Westminster will be seeking its fifth consecutive state championship (13th overall) and McIntosh and St. Pius will be aiming for their 12th overall titles when the girls soccer state playoffs begin this week.
The tournaments for Classes AAAAAAA, AAAAA, AAA and A (public and private) will get under way Tuesday, and the action will start Thursday for AAAAAA, AAAA and AA.
The only defending champion that failed to make the field this year was Class AAAAAA Alpharetta, which finished 4-4 in Region 7 and placed fifth behind top-ranked Johns Creek, Dunwoody, Pope and Northview. The six other reigning state champions figure to be in the mix again this year.
Here’s a look the classifications that begin play Tuesday. All rankings are provided by Score Atlanta, unless noted. Previews for the other classifications will be posted Thursday.
Class AAAAAAA
*No. 1 team: Lambert
*2018 champion: Parkview
*Overview: The past two champions in the highest classification – Lambert (2017) and Parkview (2018) – are the teams to beat again this year. The Longhorns and Panthers enter the postseason in the top two spots in the rankings and have a combined record of 35-1. The only setback for either team was Parkview’s 2-0 loss to J.L. Mann of South Carolina on March 23. Other teams to watch include No. 3 Lassiter and No. 7 Hillgrove, who played to a 1-1 draw last week, and Gwinnett County’s Peachtree Ridge, North Gwinnett and Brookwood, who hold the 4-5-6 spots in the most recent rankings. Lassiter won the championships in 2016.
*Worth noting: No team in the highest classification has repeated as state champ since Parkview won in 2007 (tied with Grayson), 2008 and 2009. Pope holds the record in the highest class with four consecutive titles from 1999 to 2002, including three ties.
*First-round matchups:
(R4 #3) Roswell at (R1 #2) Tift County
(R3 #4) North Paulding at (R2 #1) East Coweta
(R6 #3) Mountain View at (R7 #2) Brookwood
(R5 #4) Forsyth Central at (R8 #1) Rockdale County
(R1 #3) Lowndes at (R4 #2) Walton
(R2 #4) Newnan at (R3 #1) Hillgrove
(R7 #3) Norcross at (R6 #2) Peachtree Ridge
(R8 #4) South Gwinnett at (R5 #1) Lambert
(R2 #3) Westlake at (R3 #2) Kennesaw Mountain
(R1 #4) Colquitt County at (R4 #1) Lassiter
(R5 #3) Milton at (R8 #2) Archer
(R6 #4) Mill Creek at (R7 #1) Parkview
(R3 #3) North Cobb at (R2 #2) Campbell
(R4 #4) Cherokee at (R1 #1) Camden County
(R8 #3) Grayson at (R5 #2) West Forsyth
(R7 #4) Lakeside-DeKalb at (R6 #1) North Gwinnett
Class AAAAA
*No. 1 team: McIntosh
*2018 champion: Whitewater
*Overview: McIntosh’s bid for a third consecutive state championship (and 12th overall) was spoiled in the final last year by Whitewater, which lost to the Chiefs 3-0 during the regular season but won in penalty kicks in the championship match. Now the Chiefs are back in the role of favorites, with a 15-1-1 record and the No. 1 ranking. McIntosh’s only loss came against Class AAAA power St. Pius, 4-0 on March 22. McIntosh beat AAAA No. 1 Columbus 3-2 last week. The Chiefs’ road back to the finals could be a rough one, with possible matchups against second-ranked Decatur in the quarterfinals and No. 5 Buford in the semifinals.
*Worth noting: Fayette County schools McIntosh, Starr’s Mill and Whitewater have won eight of the past nine state championships in their classification – McIntosh in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017; Starr’s Mill in 2010 and 2015; and Whitewater in 2018.
*First-round matchups:
(R4 #3) Eagle’s Landing at (R1 #2) Warner Robins
(R3 #4) Fayette County at (R2 #1) South Effingham
(R6 #3) Riverwood at (R7 #2) Rome
(R5 #4) Cross Keys at (R8 #1) Buford
(R1 #3) Harris County at (R4 #2) Locust Grove
(R2 #4) Wayne County at (R3 #1) McIntosh
(R7 #3) East Paulding at (R6 #2) Decatur
(R8 #4) Walnut Grove at (R5 #1) Chamblee
(R2 #3) Ware County at (R3 #2) Starr’s Mill
(R1 #4) Thomas County Central at (R4 #1) Union Grove
(R5 #3) Clarkston at (R8 #2) Johnson-Gainesville
(R6 #4) North Springs at (R7 #1) Carrollton
(R3 #3) Whitewater at (R2 #2) Statesboro
(R4 #4) Jones County at (R1 #1) Veterans
(R8 #3) Loganville at (R5 #2) Arabia Mountain
(R7 #4) Paulding County at (R6 #1) Grady
Class AAA
*No. 1 team: Westminster
*2018 champion: Westminster
*Overview: Westminster won its state-record 12th girls soccer state championship and is favored to extend that mark and win its fifth consecutive title. The Wildcats have a star-studded lineup that includes college signees Talia Staude (Virginia), Merritt Smith (Colgate) and Cecie Bassett (Davidson) and five-star junior Astrid Wheeler (committed to Stanford). Keep an eye on Westminster’s rival, sixth-ranked Lovett, which lost to the Wildcats in penalty kicks in the 2018 final and won a state title in 2016, and No. 3 Dawson County, which dethroned Greater Atlanta Christian as the Region 7 champion and enters the tournament with just one loss.
*Worth noting: GAC had won six consecutive region titles, including the past two in 7-AAA, before finishing second to Dawson County this year. Still, the Spartans enter the tournament ranked No. 4 and are 11-6-1 against one of the state’s toughest schedules.
*First-round matchups:
(R4 #3) Jackson at (R1 #2) Worth County
(R3 #4) Windsor Forest at (R2 #1) Pierce County
(R6 #3) Coahulla Creek at (R7 #2) Greater Atlanta Christian
(R5 #4) Stone Mountain at (R8 #1) Jackson County
(R1 #3) Cook at (R4 #2) Peach County
(R2 #4) Tattnall County at (R3 #1) Islands
(R7 #3) Lumpkin County at (R6 #2) Adairsville
(R8 #4) East Jackson at (R5 #1) Westminster
(R2 #3) Liberty County at (R3 #2) Savannah Arts
(R1 #4) Monroe at (R4 #1) Pike County
(R5 #3) Pace Academy at (R8 #2) Jefferson
(R6 #4) Sonoraville at (R7 #1) Dawson County
(R3 #3) Southeast Bulloch at (R2 #2) Long County
(R4 #4) Central-Macon at (R1 #1) Crisp County
(R8 #3) Morgan County at (R5 #2) Lovett
(R7 #4) North Hall at (R6 #1) Calhoun
Class A (Private)
*No. 1 team: First Presbyterian
*2018 champion: First Presbyterian
*Overview: First Presbyterian won its third state championship last season, the second-most by any Class A school behind Walker’s four (2003, 2008, 2009, 2010). The Vikings are the heavy favorites again this year. Their 2-0 loss to Class AAA Westminster last week was their first since a 4-1 setback against Wesleyan in the 2017 Class A final and ended a 38-match winning streak. Victories by Wesleyan and First Presbyterian this week would set up a rematch of the past two state champions at First Presbyterian in the second round. Wesleyan is ranked No. 2 by Eurosport despite an 8-6-2 record that was built against a rugged schedule.
*Worth noting: No other team ranked in the top five – No. 2 Pinecrest Academy, No. 3 Brookstone, No. 4 Athens Academy and No. 5 Eagle’s Landing Christian – has won a state championship. Athens Academy lost to the Vikings 2-0 in the final last season.
*First-round matchups:
(A5 #2) Walker at (A7 #1) Paideia
(A1 #2) Calvary Day at (A3 #1) Athens Academy
(A6 #2) Whitefield Academy at (A8 #1) Pinecrest Academy
(A2 #2) Brookstone at (A4 #1) Eagle’s Landing Christian
(A7 #2) Holy Innocents’ at (A5 #1) Mount Paran Christian
(A3 #2) Lakeview Academy at (A1 #1) Savannah Country Day
(A8 #2) Wesleyan at (A6 #1) Mount Pisgah Christian
(A4 #2) Trinity Christian at (A2 #1) First Presbyterian
Class A (Public)
*No. 1 team: Georgia Military
*2018 champion: None
*Overview: For the first time, the Georgia High School Association is holding separate tournaments for public schools and private schools in Class A. That’s a good thing for the public schools, who have never produced a state champion in girls soccer. Georgia Military comes in with the top ranking but could face a tough challenge from Area 7 champion Lake Oconee Academy, which beat Georgia Military 3-0 on March 5. Those two teams would not meet until the final. Second-ranked Atlanta Classical Academy, which opened in 2014 with kindergarten through eighth grade, is seeking its first state championship in any sport.
*Worth noting: Fifth-ranked Towns County was the only public school to win a first-round match in the combined Class A tournament last year. The other five public schools in the 32-team field were outscored 48-0 by their private-school opponents.
*First-round matchups:
(A5 #2) Drew Charter at (A7 #1) Lake Oconee Academy
(A1 #2) Echols County at (A3 #1) Treutlen
(A6 #2) Bowdon at (A8 #1) Towns County
(A2 #2) ACE Charter at (A4 #1) Chattahoochee County
(A7 #2) Crawford County at (A5 #1) Atlanta Classical
(A3 #2) Wheeler County at (A1 #1) Atkinson County
(A8 #2) Lincoln County at (A6 #1) Trion
(A4 #2) Dooly County at (A2 #1) Georgia Military
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