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Sunday, December 21, 2008
High School Football — Ranking the regions: 5-AAAAA finishes on top
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You don’t think of Cobb and Cherokee counties as the hotbeds of Georgia high school football. There have been no state titles there in 40 years.
But if you ask me which was Georgia’s toughest region in 2008, I’m going to say CheroCobb. Or is it CobbOkee? OK, let’s just call it Region 5-AAAAA.
According to the computer rankings of Loren Maxwell, Kennesaw Mountain was better than 2-AAAAA champ Stephenson this year. McEachern was better than 6-AAAAA champ Walton. And Kennesaw Mountain and McEachern didn’t make the state playoffs.
And look at the third- and fourth-place teams: Harrison had a victory over Peachtree Ridge, and Woodstock lost to Camden County only 18-17 in Kingsland.
Here’s how I rank the regions today. Compare them to how I ranked them in September. Looks like I and much of the state underestimated North Georgia places where you might find Calhoun, Rome and Flowery Branch.
Class AAAAA
5 - State’s best non-playoff team: Kennesaw Mountain
1 - Lowndes, Coffee, Tift met shocking ends
7 - Peachtree Ridge led the way
6 - No. 4 seed Lassiter upset Etowah
8 - Grayson upheld region tradition in playoffs
4 - Newnan is region’s only top-25 team in AAAAA
2 - Stephenson’s region 0-for-4 in state playoffs
3 - Home of the four worst teams in AAAAA
How I ranked them in September: 1, 5, 7, 8, 6, 4, 2, 3
Class AAAA
6 - Tucker, Marist, SWD made the quarters
7 - Dalton was best AAAA team not to make the playoffs
5 - 7-3 Mays was No. 2 in state at one point
4 - Semifinalist Griffin was runner-up in this region
2 - Might’ve been No. 1 if Ware had represented
1 - TCC & Bainbridge were disappointments
8 - One and done for region champ Loganville
3 - Evans wins worst region above Class A
In September: 6, 1, 5, 2, 7, 4, 8, 3
Class AAA
1 - Cairo, and seven average-to-good teams
7 - Flowery Branch wasn’t even the region champ
2 - Carver, LaGrange great, but no other winning records
3 - Baldwin leads good quartet, but no depth
8 - Eastside only team to win a round
5 - Dunwoody only team to win a round
6 - Despite Ridgeland, Carrollton, Cartersville advancing
4 - 10-0 Jackson lost in first round
In September: 2, 1, 5, 3, 7, 8, 6, 4
Class AA
6 - Buford’s toughest game: 5th-place Blessed Trinity
1 - Fitzgerald was third in region, fourth in state
3 - Dublin won it. I underrated this region all season
7 - Calhoun, Pepperell a powerful 1-2 bunch
2 - Charlton’s region was a playoff disaster: 0-for-4
4 - Decent playoff teams led by Henry Co.; soft underneath
5 - Callaway was the best of a weak lot
8 - Jefferson met no resistance to 10-0
In September: 6, 1, 3, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8
Class A
2 - Wilcox was champion of only region without a bad team
7 - Lincoln County, Wilkinson County make semis
8 - This region’s stock rose in playoffs with Wesleyan
5 - 3-1 in first round, but wretched below that
6 - Bremen only team to win in first round
1 - Clinch, Miller lost early, but this region was deep
3 - ECI’s region had more poor teams than any other
4 - Brookstone runs table on state’s weakest region
In September: 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
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