There are two weeks left in the regular season, and it's official: We have reached crunch time.
Three regions – 5-AAA (Cedar Grove), 7-AAA (Greater Atlanta Christian) and 8-AAA (Jefferson) – were decided after last week's games. That leaves five regions unclaimed and one, Region 2-AAA, could be won by the Appling County Pirates with a victory against the Pierce County Bears this week. Pierce won last year's contest 27-26 on the road. Appling leads the series 15-8.
An Appling victory would avoid a tie-breaker scenario between Appling, Pierce and Liberty County because Appling defeated Liberty 21-6 on Oct. 18. If Pierce wins against Appling, then loses to Liberty, all three programs would be tied at 3-1.
The Pirates average 285.5 rushing yards and 65.6 receiving yards. The Bears are a bit more balanced, averaging 217.4 rushing and 121 receiving yards.
Appling junior quarterback Jeremiah Holmes is 23-of-25 passing 496 yards and five touchdowns. He has rushed 50 times for 438 yards and six touchdowns. Sharode Roberts leads the Pirates running attack with 76 carries for 536 yards and seven touchdowns. R.J. Conaway has 74 carries for 465 yards and six touchdowns.
Pierce's junior quarterback Jermaine Brewton is 54-of-83 passing for 977 yards and nine touchdowns. He has rushed 60 times for 295 yards and four touchdowns. L.J. Newton leads the Bears' rushing attack with 81 carries for 665 yards and 10 touchdowns. Quavien Bell has carried the ball 28 times for 250 yards and five touchdowns. Nine different players have scored touchdowns for Pierce.
Here are some other games of note:
Region 1: Crisp County can capture its fourth consecutive region title with a victory at Cook. Both programs are 2-0 in the four-team league, and Crisp is coming off a 43-0 victory against Worth County. Cook beat Monroe 29-14 last week. The programs have met 12 times, with Crisp leading the series 7-4. Crisp's dual quarterback rotation – sophomore Jack Carter and junior A.J. Lofton – have combined for six touchdown passes and 1,1147 passing yards. Lofton has rushed for six touchdowns, and Carter has one rushing touchdown. Sophomore Marquise Palmer is the leader of the running game with 144 carries for 941 yards and 10 touchdowns. Four different Crisp players have rushing touchdowns.
Region 4: Peach County can take a step closer to a region title with a victory against Jackson at home. The programs are the two remaining unbeatens in Region 4, with Westside-Macon at 3-1. If Peach wins, it still must beat Westside next week to capture the region. The Trojans have not been challenged since entering region play, and there's not any indicator the game against Jackson will be different. Peach quarterback Jaydon Gibson is 74-of-109 passing for 1,465 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has rushed for 259 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Noah Whittington has 67 carries for 414 yards and 12 touchdowns. Peach averages 210 rushing and 183 receiving yards.
Region 6: North Murray is the only unbeaten in Region 6 (6-0), and a victory against Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe this week would go a long way toward a region title. Calhoun and Haralson County are tied at 5-1 in the region standings, and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe is at 4-2. In a region that Calhoun dominated for the better part of 20 years, the Yellow Jackets need North Murray, which beat Calhoun 31-7 earlier in the year, to lose its final two games, and Calhoun has to win out to keep that streak alive.
Class AAA top 10 schedule
1. Peach County (7-1, 4-0) vs. Jackson in a Region 4 game.
2. Cedar Grove (7-2, 5-0) off. Closes regular season vs. Stone Mountain next week in a Region 5 game.
3. Pierce County (8-0, 3-0) vs. No. 5 Appling County in a Region 2 game
4. Greater Atlanta Christian (8-1, 5-0) off. Closes regular season at Fannin County next week in a Region 7 game.
5. Appling County (7-1, 3-0) travels to No. 3 Pierce County for a Region 2 game.
6. Crisp County (6-3, 2-0) closes regular season at Cook in Region 1 game.
7. Lovett (6-2, 3-1) vs. Redan in a Region 5 game.
8. Jefferson (7-1, 5-0) closes regular season vs. Jackson County in a Region 8 game.
9. Jenkins (8-1, 7-0) off. Closes regular season vs. Benedictine next week in a Region 3 game.
10. North Murray (7-1, 6-0) at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe in a Region 6 game.
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