Two defending champions and a 2016 winner became the first three Class AAAAAA football teams to secure region championships this season when they won their games Friday night in the next-to-last weekend of the regular season.
Dacula claimed the Region 8 title when it beat Lanier 23-0 in a game between the top two teams in what amounted to a region championship game. It was the third consecutive region title for the Falcons, who are 14-0 in league play since they dropped from the highest classification before the 2016 season.
Trenton Jones ran 137 yards and two touchdowns, and the Dacula defense came up with four interceptions and a fumble recovery in posting its second shutout of the season.
“Our defense bent a little bit but never broke,” Dacula coach Clint Jenkins told the AJC’s Stan Awtrey. “Kids kept fighting. We had too many penalties, but we’ll clean that stuff up and keep moving. Really proud of these guys. They gutted it out.”
Lee County, the reigning Class AAAAAA champion, won Region 1 for the second consecutive year when it beat Houston County 45-0. The Trojans finish the regular season next week at Coffee, which lost to Lee County twice last season, including in overtime in the state final.
Johns Creek, which won the Region 7 championship in 2016 but fell to sixth place in the nine-team league last year, is back on top after beating defending champ Alpharetta 32-6 to secure the 2018 title. Johns Creek is 8-1 overall but undefeated against Georgia opponents. The Gladiators’ only loss came against St. John’s (Washington, D.C.), which is ranked in the top 10 in most national polls.
Here's a look at the championship races in the other Class AAAAAA heading into the final week of the regular season.
- Glynn Academy remained unbeaten in Region 2 with a 24-17 victory over Effingham County and can clinch its third consecutive title by beating Bradwell Institute next week. Bradwell could win the region outright if it beats Glynn Academy and Richmond Hill loses to Effingham County. Victories by Bradwell and Richmond Hill would produce a three-way tie for first place.
- Grovetown and Evans will play for the Region 3 title next weekend. Grovetown remained unbeaten in region play with a 12-7 victory over Heritage-Conyers, and a win over Evans would give the Warriors the first region championship in program history. Evans, the defending champion, beat Alcovy 24-5 for its third consecutive win after an 0-6 start, including 0-1 in region play.
- Tucker and Stephenson remained unbeaten in Region 4 and will play a winner-take-all battle for the championship next week at Hallford Stadium. Tucker is the two-time defending champion and has won 25 consecutive region games dating to 2015. Stephenson was the runner-up to Tucker last year and finished in third place behind the Tigers and Lovejoy in 2016.
- Creekside is in the driver’s seat in Region 5 after rallying to beat Douglas County 24-23. Creekside, 0-10 last year, is tied for first place with Douglas County and now holds the tiebreaker, and a victory next week against South Paulding would give the Seminoles their first region title 2014. Douglas County could still win its first title since 2002 if it beats Alexander and Creekside loses.
- Creekview, Harrison and Allatoona remain alive in the chase for first place in Region 6. Current leader Creekview can win the first region title in school history with a victory next week, but it must beat one-loss Harrison to do it. Harrison wins the title outright if it beats Creekview and one-loss Allatoona loses. Victories by Harrison and Allatoona would produce a three-way tie for first place.
About the Author
