Here’s what to look for this weekend in Class AAAAA:
- Second-ranked Creekside (4-1) and No. 6 Mays (4-1) will meet in Fairburn on Friday in the highest-profile game in Class AAAAA this week, and the winner will emerge as the favorite to win the title in 6-AAAAA Division B, which also includes playoff contenders Carver-Atlanta (4-1) and Tri-Cities (3-1). Mays is coming off a 40-35 victory against Class AAAAAA Lovejoy 40-35 on Saturday. Because of the region’s play-in system, the loser of this game is likely to finish no higher than a No. 3 seed for the state playoffs.
- Only six teams in Class AAAAA are undefeated going into this weekend’s games, and one of those teams will lose that status when Allatoona takes on Alexander in a game with first place in Region 5-AAAAA at stake. Allatoona handed South Paulding its first loss of the season last week and is 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the region. Alexander is 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the region after beating Lithia Springs 24-14 last week. The Cougars moved up to Class AAAAA after going 8-5 and reaching the AAAA quarterfinals in 2013.
- Much of the attention in 7-AAAAA goes to Division B and No. 5 Kell, the two-time defending region champion. But the spotlight this week is on Division A, where Dalton will face Creekview with first place at stake. Dalton lost to Calhoun in its second game but has responded with three consecutive victories, including back-to-back shutouts of Cass and Sequoyah to open subregion play. Creekview started 0-3 in non-region games but has gotten hot at the right time, beating Rome and Cass to reach 2-0 in the subregion.
- Gainesville will have a better feel for its chances of repeating as Region 8-AAAAA champion after a two-game stretch that begins on Friday. The Red Elephants are one of three undefeated teams in region play, and they will play the other two – Salem and Lanier – in their next two games. Gainesville beat Salem the past two years by a combined score of 107-14, but the Seminoles are off to their best start since 2007 at 4-1 overall and 4-0 in the region. The other seven teams in 8-AAAAA have at least two losses in region play.
- Lakeside-Evans (2-3, 2-2) remained in playoff contention in 2-AAAAA with an upset of previously unbeaten Houston County last week, but the Panthers will face an even bigger task this week when they host fourth-ranked Jones County. Lakeside enters the week in sixth place, hoping to keep pace with four teams tied for second place at 3-1 in the region. Jones County is trying to reach 6-0 for the first time since 1961 and looking to close in on its first region title since 2001. Lakeside beat the Greyhounds 35-20 last season.
