Five region titles, eight playoff berths still up for grabs

(Daniel Varnado/Special to AJC)

(Daniel Varnado/Special to AJC)

Valdosta, Glynn Academy and Dacula clinched region titles last week in Class AAAAAA.

Johns Creek can win Region 7 this week, but a Johns Creek loss would hand the title to Centennial.

In the other four regions, Evans, Tucker, Mays and Dalton need one win to claim championships. Losses by any of them, however, would send their regions to the tiebreaker procedures to settle on the No. 1 seed.

Eight of the 32 playoff berths are still up for grabs this week, as well.

Here’s a look at where the playoff races stand in each region heading into Week 12:

*Region 1: Valdosta clinched the region title last week, and Northside-Warner Robins, which is idle, has clinched a playoff berth. The key game to watch this week is Valdosta at Houston County. If Valdosta wins, Houston County is eliminated and the Lee County-Coffee game will determine third and fourth place. If Houston County wins, the loser of the Lee County-Coffee game is eliminated.

*Region 2: Glynn Academy clinched the region title last week, and Effingham County has secured a playoff spot. A victory by Richmond Hill against Effingham County this week would eliminate Brunswick from the race, putting Richmond Hill and Bradwell Institute in the playoffs. Losses by Richmond Hill and Bradwell (vs. Glynn Academy) would produce a three-way tie for two spots.

*Region 3: Evans, Heritage-Conyers, Lakeside-Evans and Grovetown have clinched the four playoff berths. Evans can win the region title with a win over Heritage, but an Evans loss could produce a three-way for first place that would include Heritage and Lakeside. Likewise, a Heritage loss and a Grovetown win against Lakeside would produce a three-way tie for second behind Evans.

*Region 4: Tucker can win the region title with a victory over Stephenson, but a Stephenson win would produce a three-way tie for first place that would include Lovejoy, which has completed its regular season. Tucker beat Lovejoy 29-26, and Lovejoy beat Stephenson 28-27. Drew and Jonesboro meet Thursday at Tara Stadium, and the winner will take the fourth playoff berth.

*Region 5: Mays can win the region title with a victory over Northgate. If Northgate wins, those teams likely would finish in a three-way tie for first place with Alexander, which lost to Mays last week but beat Northgate 21-14 on Sept. 30. All three teams are 8-1 overall. Hughes has completed its regular season and will be the region's No. 4 team.

*Region 6: Dalton, Harrison and Allatoona have clinched playoff berths, and Dalton can win the title with a victory against Allatoona this week. An Allatoona win likely produces a three-way tie for first with Dalton and Harrison (which plays Creekview, a team that was eliminated with a loss to Sprayberry last week). The No. 4 seed will be the winner of Sprayberry's game at Sequoyah.

*Region 7: Johns Creek can win the first region title in the school's eight-year history with a victory over Dunwoody (1-6 in region play). If Johns Creek loses, Centennial gets the championship. Both are in the playoffs. If Cambridge takes care of business against last-place North Atlanta, it will be safely in. That would leave the last spot to go to the winner of the Alpharetta-Chattahoochee game.

*Region 8: Dacula, Lanier, Gainesville and Winder-Barrow will be the four playoff teams. Dacula clinched the region title last week, and Winder-Barrow can finish no higher or lower than the No. 4 seed. Gainesville plays at Lanier in a game that will decide the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. Habersham Central and Apalachee, both 0-4 in the region, will face off in a game that won't impact the playoffs.