The playoff picture in Region 2-AAAAA is beginning to clear up after two days of games matching the four first-place teams at McConnell-Talbert Stadium in Warner Robins.
Houston County (6-1, 5-1) took the first step with a surprisingly easy 45-15 victory Thursday against Jones County.
Northside-Warner Robins (6-1, 5-1) joined the Bears at the top of the region with a 24-21 win Friday against Warner Robins in a victory that wasn’t secure until Tae Daley’s interception with 30 seconds remaining. The Eagles’ Willie Jordan rushed for 249 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries, according to the Macon Telegraph.
Houston County and Northside will be favored the next two weeks against teams in the lower half of the league. If both teams win those games, it would set up their showdown on Nov. 7 at McConnell-Talbert as the region championship game.
Jones County (5-2, 4-2) and Warner Robins (4-3, 4-2) fell into a three-way tie with Lakeside-Evans (4-3, 4-2) for third place. Lakeside has three consecutive impressive victories after starting 1-2 in region play. Lakeside plays at Warner Robins next weekend in a game that suddenly has major playoff implications.
In other Class AAAAA games of note from Week 9 ...
- Drew took sole possession of first place in 4-AAAAA Division A with a 40-28 victory against defending subregion champion Mundy’s Mill. Drew trailed 28-27 at halftime but got rushing touchdowns from Marquis Terry and Joseph Newman in the second half to put the game away. The Titans can clinch the subregion title with a victory at Northgate next weekend. The loss snapped Mundy’s Mill’s 10-game subregion winning streak and was the first time since Sept. 5 that the Tigers were held to fewer than 41 points.
- Harris County and Carver-Columbus remained tied for first place in 1-AAAAA, although Carver had to work hard to stay on top. Fifth-ranked Carver (6-1, 3-0) beat Shaw 32-16 in a game it led just 12-10 at halftime and 20-10 with less than seven minutes remaining. Harris County (5-2, 3-0) beat Columbus 56-0 for its fifth consecutive victory since starting the season 0-2 against teams that are a combined 15-1. Carver and Harris County meet next weekend in a game that likely will determine the region champion.
- Sprayberry and third-ranked Kell won comfortably on Friday and ensured that their showdown on Oct. 31 will be for the 7-AAAAA Division B championship. Sprayberry (6-2, 5-0) beat Forsyth Central 34-7 and is idle next weekend. Kell (7-0, 4-0) beat Riverwood 24-3 and faces North Atlanta next weekend in a game that will have no bearing on the standings. The winner of the Kell-Sprayberry game will play in the region championship game against Dalton, which clinched the Division A title with a 45-18 victory against River Ridge.
- M.L. King, which is assured of its first losing record in the regular season since the program’s first year in 2002, picked up its first victory of the season when it beat Miller Grove 28-24. Despite their 1-6 overall record and 1-2 mark in 6-AAAAA Division A, the Lions still have a shot of qualifying for the region play-in games, but they would have to beat ninth-ranked Stephenson next weekend to remain in the hunt. Stephenson and Southwest DeKalb are tied for first place in the subregion at 3-0, followed by Druid Hills (2-1).
- Winder-Barrow (4-3, 4-2) stopped a two-point conversion attempt on the final play of the game to beat Cedar Shoals 37-35 and move into sole possession of fourth place in 8-AAAAA. Cedar Shoals (0-7, 0-6) scored on an 80-yard pass as time expired but came up short in its attempt to send the game into overtime. Winder-Barrow’s CeCe Green rushed for 266 yards on 27 carries and had touchdown runs of 60, 38 and 60 yards, according the Athens Banner-Herald. Winder-Barrow hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2003.
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