Each voter co-ranked the co-champions No. 1. In 1978, when Valdosta tied Griffin, the AP poll had Valdosta No. 1, Griffin No. 2. Valdosta also was sole No. 1 in 1969, when the Wildcats tied Athens.
I believe the last couple of ties have led to co-No. 1’s.
By BjohnDawg
December 21, 2006 10:00 PM | Link to this
Todd, You say Camden Co. does not deserve to be in the top ten.Here is their loses Aiken In Aiken by 1. Warner Robins
They beat Brookwood at the Dome.(Which should be a home game for Brookwood). They beat Windsor Forest another playoff team,and go 9-1 in the regular season.beat another playoff team to play Warner Robins.Lose to Warner Robins big and end the season at 10-2.
Yet you think Brookwood deserves to be in the Top 10? Please.Ajc poll is playing to their subcriber and reader base.Clear and simple.
By george
December 22, 2006 11:38 AM | Link to this
I’m not “rankled” by the final poll, but the AAAA All-State team is a joke. First, you have Coach of the Year from a team that finished 12-2. Just for the record Conrad Nix (Northside) finished 15-0. The other coach awards for the top 3 classifications went to the state championship coach. Eric Berry is the Player of the Year over Marques Ivory? I don’t think so. They are almost equal in yards, but Ivory accounted for 31 touchdowns. Without him Northside would never have come close to a championship. What did Berry’s numbers do for his team? The same applies to Tijuan Green at running back. What did the “white buffalo” do to earn the honors over Green? What about Darius Marshall? How did his team finish? These awards should be based on the entire 2006 season, and that only. Not on stats amassed over a career. The AJC bias is coming through loud and clear.
By Raymond
December 22, 2006 10:08 PM | Link to this
There was no better running back in 4AAAA in 2006 than JR Spivey. Only poor coaching kept him from 2000 yds. Pebblebrook is by no means a powerhouse but when he was in the lineup they were hard to beat.
By Carver-Columbus
December 27, 2006 10:15 AM | Link to this
Hey Todd,
I see that the coaches got the final AAA poll right. They see it as I do. You can’t continue to make excuses for the schools that you are used to seeing in the polls every year. The schools with a winning history are going to have a down season here and there, and it is not fair to reward them for things that they have done in prior seasons. Each team should be judged by what they have done over the current season.
You say that there was nothing LaGrange could’ve done about their playoff draw. I say that they could’ve played a better game and they could’ve made the score closer than what it was if they played at their home field. LaGrange lost to Peach Co. 24-7 at home in LaGrange. Shaw lost 28-7 to Peach Co. in Peach County. I think that that speaks for itself. How can you still think that LaGrange is a better team because they barely won 17-14 in OT against Shaw in Columbus and they just got by Carver, who turned things around in the second half against LaGrange in LaGrange for a 13-6 win? In order for LaGrange to be the #2 team in the state, in my book, LaGrange would’ve had to loose by no more than one (1) touchdown to Peach County. I would’ve had no problems with their ranking then. But, they lost by more than two touchdowns at home. And, that doesn’t sit too well with many of us here in middle GA.
Most people say that a loss is a loss. But, when you are trying to put together a final ranking, all of the intangibles come into play. If a team looses to a common opponent, the outcome and where the game was played should be taken into consideration. Last but not least, the coaches got it right.
By NHSeagle1
December 27, 2006 10:36 PM | Link to this
Coach of the Year - Conrad Nix NHS ( we’re NOT Northside/WR,WE ARE NORTHSIDE HIGH SCHOOL, we just happen to be located in Warner Robins, Georgia) Offensive Player of the Year - Marques Ivory, Jr NHS Defensive Player of the Year - Deonta Jordan, Sr. NHS (4yr starter) RB or the Year, Tijuan Green, NHS (1000+ yrs rushing in playoffs)