Region titles in sight for many state, metro teams

By GHSF Daily Staff

For the AJC

With two weeks to go in the regular season, five teams have clinched region titles. Several of the other 35 regions can be decided tonight.

Here's a look at each region and which team is likely to win the championship.

We also offer some history on schools and region titles. For example, St. Pius is chasing its first region title since 1968. Putnam County is near its first title since 1976. Apalachee and Holy Innocents' have clinched the first titles in their schools' history.

Schools that have never won region titles, but are close, include Lassiter, North Gwinnett, Lakeside of Evans, Hephzibah and Hiram.

Class AAAAA

*1-AAAAA: No. 2 Northside (8-0, 5-0) has defeated No. 5 Lowndes (7-1, 4-1) and plays Colquitt County (7-1, 4-1) next week. What happens if there's a three-way tie? The tiebreaker is the number of points allowed against teams in playoff positions, including teams tied for playoff positions. Assuming that Valdosta (5-3, 2-3) finishes fourth, here are the current points-allowed standings for the top three playoff teams: Northside (20), Lowndes (31), Colquitt County (38). Remember that the points allowed for the Northside-Colquitt game next week must be added. Meanwhile, Warner Robins (5-3, 3-2) faces Northside and then Lowndes, creating the potential for more shuffling. Preseason pick: Lowndes.

*2-AAAAA: No. 6 Stephenson (8-0, 5-0) would clinch its seventh title this decade with a victory over Greenbrier (2-6, 1-4) or Douglass (1-7, 1-4). Preseason pick: Stephenson.

*3-AAAAA: No. 9 Camden County (6-2, 5-0) would clinch its ninth straight title with a victory over Savannah (0-8, 0-5) tonight. Preseason pick: Camden County.

*4-AAAAA: No. 4 Newnan (8-0, 7-0) will clinch its fourth straight title in this region with a victory tonight over Mundy's Mill (1-7, 1-6). Preseason pick: Newnan.

*5-AAAAA: No. 7 McEachern (8-0, 7-1) would clinch its first title since 1999 with a victory tonight over Kennesaw Mountain (1-7, 1-6). Preseason pick: Etowah.

*6-AAAAA: Lassiter and Roswell (both 8-0, 7-0) will play for the region title Nov. 6. Roswell has won eight region titles, most recently in 2005. Lassiter has never won a region title. Preseason pick: Kell.

*7-AAAAA: Barring major upsets in both of their games tonight, No. 3 North Gwinnett (8-0, 7-1) and No. 8 Peachtree Ridge (7-1, 6-0) will play for the title Nov. 6, as they did a year ago with Peachtree Ridge winning. North Gwinnett has never won a region title and has lost its 10th game of the season with the title on the line each of the past three years, twice to Norcross. Preseason pick: Peachtree Ridge.

*8-AAAAA: No. 1 Grayson (9-0, 7-0) has clinched the successful defense of its title. Preseason pick: Grayson.

Class AAAA

*1-AAAA: Thomas County Central (7-1, 6-0) and Westside (8-0, 6-0) decide things tonight. TCC won this title in 2006 and 2007 and has 10 region titles overall. Westside is the defending champ. Preseason pick: Westside.

*2-AAAA: Ware County (4-4, 3-1) wins the title by sweeping Effingham County (2-6, 1-3) and Wayne County (2-6, 1-3), which would allow Ed Dudley to win consecutive region titles but at different schools. He was at Walton of 6-AAAAA last season. Brunswick (5-3, 3-1), which lost to Ware, and Statesboro (6-3, 3-2) have only a slim hope. Preseason pick: Brunswick.

*3-AAAA: There's a three-way tie among Evans (7-1, 6-1), Lakeside (7-1, 6-1) and Hephzibah (6-2, 6-1). The spoiler is Richmond Academy (5-3, 5-2), which plays Evans and Hephzibah, but not Lakeside. Watch for Richmond Academy to eliminate one or both. Lakeside hopes it is Hephzibah because Lakeside has beaten Evans but not Hephzibah. Evans is the defending champ. Lakeside and Hephzibah have never won region titles. Preseason pick: Richmond Academy.

*4-AAAA: No. 1 Griffin (8-0, 6-0) will clinch with a victory over Dutchtown (6-2, 4-2) or Alcovy (6-2, 4-2). North Clayton (7-1, 5-2) shouldn't hold its breath. Griffin has won only one region title (2006) since 1984. Preseason pick: Griffin.

*5-AAAA: No. 6 Sandy Creek (7-1, 4-0) has won its subregion and will play the other's side winner, which figures to be Villa Rica (5-3, 4-1) with a win over Tri-Cities (2-3, 3-5) this week. Sandy Creek beat Villa Rica 23-0 in the region title game last year. Preseason pick: Sandy Creek.

*6-AAAA: Assuming no upsets among the leaders, tonight's game between No. 3 Southwest DeKalb (7-1, 7-0) and defending state champion Tucker (7-1, 6-1) is for the title. Marist (6-2, 6-1) could figure in a three-way tie, but Tucker's overall record would trump. Tucker has won five region titles this decade. Marist has won four, including last year's. Southwest DeKalb hasn't won a region title since 2000. Preseason pick: Southwest DeKalb.

*7-AAAA: It looks wild, but it's really simple. The subregion champions will meet next week for the title. On one side, Hiram (8-0, 4-0) and Sprayberry (6-2, 4-0) are playing for it tonight. On the other side, Northwest Whitfield (6-2, 5-0) is playing Dalton (6-2, 4-1) for it tonight. Sequoyah (5-3, 4-1) is eliminated because of the tiebreaker, which is margin of victory in subregion games, with a cap of 13 points. Entering tonight's games, Dalton has 52 margin-of-victory points; Northwest has 50; and Sequoyah has 34. Sprayberry is the defending champion. Hiram has never won a title. Dalton's last of 19 titles was 2007. Northwest won its only title in 2000. Preseason pick: Rome.

*8-AAAA: Apalachee (8-0, 8-0), a Barrow County school opened in 2000, has clinched its first region title. Preseason pick: Loganville.

Class AAA

*1-AAA: No. 2 Peach County (8-0, 5-0) can clinch by beating Dougherty (3-5, 2-3) tonight or Crisp County (5-3, 3-2) next week. Defending state and region champ Cairo (5-3, 4-1) is next in line. Peach has won 14 region titles, most recently in 2006, when Peach was state champion. Preseason pick: Peach County.

*2-AAA: No. 7 LaGrange (7-1, 4-0) and No. 4 Carver (7-1, 4-0) of Columbus play tonight. Carver would clinch with a victory, while LaGrange might need to beat Troup (5-3, 3-1) next week. LaGrange has won 18 region titles, most recently in 2006. Carver seeks its third straight title. Preseason pick: Carver

*3-AAA: No. 5 Washington County (8-0, 4-0) and No. 9 Baldwin (6-2, 4-0) will settle it tonight. Baldwin is the defending champ, although hadn't won a previous title since 1986. Washington County has won 11 titles, most recently in 2006. Preseason pick: Washington County.

*4-AAA: No. 8 Jackson (8-0, 6-0) can clinch its fourth title in seven seasons tonight with a victory over Woodward Academy (6-2, 5-1). If Woodward wins, then Jackson must beat Spalding (4-4, 4-2) next week and hope Woodland (7-2, 6-1) beats Woodward, or else Woodward claims its first title since 1997. Woodland, a four-year-old school, can win its first title if Jackson goes 0-2. Preseason pick: Jackson.

*5-AAA: No. 3 St. Pius (8-0, 5-0) has clinched its subregion and expects to play defending champion Dunwoody (5-3, 4-1), the other subregion champ, for the title next week, as it did a year ago. This time, St. Pius will be the big favorite to win its first region title since 1968. Preseason pick: Grady.

*6-AAA: No. 6 Carrollton (8-0, 3-0) and Ridgeland (8-1, 4-0), subregion champions, will meet next week for the region title for the second straight year. Ridgeland won its first region title last year, but Carrollton is favored this time to win No. 28 overall. Preseason pick: Carrollton.

*7-AAA: Assuming that No. 1 Gainesville (8-0, 3-0) beats Johnson (3-6, 2-2) tonight, things will come down to the game between Gainesville and Flowery Branch (7-2, 4-0) next week. Be aware that No. 10 North Hall (6-2, 4-0) has won the other subregion. North Hall has lost to Gainesville but beaten Flowery Branch, which are critical tiebreakers. That means Gainesville can defend its region title with a win over Flowery Branch, while Flowery Branch can give the title to North Hall by beating Gainesville. Preseason pick: Gainesville.

*8-AAA: Eastside (6-2, 5-0) has wins over Elbert County (7-1, 4-1) and Hart County (6-2, 4-1) and faces Franklin County (5-3, 4-1) next week. No other team is in it. Because of tiebreaker advantages, odds strongly favor Eastside (which lost heavily to graduation) to defend its title even if it slips against Franklin. Hart plays Franklin this week and Elbert next. Title droughts belong to Elbert (1996), Franklin (1992) and Hart (2001). Preseason pick: Hart County.

Class AA

*1-AA: No. 2 Fitzgerald (8-0, 5-0) and No. 7 Thomasville (6-2, 5-0) will play for the title next week. They've won 36 GHSA region titles between them, Fitzgerald most recently in 2006, Thomasville most recently in 2007. Brooks County won it last year. Preseason pick: Thomasville.

*2-AA: Assuming no major upsets, the key game is No. 5 Charlton County (7-0-1) vs. McIntosh County Academy (6-2, 5-1) next week. Appling County (7-1) has beaten McIntosh but lost to Charlton, so the specter of a three-way tie among them for the second straight year looms. They would be declared co-champs but flip coins for seeding. Charlton has won 20 region titles, with shares of three in a row. Preseason pick: Charlton County.

*3-AA: No. 4 Jefferson County (8-0, 8-0) can clinch the title with a victory over Screven County (5-4, 5-4) tonight or defending champion Dublin (6-2, 6-2) next week. Swainsboro (7-1, 7-1) and Dublin remain barely alive. It would be Jefferson County's third region title in five years, first since 2006. Preseason pick: Jefferson County.

*4-AA: Putnam County (7-1, 5-0), which finished 2-8 last season, can clinch tonight with a victory over Northeast (5-3, 3-1). If Northeast wins, prepare for a three-way tie that includes defending champion Henry County (5-3, 4-1). But even if Putnam falls tonight, Northeast would have to beat a pretty good Greene County (4-4, 2-2), which could put the title back into Putnam's hands. Putnam has won only one region title (2001) since 1976. Northeast has never won a region title. Preseason pick: Henry County.

*5-AA: Defending champion Callaway (6-2, 6-0) will clinch with a victory over Heard County (5-3, 4-2) tonight or Pike County (3-5, 2-4) next week. Manchester (6-2, 5-1) remains the long shot. Preseason pick: Callaway.

*6-AA: No. 8 Westminster (6-2, 5-0) can clinch with a victory over No. 3 Buford (7-1, 4-1) tonight. A Buford victory opens the door for a likely three-way tie that would result in No. 5 Lovett (7-1, 4-1) getting the No. 1 seed, followed by Buford and Westminster. That's due to Lovett's 1-0 record vs. AA teams, while Buford and Westminster are 0-0 vs. AA teams. Barring major upsets, Buford will fail to get a No. 1 seed for the first time since 2000. Preseason pick: Buford.

*7-AA: No. 1 Calhoun (8-0, 4-0) is seeking its ninth straight region title and is heavily favored to get it. Calhoun plays Adairsville (5-3, 3-1) this week and probably Armuchee (7-1, 4-0) from the other subregion next week to ensure it. Pepperell (7-1, 3-1) also has some say in it. Preseason pick: Calhoun.

*8-AA: No. 9 Jefferson (8-0, 7-0) plays North Oconee (7-1, 6-1) and East Jackson (8-0, 7-0) the next two weeks to decide it. North Oconee and East Jackson are 3-year-old programs that have never won region titles. Jefferson is the defending champion riding a 16-game winning streak in region play. Preseason pick: Jefferson.

Class A

*1-A: No. 9 Miller County (7-1, 3-0) has clinched its subregion and will play the winner of tonight's Clinch County-Pelham game for the title next week. Miller is the defending champ and has beaten Clinch and Pelham already this season. Clinch (5-3, 3-0) has won this region five of the past seven seasons. Pelham (4-4, 3-0) last won a region in 2001. Preseason pick: Clinch County.

*2-A: No. 6 Twiggs County (7-1, 5-0) has clinched the title. Twiggs started football in earnest in 1996 and won previous titles in 2002 and 2007. Preseason pick: Wilcox County.

*3-A: Several teams have a mathematical chance because of must-win region playoffs next week, but No. 2 Savannah Christian (8-0, 4-0) will be the champion if it defeats the No. 4 seed from the West subregion in its playoff. That opponent will be a team with a losing record, so let's hedge and say Savannah Christian will win its first region title since 1997 and its second since joining the GHSA in 1988. ECI is the champion of the other subregion but lost to Savannah Christian in the regular season, which will decide the No. 1 seed if both win out. Preseason pick: ECI.

*4-A: No. 8 Greenville (8-0, 6-0) is the remaining unbeaten team and the clear frontrunner to win its first region title since 1992. Marion County (7-1, 5-1) can win the title by sweeping Greenville and Chattahoochee County (7-1, 6-1). Chattahoochee would hold the tiebreaker advantage if there's a three-way tie and therefore will win the title if it beats Marion and Marion beats Greenville. Marion and Chattahoochee have never won region titles. Both started football in 2006. Preseason pick: Brookstone.

*5-A: Holy Innocents' (8-1, 7-0) has clinched its first region title. The North Fulton private school began football in 2006. Preseason pick: Whitefield Academy.

*6-A: Darlington (5-3, 4-0) started the season 0-3 but has the inside lane as the only unbeaten team. Lurking are Bowdon (7-1, 3-1), Bremen (5-3, 3-1) and Trion (5-3, 3-1), but GHSF Daily predicts Darlington will clinch tonight with a victory over Gordon Lee (1-7, 1-3) while Trion falls to Bremen. Darlington has beaten Bowdon and Bremen and faces Trion next week. Darlington, a private school in Rome, last won a region title in 2001. Preseason pick: Bowdon.

*7-A: No. 4 Lincoln County and No. 5 Wilkinson County (both 7-1, 3-0) play tonight. Wilkinson can clinch its first region title since 200 and third in history with a victory. Lincoln is seeking its 31st region title under Larry Campbell but might have to wait until next week to clinch unless Warren County (4-4, 2-1), which holds a very faint hope, loses to Washington-Wilkes (4-4, 1-2). Preseason pick: Lincoln County.

*8-A: No. 1 Wesleyan (9-0, 5-0) has clinched its second consecutive and second overall region title. Preseason pick: Wesleyan.

-- The Georgia High School Football Daily staff prepared this report.