Region 1-AAAAAA was so strong in 2016 that Jake Fromm's Houston County team didn't qualify for the playoffs despite beating state semifinalist Northside of Warner Robins and taking eventual state champion Valdosta to the wire, losing 28-24 in the final regular-season game.

Two of the best players in the history of the current Region 1-AAAAAA schools played in this region last year, and they're doing well as freshmen at their next stops. Fromm is starting at quarterback for Georgia, and Aubrey Solomon is in Michigan's defensive-line rotation.

They join a group that includes Stan Rome, a former national record-holder in receiving yards; Chansi Stuckey, a high school quarterback who played wide receiver in the NFL; and Pulpwood Smith, the 1982 Class AAAA back of the year who rushed for 1,811 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior.