Dacula and Lanier have been models of consistency since they joined the current configuration of Region 8-AAAAAA that emerged from the GHSA reclassification for the 2016-17 school year.
The two Gwinnett County schools are both among the top 11 Class AAAAAA teams in victories, winning percentage and games played over the past three and a half years. Both reached the state semifinals last season.
Dacula made school history this week when it was elevated to the No. 1 spot in the rankings after previous No. 1 Valdosta lost to Lowndes on Friday. Lanier moved up one position to No. 7, its highest regular-season ranking since reaching No. 2 for a week early in 2016.
Dacula and Lanier are both 5-0 heading into region play this week, and they are the clear favorites in Region 8 again this season.
On Tuesdays over the next few weeks, we’ll examine the playoff outlooks for every team as region play kicks off (or shortly after it begins). We continue today with Region 8.
Here’s a closer look at each of the teams, broken down by playoff likelihood, in alphabetical order within each group:
Defending champion: Dacula
Current standings:
Team - Region / Overall
Dacula - 0-0 / 5-0
Lanier - 0-0 / 5-0
Habersham Central - 0-0 / 3-2
Apalachee - 0-0 / 2-3
Gainesville - 0-0 / 2-3
Winder-Barrow - 0-0 / 1-4
Safest playoff bets: Dacula, Lanier
Dacula has gone 15-0 in region games and won three region titles since dropping from the highest classification in 2016. Lanier has gone 11-1 in region play against teams other than Dacula and finished no lower than tied for second place in that same stretch. What should scare the rest of the region is that neither team was undefeated or ranked heading into region play the past three years, as they are now. These are two of the safest locks to make the playoffs in all of AAAAAA, and both are capable of making long playoff runs.
In the hunt: Gainesville, Habersham Central
Gainesville started the year 0-7 in 2018 but won two of its final three regular-season games to finish in fourth place and earn a playoff berth. The Red Elephants lost to Creekside in the first round and finished 2-9, their most losses since 1997. Gainesville is 2-3 this season but has played a difficult schedule. The Red Elephants have made 19 consecutive playoff appearance. Habersham Central is 3-2 heading into region play, as it was last year when it finished in third place, but the Raiders haven’t played a team above Class AAAA yet to provide a true test. That test will come Friday when Habersham Central meets Lanier in the region opener.
Long shots: Apalachee, Winder-Barrow
Almost no one can be counted out this early in a six-team league, where two region victories are usually enough to grab a playoff spot. Apalachee and Winder-Barrow, however, have the toughest road to get there. Apalachee hasn’t reached the postseason since 2009 and is 2-39 in region games since 2013. Winder-Barrow is coming off a 2-8 season and has started the year 1-4 against lower-classification teams. But Apalachee has been competitive in every game except a 41-7 loss to Class AAAA No. 10 North Oconee, and Winder-Barrow’s offense has shown signs of strength. They meet in the region opener Friday, and the loser likely won’t be able to recover.
Not this year: None
Games to watch:
The region title is likely to be decided on Nov. 1, when Dacula travels to Lanier in the next-to-last week of the regular season. Dacula won the past three meetings by a combined score of 84-7. This week, Dacula plays Gainesville and Lanier takes on Habersham Central. Those two games should give an indication of whether the rest of the pack is up to the challenge of playing with the favorites.
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Next week: Region 1-AAAAAA
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