The deadline for completing region/area matches is April 18, and the first round of the state soccer championships will take place April 24. Teams across the state are jockeying for position in their respective regions and areas to gain the best advantage in the state tournament.
Now is a good time to take a glance around the classification to find some of the best matches taking place this weekend:
-- A crucial region matchup is taking place Friday when Johnson-Gainesville, No. 4 Class AAAAA, plays No. 8 Clarke Central in an 8-AAAAA battle. Johnson leads the region with a 4-0 record, and Clarke Central trails at 3-0. Johnson is riding momentum from two shutout victories against Walnut Grove (9-0) and Cedar Shoals (8-0), but so is Clarke Central. The Gladiators recently defeated Buford 6-0 and Monroe Area 10-0.
-- In Class AAA on Friday, top-ranked Westminster's boys will take their 11-0-1 record to Station Camp High School, Tenn. Since its 1-1 tie to Bob Jones, Ala., Westminster has been flawless with victories against Walton (1-0), Stone Mountain (6-1), Bearden (5-3), Whitefield Academy (3-2), Pace Academy (5-0), Clarkston (2-1) and Enterprise (2-0).
-- Harlem is the No. 4 team in Class AA, and it will face Jefferson County at home Friday. The Bulldogs are 12-4 overall and 8-0 in 4-AA, but three of its four losses came in consecutive days to Stratford (2-1), Gray Collegiate (1-0) and Aquinas (1-0). It rebounded to win 5-0 against Hephzibah Tuesday.
Attached below are the current boys soccer rankings.
Class AAAAAAA
1. Hillgrove
2. Lambert
3. Lakeside-DeKalb
4. Mountain View
5. Collins Hill
6. Pebblebrook
7. North Gwinnett
8. Mill Creek
9. Colquitt County
10. Roswell
Class AAAAAA
1. Dalton
2. Sprayberry
3. Pope
4. Chattahoochee
5. Gainesville
6. Cambridge
7. Northview
8. Tucker
9. Greenbrier
10. Alpharetta
Class AAAAA
1. Decatur
2. Cross Keys
3. McIntosh
4. Johnson-Gainesville
5. Clarkston
6. Starr's Mill
7. Carrollton
8. Clarke Central
9. Rome
10. North Springs
Class AAAA
1. Upson-Lee
2. Chestatee
3. Eastside
4. Woodward
5. Northwest Whitfield
6. Oconee County
7. Marist
8. St. Pius X
9. Columbus
10. Blessed Trinity
Class AAA
1. Westminster
2. Greater Atlanta Christian
3. East Hall
4. Islands
5. Pace Academy
6. Benedictine
7. Lovett
8. Pike County
9. Jefferson
10. Morgan County
Class AA
1. Coosa
2. Putnam County
3. Woodville-Tompkins
4. Harlem
5. Jeff Davis
6. Vidalia
7. Thomasville
8. Fitzgerald
9. Bremen
10. Lamar County
Class A
1. Paideia
2. Atlanta International
3. Whitefield Academy
4. St. Anne Pacelli
5. Wesleyan
6. Mount de Sales
7. Pinecrest
8. Athens Academy
9. Holy Innocents'
10. Riverside Military
About the Author
