The state playoffs begin Friday with first-round doubleheaders and three-game series.
Here is a look at the state draws. They are not official. Please post any mistakes you see.
Class AAAAAA: There are two first-round matchups between ranked teams – No. 7 Mountain View at No. 5 Lambert and No. 10 Northview at No. 3 Norcross. The best draw probably belongs to Region 5 champion Pope. The only ranked team in Pope's quarter is No. 9 North Paulding, a team that wound up third in its region behind unranked Hillgrove and Harrison. The only region champion is Rockdale County, whose Region 2 was swept in the first round last year. Walton, the Region 5 runner-up to Pope, has spent much of the season highly ranked nationally and could be the team to beat. The Raiders and Pope split their two meetings this season, with Pope winning 16-1, and Walton winning 10-5.
(R4 #3) North Paulding at (R1 #2) Valdosta
(R8 #4) Grayson at (R5 #1) Pope
(R7 #3) North Gwinnett at (R6 #2) North Forsyth
(R3 #4) South Cobb at (R2 #1) Rockdale County
(R1 #3) Tift County at (R4 #2) Harrison
(R5 #4) Lassiter at (R8 #1) Brookwood
(R6 #3) West Forsyth at (R7 #2) Collins Hill
(R2 #4) Newton at (R3 #1) East Coweta
(R8 #3) Archer at (R5 #2) Walton
(R4 #4) McEachern at (R1 #1) Lee County
(R3 #3) Westlake at (R2 #2) Lakeside
(R7 #4) Mountain View at (R6 #1) Lambert
(R5 #3) Etowah at (R8 #2) Parkview
(R1 #4) Colquitt County at (R4 #1) Hillgrove
(R2 #3) Tucker at (R3 #2) Newnan
(R6 #4) Northview at (R7 #1) Norcross
AAAAA: No. 1 Allatoona, No. 4 Cambridge and No. 7 Columbus are the same top quarter of the draw. Note that No. 2 Gainesville is without pitcher Jonathan Gettys, the LSU signee, who is off the team for disciplinary reasons. Greenbrier is the defending champion, but finished runner-up to Houston County in Region 2. MaxPreps likes the Columbus teams and ranks Columbus No. 1 and Northside No. 2.
(R4 #3) McIntosh at (R1 #2) Columbus
(R8 #4) Heritage-Conyers at (R5 #1) Allatoona
(R7 #3) Cambridge at (R6 #2) Southwest DeKalb
(R3 #4) TBA at (R2 #1) Houston County
(R1 #3) LaGrange at (R4 #2) Union Grove
(R5 #4) Alexander at (R8 #1) Gainesville
(R6 #3) Dunwoody at (R7 #2) Dalton
(R2 #4) Evans at (R3 #1) Richmond Hill
(R8 #3) Loganville at (R5 #2) East Paulding
(R4 #4) Starr's Mill at (R1 #1) Northside-Columbus
(R3 #3) TBA at (R2 #2) Greenbrier
(R7 #4) Kell at (R6 #1) Mays
(R5 #3) South Paulding at (R8 #2) Winder-Barrow
(R1 #4) Harris County at (R4 #1) Northgate
(R2 #3) Jones County at (R3 #2) Effingham County
(R6 #4) Druid Hills at (R7 #1) Forsyth Central
AAAA: Whitewater plays at Buford in the first round in what is a rematch of the 2015 finals, won by Buford. The top quarter is the toughest with No. 5 St. Pius, No. 6 Cairo, No. 8 Troup, No. 9 West Laurens and No. 10 Madison County. No. 1-ranked Locust Grove has a decent path to the finals.
(R4 #3) Eastside at (R1 #2) Cairo
(R8 #4) Madison County at (R5 #1) Troup
(R7 #3) Pickens at (R6 #2) St. Pius
(R3 #4) Liberty County at (R2 #1) West Laurens
(R1 #3) Bainbridge at (R4 #2) Spalding
(R5 #4) Whitewater at (R8 #1) Buford
(R6 #3) Redan at (R7 #2) Cartersville
(R2 #4) Upson-Lee at (R3 #1) Thomson
(R8 #3) North Oconee at (R5 #2) Woodward Academy
(R4 #4) Griffin at (R1 #1) Thomas County Central
(R3 #3) Burke County at (R2 #2) Veterans
(R7 #4) Ridgeland at (R6 #1) Marist
(R5 #3) Carrollton at (R8 #2) North Hall
(R1 #4) Cook at (R4 #1) Locust Grove
(R2 #3) Perry at (R3 #2) Wayne County
(R6 #4) Chamblee at (R7 #1) Heritage-Ringgold
AAA: Blessed Trinity won last year and is heavily favored to repeat. BT could face No. 2 Franklin County (24-1) in the quarterfinals. The top first-round matchup is probably No. 6 Pierce County at No. 3 Westminster. An all-Region 4 final between Blessed Trinity and Westminster is very possible. The two also met for the football state title in December.
(R4 #3) Decatur at (R1 #2) Southeast Bulloch
(R8 #4) Oconee County at (R5 #1) Cedartown
(R7 #3) West Hall at (R6 #2) Calhoun
(R3 #4) Hephzibah at (R2 #1) Jackson
(R1 #3) Pierce County at (R4 #2) Westminster
(R5 #4) Central-Carroll at (R8 #1) Jefferson
(R6 #3) Adairsville at (R7 #2) Dawson County
(R2 #4) Jordan at (R3 #1) Westside-Augusta
(R8 #3) Jackson County at (R5 #2) Rockmart
(R4 #4) North Clayton at (R1 #1) Appling County
(R3 #3) Laney at (R2 #2) Peach County
(R7 #4) Banks County at (R6 #1) Ringgold
(R5 #3) Callaway at (R8 #2) Hart County
(R1 #4) Brantley County at (R4 #1) Blessed Trinity
(R2 #3) Rutland at (R3 #2) Washington County
(R6 #4) Sonoraville at (R7 #1) Franklin County
AA: Wesleyan, Greater Atlanta Christian and Holy Innocents' are ranked 1-2-3. They are from the same Region 6. Lovett actually finished ahead of HI in the standings. In short, it's going to be hard to keep a private school out of the winner's circle. Region 2 champion Benedictine, another private school, is ranked No. 5. Darlington, another private, was the 2015 runner-up to Wesleyan and faces Lovett in a great first-round matchup. Best public-school hopes is probably Bowdon (24-0).
(R4 #3) Monticello at (R1 #2) Thomasville
(R8 #4) Oglethorpe County at (R5 #1) Bowdon
(R7 #3) Model at (R6 #2) Greater Atlanta Christian
(R3 #4) Screven County at (R2 #1) Benedictine
(R1 #3) Early County at (R4 #2) Bleckley County
(R5 #4) Manchester at (R8 #1) Union County
(R6 #3) Lovett at (R7 #2) Darlington
(R2 #4) Bryan County at (R3 #1) Metter
(R8 #3) Rabun County at (R5 #2) Bremen
(R4 #4) Crawford County at (R1 #1) Berrien
(R3 #3) East Laurens at (R2 #2) Jeff Davis
(R7 #4) Coosa at (R6 #1) Wesleyan
(R5 #3) Heard County at (R8 #2) Social Circle
(R1 #4) Fitzgerald at (R4 #1) Lamar County
(R2 #3) Bacon County at (R3 #2) Harlem
(R6 #4) Holy Innocents' at (R7 #1) Gordon Lee
About the Author
