Georgia’s new region landscape is set to make its debut next fall and while the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak continues wreaking havoc on spring sports, it is worth taking a look ahead to the changes waiting on the horizon for Class AAAA.
The big news in the classification is Blessed Trinity, who has won three straight state championships in Class AAAA, has been moved up to Class AAAAA. So have several other classification powerhouses. In the final Top 10 poll of the season last year, only three teams remain (No. 7 West Laurens, No. 8 Carver-Columbus and No. 10 North Oconee). Gone are seven region champions won including two schools (Woodward Academy and Cartersville) that went undefeated in the regular season last year and two others (Blessed Trinity and Oconee County) which had only one loss. In the GHSA Class AAAA playoffs last season, none of the Final Four teams remain and only two (Madison County and Oconee County) made the Elite Eight. Interestingly, you have to go back to 2011 to find a school still in Class AAAA that won the state championship in the classification and that was Burke County. This season, all eyes will be on Mays, who drop down two classes into Class AAAA after going 10-2 last year. Jenkins will also be a team to watch, going to the Final Four in Class AAA last season and finishing the regular season 9-1 with a Region 3 title. Listed below are all the new region assignments with a short synopsis of the changes experienced following the realignment as well as the region champion from last year.
REGION 1-AAAA (Carver-Columbus 9-1)
Bainbridge
Cairo
Dougherty
Monroe
Thomas County Central
Westover
NOTES: Not surprisingly, the state's middle classification experienced a ton of turnover following the realignment and Region 1 is just one example. Only Cairo, Dougherty and Westover are back as Americus-Sumter, region champ Carver-Columbus, Columbus, Hardaway, Northside-Columbus and Shaw have found new regions. Bainbridge and Thomas County Central arrive from Class AAAAA's Region 1 and Monroe is joining after competing in Class AAA Region 1.
REGION 2-AAAA (West Laurens 9-1)
Carver-Columbus
Columbus
Hardaway
Jordan
Kendrick
LaGrange
Shaw
Spencer
Troup
NOTES: Region 2 returns none of the six schools that resided in it pre-realignment (Howard, Mary Persons, Perry, Spalding, Upson-Lee and region champ West Laurens). Carver-Columbus, Columbus, Hardaway, LaGrange, Troup and Shaw are arriving from within the classification. Jordan and Spencer are coming all the way from Region 5 in Class AA and Kendrick arrives from Region 4 in Class AAA.
REGION 3-AAAA (Thomson 5-5)
Benedictine
Burke County
Islands
Jenkins
New Hampstead
NOTES: Burke County is the only returning team from last year as Baldwin, Cross Creek, Richmond Academy and region champ Thomson departed. Four newcomers are set to join Region 3. This group includes former Class AAA programs Benedictine, Islands and Jenkins and former Class AAAAA program New Hampstead.
REGION 4-AAAA (Woodward Academy 10-0)
Baldwin
Howard
Perry
Spalding
West Laurens
NOTES: Region 4's former eight-team region which included region champ Woodward Academy will be replaced by five new programs that all competed within the classification this past season. Howard, Perry, Spalding and West Laurens come from Region 2 and Baldwin comes in from Region 4.
REGION 5-AAAA (Cartersville 10-0)
Fayette County
Hampton
Luella
McDonough
Mt. Zion-Jonesboro
North Clayton
Riverdale
NOTES: Region 5 will have no returning teams from its former alignment (region champ Cartersville, Cedartown, Central-Carroll, Chapel Hill, LaGrange, Sandy Creek and Troup). Former Region 4 opponents Hampton, Luella, McDonough and North Clayton are now in the region. They will be joined by former Class AAAAA Region 3 opponents Fayette County and Riverdale in addition to Mt. Zion-Jonesboro, which arrives from Class AAAAAA's Region 4.
REGION 6-AAAA (Heritage-Catoosa 8-2)
Arabia Mountain
Druid Hills
Hapeville Charter
Mays
Miller Grove
Stephenson
NOTES: None of the seven teams that competed in Region 6 return including region champ Heritage-Catoosa as it shifts from a North-Georgia group of teams to a Metro-based lineup of teams. Druid Hills and Marist join from within the classification, while Arabia Mountain and Miller Grove make their way to Region 6 from Class AAAAA. Hapeville Charter makes a two-classification jump up from Region 6 in Class AA, while Mays and Stephenson make a two-classification descent from Class AAAAAA.
REGION 7-AAAA (Blessed Trinity 9-1)
Cedartown
Central-Carrollton
Heritage-Catoosa
Northwest Whitfield
Pickens
Ridgeland
Southeast Whitfield
NOTES: Region 7 saw a complete turnover with the departure of region champ Blessed Trinity, Chestatee, Denmark, Flowery Branch, Marist, West Hall and White County). Four former Region 6 teams (Heritage-Catoosa, Northwest Whitfield, Pickens and Southeast Whitfield) and Cedartown and Central-Carroll from Region 5 now form the region.
REGION 8-AAAA (Oconee County (9-1)
Cedar Shoals
Chestatee
East Hall
Flowery Branch
Jefferson
Madison County
North Oconee
NOTES: Madison County and North Oconee will be joined by five newcomers after the vacancies left by region champ Oconee County, St. Pius and Stephens County. Jefferson and East Hall arrive from Class AAA and Cedar Shoals hails from Region 8 in Class AAAAA. Additionally, former Region 7 opponents Flowery Branch and Chestatee arrive from within the classification.
