Six region titles were clinched in Class AAAAAAA on Friday, but the most intriguing news came in an off-the-radar game in Forsyth County.
Forsyth Central – a team that went 0-10 last season – is going to the playoffs for the first time since 2001 after the Bulldogs defeated defending Region 5 champion South Forsyth 26-21 on Friday night.
Central was up 23-0 in the first half, according to Ian Frazer's account in the Forsyth County News. South rallied to within five and drove to the Central 11-yard line late in the game, but Central made a defensive stop to seal it.
Central (6-3, 2-2) also clinched only its second winning season this century. Next on the schedule for Central is last-place Lambert and the hope of a 7-3 finish entering the playoffs.
Meanwhile, seven of eight region champions are decided in Class AAAAAAA (one was locked up last week), and the only one that remains unsettled isn’t aren’t exactly up for grabs either.
That involves Region 1, where Colquitt County (9-0, 2-0) can finish the drill next week against Lowndes (7-2, 1-1) after walloping ninth-ranked Tift County 45-7 on Friday night and calling into question whether any team can challenge the Packers. Remember that third-ranked Parkview narrowly beat Tift, 31-28, back in September.
Here’s a region-by-region look at how things stand in the high class.
Remember that the first round playoff matchups are regions 1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3, 5 vs. 8, 6 vs. 7.
Region 1 – Colquitt will win its fourth region title in five seasons by beating Lowndes next week. Tift (6-3, 1-1) and Camden County (6-3, 0-2) play in the other game. Region 1 traditionally has broken ties using capped victory margins in games between tied teams, which means that Lowndes would not only have to upset Colquitt, but win by a minimum number of points (probably 10 or more) to claim the region crown. The good news for region inhabitants is that the No. 4 team, though not guaranteed a playoff berth in four-team regions, is the front-runner to get the playoff wild card this year. So Camden doesn't need to sweat its 28-27 loss to Lowndes too much. (Camden went for two points and the win in regulation, and Lowndes made a stop.)
Region 2 – Westlake (7-2, 4-0) clinched its fifth straight region title with a 76-35 victory over Wheeler on Friday. Newnan (5-4, 3-1) and East Coweta (3-6, 3-1) play next week for second place, and Wheeler (6-3, 1-3) and Pebblebrook (3-6, 1-3) play for the fourth and final playoff berth.
Region 3 – Fourth-ranked Hillgrove, unranked in preseason, defeated the preseason Region 3-AAAAAAA favorite, Marietta, 48-24 on Friday to earn the No. 1 seed in the deepest region in the highest classification. The status of Marietta QB Harrison Bailey, injured and unavailable in the second half, will have repercussions going forward. Not the same team without him. Marietta (4-5, 3-1) will get the No. 2 seed. North Paulding (7-2, 2-2) and McEachern (6-3, 2-2) play for third and fourth next week. North Cobb (6-3, 1-3) will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2010 unless it gets the wild card, which seems to favor the Region 1 No. 4 right now.
Region 4 – Roswell (8-1, 4-0) clinched the title with a 34-14 victory over Woodstock. Walton (8-1, 3-1) will be the No. 2 seed. Barring upsets, it will be Cherokee (4-5, 2-2) in the No. 3 hole and Etowah (4-5, 2-2) in fourth.
Region 5 – Milton (7-2, 4-0) clinched the title with a 57-7 victory over Lambert. The other playoff teams will be West Forsyth (4-5, 3-1), Forsyth Central (6-3, 2-2) and South Forsyth (5-4, 2-2), but the order is uncertain.
Region 6 – North Gwinnett (8-2, 6-0) had clinched this region before its 42-0 win over Peachtree Ridge on Friday. Mill Creek (6-3, 4-1) will get the No. 2 seed if the Hawks can beat Collins Hill (3-6, 3-2) next week. Collins Hill, Mountain View (6-3, 3-2) and Duluth (4-5, 2-3) are contending for the final two berths. Expect this: No. 1 North Gwinnett, No. 2 Mill Creek, No. 3 Mountain View, No. 4 Collins Hill.
Region 7 – Parkview (9-0, 5-0) clinched its first region title since 2004 with a 44-0 victory over Meadowcreek. Meadowcreek, which made history with its first playoff berth in decades last season, will be on the outside this year. The seeding order is likely to be No. 1 Parkview, No. 2 Norcross, No. 3 Brookwood and No. 4 Central Gwinnett.
Region 8 – Second-ranked Grayson (7-2, 4-0) clinched the region title with a 49-3 victory over Rockdale County. Likely finish: No. 1 Grayson, No. 2 Archer, No. 3 Newton, No. 4 South Gwinnett. Rockdale could muddy things with an upset of Newton next week.
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