There are only room for 10 teams in the state rankings. But in two weeks there will be 32 teams who advance to the state playoffs. Many of them have no right to be there, but there are always a few clubs who fly under the radar during the regular season, only to pop up in the playoffs and pick off a few wins.
Here are five non-ranked teams that bear watching when the playoffs start:
New Hampstead: Football teams from Savannah have taken a bad wrap for years, but the Phoenix (4-3) are trying to change that. Barring an upset win this week over No. 7 Ware County, New Hampstead will be the third seed in the playoffs. Their losses have been competitive – a four-point decision against Class AAAAAA Brunswick, an 11-point loss to No. 8 Wayne County and a loss to Florida's Bolles School.
Griffin: The Bears (6-3) will either finish second or third in Region 3, pending the results of their season finale against Riverdale. The Bears have an excellent group of receivers and a defense that has allowed the second-fewest points in the region. Their athleticism will make them a tough first-round draw for someone.
Banneker: It's hard to believe this program endured two 0-10 seasons in 2015-16. In two seasons, coach Mario Allen has the Trojans (7-1) on the verge of the school's first region championship. This team can play defense; they've allowed no more than 16 points in any of the seven wins and have given up just nine points over the last four games.
Riverwood: The Raiders have thrived under first-year coach Robert Edwards, who has brought an exciting offense to the Sandy Springs school. Riverwood (6-2) has scored no fewer than 46 points in its wins and put up 51 against reigning region champion Carver. Riverwood will be back in the playoffs after missing last season.
Carrollton: OK, this is cheating a little. The Trojans (6-2) were ranked for the first eight weeks of season but dropped out following a loss to Kell. Carrollton has shown it can play toe-to-toe with big boys like Rome, but can't afford any sort of letdown. Depending on how the tiebreaker shakes out in Region 7, the Trojans will be an unpleasant surprise for any first-round opponent.
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