Class AAAAA football will have a brand-new look in 2020. Some of the classification’s best teams are moving up and some of the top schools are being promoted from lower classifications. The result should be another great season of competition.
Moving out: State champion Buford, Carrollton, Rome, Kell and Riverwood, all top-ten ranked teams for most of the season, as well as
Moving in: Three-time Class AAAA champion Blessed Trinity, Woodward Academy, Cartersville, Calhoun and St. Pius. Coffee, Creekside and M.L. King are dropping down from AAAAAA.
Moving down: Dropping into Class AAAA are 2018 champion Bainbridge, New Hampstead, Riverdale, Arabia Mountain, Miller Grove, Thomas County Central and Cedar Shoals.
Here is a far-too-early 2020 preseason top 20 for Class AAAAA:
- Warner Robins
- Blessed Trinity
- Coffee
- Cartersville
- Clarke Central
- Ware County
- Dutchtown
- Jones County
- Wayne County
- Woodward Academy
- Stockbridge
- Griffin
- Starr's Mill
- Southwest DeKalb
- St. Pius
- Creekside
- Calhoun
- Veterans
- Eastside
- Hiram
A look at each new region:
Region 1 -- Coffee, Veterans, Ware County, Warner Robins and Wayne County: There isn't a weak link in this lineup. One very good team is going to miss the playoffs.
Region 2 – Griffin, Harris County, McIntosh, Northgate, Northside Columbus, Starr's Mill, Whitewater: Starr's Mill reached the Final Four and Griffin is one of the state's iconic teams.
Region 3 – Banneker, Creekside, Drew, Forest Park, Jonesboro, Mundy's Mill, Tri-Cities, Woodward Academy: Woodward was in the Class AAAA Final Four and Creekside reached the second round of the playoffs.
Region 4 – Dutchtown, Eagle's Landing, Jones County, Locust Grove, Ola, Stockbridge, Union Grove and Woodland: This is pretty much the same makeup as before, with three Dutchtown, Jones County and Stockbridge each spending most of the season in the top 10.
Region 5 – Chamblee, Clarkston, Cross Keys, Decatur, Lithonia, M.L. King, Southwest DeKalb, St. Pius and Stone Mountain. Decatur moves in from Region 6, while King and St. Pius are coming from different classifications. But the football king will continue to be Southwest DeKalb, the two-time region champions. This league will be even more intense for basketball season.
Region 6 – Chapel Hill, Grady, Maynard Jackson, Lithia Springs, New Manchester, North Springs and Villa Rica. This is the league for the West Metro, along with outlier North Springs. Lithia Springs made the playoffs a year ago for the first time. Villa Rica may be the sleeping giant in this league.
Region 7 – Blessed Trinity, Calhoun, Cartersville, Cass, Hiram, Northview, Woodland Cartersville: This league is loaded. Blessed Trinity, Calhoun and Cartersville are all perennial contenders and Hiram experienced a breakthrough in 2019.
Region 8 – Apalachee, Clarke Central, Eastside, Greenbrier, Jackson County, Johnson Gainesville, Loganville and Walnut Grove: Buford had to move up because of reclassification but Clarke Central is there to take the spot as region favorite. Competition for the other three playoff spots should be keen.
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