Northwest Whitfield girls ranked No. 1 in AAAA

By Todd Holcomb

For the AJC

Northwest Whitfield is the new No. 1 girls team in Class AAAA. It took a 22-game winning streak and a victory over previously top-ranked Rome last week to accomplish that.

The Dalton team is 23-2 and seeded No. 1 for the Region 7-AAAA tournament this week. Northwest is a frequent qualifier for the girls state tournament and still looking for its first state title.

Rome (24-1) fell to No. 3. Defending state champion Southwest DeKalb (19-4) remained No. 2.

The rankings changed little otherwise as several weekend games were postponed or canceled due to weather heading into the region.

New girls teams moving into the rankings were Mundy's Mill at No. 10 in Class AAAAA and three teams in Class AAAA -- No. 8 Hephzibah, No. 9 Salem and No. 10 Westside-Macon.

Newly ranked boys teams were North Hall (AAA), Central Macon (AA) and Montgomery County (A), all at No. 10.

Several teams will finish their regular-season schedules Monday night because of weather postponements.

Miller Grove’s boys will play Tucker in a game to decide the No. 1 seed in their subregion of Region 6-AAAA. Miller Grove beat Tucker in the 2009 state final, but Tucker defeated Miller Grove, ranked No. 2, earlier this season.

In 6-AAAAA, Walton plays at No. 4 Wheeler and No. 3 Milton at Campbell in games that will determine important seeding spots in the state’s strongest region.

North Cobb’s girls, ranked No. 7 in AAAAA, can capture the Region 5 regular-season championship by beating Harrison, but a loss would benefit No. 8 McEachern, which will play at Etowah today.

BOYS

Class AAAAA

1. Westlake

2. Centennial

3. Milton

4. Wheeler

5. Norcross

6. Meadowcreek

7. McEachern

8. Central Gwinnett

9. Groves

10. Newton

Class AAAA

1. Rockdale County

2. Miller Grove

3. Richmond Academy

4. Fayette County

5. Chamblee

6. Bainbridge

7. North Clayton

8. Glynn Academy

9. Lithia Springs

10. Hillgrove

Class AAA

1. Columbia

2. LaGrange

3. Monroe

4. Elbert County

5. South Atlanta

6. Liberty County

7. Dunwoody

8. Washington County

9. Hart County

10. North Hall

Class AA

1. Greater Atlanta Christian

2. Northeast-Macon

3. Laney

4. Decatur

5. Dade County

6. Thomasville

7. Dublin

8. Jefferson

9. McIntosh County Academy

10. Central-Macon

Class A

1. Wilkinson County

2. Whitefield Academy

3. Wesleyan

4. Wilcox County

5. Lanier County

6. Terrell County

7. Greenville

8. Gordon Lee

9. Paideia

10. Montgomery County

GIRLS

Class AAAAA

1. Redan

2. Parkview

3. Norcross

4. Mill Creek

5. Westlake

6. Bradwell Institute

7. North Cobb

8. McEachern

9. Campbell

10. Mundy’s Mill

Class AAAA

1. Northwest Whitfield

2. Southwest DeKalb

3. Rome

4. Mays

5. Fayette County

6. Bainbridge

7. Clarke Central

8. Hephzibah

9. Salem

10. Westside-Macon

Class AAA

1. Kendrick

2. Columbia

3. Carver-Atlanta

4. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe

5. Washington County

6. Westover

7. Chestatee

8. East Hall

9. Pickens

10. Jackson-Atlanta

Class AA

1. Vidalia

2. Greater Atlanta Christian

3. Buford

4. Northeast-Macon

5. Laney

6. Fannin County

7. Dodge County

8. Thomasville

9. North Oconee

10. Rabun County

Class A

1. Wesleyan

2. Randolph-Clay

3. Calvary Day

4. Taylor County

5. Paideia

6. Gordon Lee

7. Southwest Atlanta Christian

8. Emanuel County Institute

9. Warren County

10. Holy Innocents’