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Monday, June 9, 2008
Sizing up 2008 football schedules
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The GHSA released football schedules last week, and looking through them quickly, I’ve picked out a dozen or so that are among the toughest in the state. Let me know if I’ve missed any. Before I get to that, however, I wanted to answer a couple of e-mails I received this weekend about interesting topics:
• One writer said he heard GHSA is considering a ban on playing “Dixie” at football games or other high school sporting events. Not true, says GHSA executive director Ralph Swearngin. Apparently, it’s a tradition at Fannin County and perhaps other places.
“Since I have been with the GHSA [since 1992], the issue of songs played at athletic events has never arisen,” said Swearngin. But it’s an interesting issue that has received attention on a local chat board.
• Tennessee and Georgia played an all-star game Saturday in Chattanooga, and the home state won 41-0. Should an all-star team be allowed to call itself “Georgia” when it gets its players entirely from the weak corner of our state?
It looks like most of Tennessee’s players were from the Chattanooga area, so I guess the game was fair, but for the sake of state pride, shouldn’t we call this Chattanooga vs. Metro Dalton? Georgia Northwest had won two of the previous four meetings, so maybe the 41-0 was a fluke.
OK, to the tough schedules:
• Buford: Non-region games with Timberview (a Texas powerhouse), North Hall and Thomson, with Region 6-AA games against GAC, Lovett, Westminster and Blessed Trinity. That’s the toughest schedule in Class AA.
• Cairo: Bainbridge and Thomas Central on the road to open the season, plus Thomasville as a third very tough non-region game, before a 1-AAA schedule that includes Monroe, Peach County and Perry.
• Carver-Columbus: Carver has been playing Shaw and LaGange, but now there’s a chance to go outside the league with the region being smaller. So Carver, the Class AAA champion, will play up against powers Northside-Warner Robins and Baldwin.
• GAC: On second thought, maybe GAC’s Class AA schedule is tougher than Buford’s because Buford doesn’t have to play itself. GAC plays Hart County, St. Pius and the Baylor School outside of 6-AA, plus Buford, Lovett, Westminster and Blessed Trinity.
• LaGrange: Similar to Shaw. The Grangers picked up Newnan and Stephens County and will play Carver and Shaw in 2-AAA.
• North Cobb and Harrison: These two play in deep Region 5-AAAAA. North Cobb has added M.L. King as its non-region foe, while Harrison nabbed Peachtree Ridge.
• North Gwinnett: Non-region games against Brookwood and South Carolina state champion Byrnes should get the Bulldogs ready for 7-AAAAA, which includes Norcross and Peachtree Ridge.
• Northside-Warner Robins: I can’t see another undefeated season for Northside. The Class AAAA champs now are playing in the state’s toughest region (Lowndes, Valdosta and the rest), but Northside’s non-region slate includes Florida state champion Booker T. Washington and Georgia champion Carver, plus Perry. The Oct. 3 game vs. Lowndes is the best game on anyone’s schedule.
• Peachtree Ridge: The Lions start with Harrison and Lowndes and finish with Norcross and North Gwinnett, with Mill Creek and Collins Hill in the middle.
• Perry: The Northside game Aug. 29 will be big in Houston County. Perry also plays Wilcox County, Hawkinsville, Peach County, Cairo and Monroe.
• Thomasville: The Bulldogs aren’t afraid to play bigger schools. They’ll play Colquitt County (AAAAA), Thomas Central (AAAA) and Cairo (AAA) before taking on 1-AA.
• Anybody in 1-AAAAA: The toughest schedules belong to Northside, Lowndes (which plays Peachtree Ridge), Tift County (Roswell) and Coffee (Ware County, Shaw). Meanwhile, Valdosta took the wimpy route. We’ll see if it matters.
Kick off the debate: Which school has the toughest schedule next season? Which schools should be included on this list?
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