High school football picks for Friday

By Chip Saye

For the AJC

Hiram coach Andy Dorsey could have been speaking for a lot of teams when he told Georgia High School Football Daily earlier this week, “It’s the playoffs for us from here on out.”

What makes Hiram’s situation a little different was the second part of his statement. “We’re 7-0, but the odds are still way against us to get in the playoffs,” Dorsey said.

Hiram is in Division B of Region 7-AAAA, one of a handful around the state in which the schedule is heavily loaded at the back end, one in which all, or at least most, of the games among the top teams have yet to be played.

No. 9 Hiram plays tonight at home against No. 10 Hillgrove and then plays at Sprayberry next week (Sprayberry, the defending region champion, handed Hillgrove its first loss of the season last week). Win both, and the Hornets claim the subregion championship and the state playoff berth that goes with it. Lose both, and they must win a region play-in game against the No. 2 team from Division A just to make the state playoffs. A 7-0 start could disintegrate in a hurry into a season out of the playoffs.

But I don’t see that happening to Hiram. I do expect Hillgrove to bounce back from its loss to Sprayberry and beat the Hornets tonight, but I also expect to see Hiram in the state playoffs, one way or another.

Here are some other regions in which the top teams still have several games remaining against each other:

Region 6-AAAAA: Three weeks ago, Lassiter, Roswell, Walton and Milton were tied for first place. Milton has since fallen off with two losses, and Walton was sidetracked by Centennial last week. But Lassiter, Roswell and Walton all face each other in the final three weeks, beginning tonight with Lassiter at Walton. After watching Lassiter’s Hutson Mason pass for 545 yards last week, I don’t see Walton stopping the Trojans tonight. And if any of the top four teams falter, Kell and Centennial are lurking to take their playoff spot and spoil their season.

Region 6-AAAA: Stone Mountain, off to its best start since 2000, is 6-1 and needs just one more victory to clinch a playoff berth. Getting that won’t be easy, because the remaining schedule includes No. 7 Tucker tonight, a dangerous and unpredictable Chamblee team on Oct. 30 and No. 3 Southwest DeKalb on Nov. 6. I expect the Pirates to lose to Tucker and Southwest DeKalb but beat Chamblee and advance to the postseason.

Meanwhile, region co-leaders Marist and Southwest DeKalb meet tonight. Marist would all but wrap up the title with a win, but I’m going with Southwest DeKalb, which must turn around and play Tucker and Stone Mountain in the final two weeks before it can celebrate the title.

Region 8-AA: East Jackson, Jefferson and North Oconee are 7-0 and three games ahead of the fourth-place teams, so even a season-ending collapse won’t keep them out of the playoffs. But the hardest work of the season begins tonight, when North Oconee travels to East Jackson. Jefferson visits North Oconee next week, followed by East Jackson at Jefferson in the season finale. I look for East Jackson to beat North Oconee but for Jefferson to win the region championship.

Produced by Georgia High School Football Daily

The weekend predictions

Last week: 145-29 (.833); Overall: 1,055-284 (.788)

Today

Winner+Loser

Adairsville+Sonoraville

Allatoona+N. Cobb Christian

Apalachee+Heritage-Conyers

Armuchee+Temple

Avondale+Decatur

Bainbridge+Upson-Lee

Baldwin+Liberty Co.

Banneker+Lithia Springs

Beach+Bradwell Institute

Bowdon+North Paulding

Bremen+Gordon Lee

Brookstone+Drew

Brookwood+Dacula

Brunswick+Ware Co.

Buford+Blessed Trinity

Cairo+Perry

Calhoun+Dade Co.

Camden Co.+Jenkins

Carrollton+Central-Carroll

Cartersville+Cedartown

Carver-Col.+Kendrick

Cass+Murray Co.

Central Gwinnett+Berkmar

Chamblee+Forsyth Central

Charlton Co.+Brantley Co.

Chattahoochee+Northview

Chattahoochee Co.+Stewart Co.

Chattooga+Gordon Central

Clarke Central+Cedar Shoals

Collins Hill+Mill Creek

Columbia+Clarkston

Colquitt Co.+Warner Robins

Commerce+Lakeview Acad.

Cook+Berrien

Creekside+Chapel Hill

Creekview+Pickens

Dalton+Rome

Darlington+Mt. Zion-Carroll

Dooly Co.+Turner Co.

Dougherty+Crisp Co.

Dublin+East Laurens

Dunwoody+McNair

ELCA+Landmark Christian

Early Co.+Albany

East Coweta+Morrow

East Jackson+North Oconee

East Paulding+Kennesaw Mtn.

Eastside+Oconee Co.

Elbert Co.+Jackson Co.

ECI+Metter

Etowah+South Cobb

Evans+Hephzibah

Fannin Co.+Banks Co.

Fayette Co.+Whitewater

Fitzgerald+Brooks Co.

Flowery Branch+West Forsyth

Franklin Co.+Stephens Co.

Gainesville+Gilmer

Glascock Co.+Ga. Military

Glenn Hills+Josey

Glynn Academy+Wayne Co.

Grayson+Meadowcreek

Greene Co.+Howard

Greenville+Pacelli Catholic

Griffin+Jonesboro

Grovetown+Walnut Grove

Harlem+Butler

Harris Co.+Lee Co.

Hart Co.+Morgan Co.

Henry Co.+Northeast-Macon

Hillgrove+Hiram

Holy Innocents’+Whitefield Acad.

Jackson-Atl.+South Atlanta

Jefferson+Rabun Co.

Johnson-Gaines.+East Hall

Johnson-Sav.+Windsor Forest

Johnson Co.+Treutlen

LaFayette+SE Whitfield LaGrange+Columbus

Lakeside-Evans+Westside-Aug.

Lamar Co.+Heard Co.

Lambert+Johns Creek

Langston Hughes+Arabia Mtn.

Lanier Co.+Bacon Co.

Lincoln Co.+Hancock Central

Locust Grove+North Murray

Loganville+Monroe Area

Lovett+GAC

Lowndes+Houston Co.

Luella+Redan

M.L. King+Greenbrier

Manchester+Macon Co.

Marion Co.+Schley Co.

McEachern+Harrison

McIntosh Co. Acad.+Appling Co.

Miller Co.+Randolph-Clay

Montgomery Co.+Jenkins Co.

Mt. Paran+Hebron Christian

Mt. Pisgah+Our Lady of Mercy

Mt. Zion-Jonesboro+Alcovy

Newnan+Pebblebrook

Newton+Douglass

Norcross+Duluth

North Clayton+Stockbridge

North Gwinnett+North Forsyth

North Hall+Chestatee

Northgate+McIntosh

Northside-W.R.+Tift Co.

Osborne+Paulding Co.

Pace Academy+SW Atl. Christian

Peach Co.+Worth Co.

Peachtree Ridge+South Forsyth

Pelham+Atkinson Co.

Pepperell+Coosa

Pierce Co.+Jeff Davis

Pike Co.+Jordan

Portal+Bryan Co.

Putnam Co.+Monticello

Richmond Academy+Cross Creek

Richmond Hill+Long Co.

Riverside Mil.+Oglethorpe Co.

Rockdale Co.+Habersham Central

Rockmart+Model

Salem+Winder-Barrow

Sandy Creek+Starr’s Mill

Sav. Christian+Calvary Day

Sav. Country Day+Claxton

Screven Co.+Southeast Bulloch

Sequoyah+Northwest Whitfield

Social Circle+Prince Ave.

South Gwinnett+Shiloh

Southwest-Macon+Central-Macon

Southwest DeKalb+Marist

Spalding+Rutland

Sprayberry+South Paulding

Statesboro+South Effingham

Swainsboro+Laney

Tattnall Co.+Benedictine

Taylor Co.+Central-Talbotton

Terrell Co.+Calhoun Co.

Thomas Co. Central+Hardaway

Thomasville+Mitchell Co.

Toombs Co.+Bleckley Co.

Tri-Cites+Douglas Co.

Trion+Walker

Tucker+Stone Mountain

Twiggs Co.+Telfair Co.

Union Co.+Dawson Co.

Valdosta+Coffee

Vidalia+Dodge Co.

Warren Co.+Aquinas

Washington Co.+Burke Co.

Wesleyan+Athens Academy

West Laurens+Thomson

Westlake+Lovejoy

Westminster+Cross Keys

Westside-Macon+Amer.-Sumter

White Co.+Lumpkin Co.

Wilcox Co.+Hawkinsville

Wilkinson Co.+Wash.-Wilkes

Woodland-Henry+Eagle’s Landing

Woodstock+Cherokee

Woodward Academy+Mary Persons

Saturday

Carver-Atl.+North Atlanta

Cedar Grove+Towers

Groves+Savannah

Lithonia+Lakeside-DeKalb

Miller Grove+North Springs

Monroe+Westover

St. Pius+Grady

Stephenson+Union Grove

Villa Rica+Mays

Washington+Riverwood