GHSF Daily's Chip Saye ranks the most surprising and notable games of the weekend:
1. Whitewater 31, Woodward Academy 28: Woodward had taken sole possession of first place in 5-AAAA with a victory against Sandy Creek, but the War Eagles failed in their first attempt to secure the region title, losing to a team that was 1-2 in the region. Woodward remains in the driver's seat, however, and can clinch the title by beating Carrollton this week.
2. Crisp County 14, Monroe 6: Monroe, coming off an upset of Cairo, had a chance to finish in a three-way tie for first place in 1-AAAA Division B if it could beat a Crisp County team that came in at 2-6. Instead, Monroe fell to the No. 4 position in the subregion and will miss out on the postseason. Crisp County will face Westover for a shot at the playoffs.
3. Dublin 27, Screven County 7: Screven County was undefeated and looking to clinch the Region 3-AA title, but this loss dropped it into a three-way tie for first with Jefferson County and Swainsboro. The Gamecocks can still clinch the title by beating Metter this week. Screven County was projected as a 13-point favorite by the computer Maxwell Ratings.
4. Etowah 28, Roswell 18: Roswell was in position to win its first region title since 2010 if it had won its final two games. Now, the Hornets will finish third in 5-AAAAA unless Milton or Etowah loses to a team in the bottom half of the region. Etowah, which has beaten Roswell three consecutive times, is likely to finish second behind Milton.
5. Starr's Mill 24, Northgate 14: Northgate, which beat subregion champion Drew the previous week, had a chance to finish in a tie for first place in 4-AAAAA Division A, but this loss dropped the Vikings to fourth in the subregion, with no chance to make the state playoffs. Starr's Mill finished as the No. 3 seed and will face Dutchtown in a play-in game.
6. Kennesaw Mountain 44, Marietta 20: Kennesaw Mountain snapped a 12-game losing streak in region games and beat Marietta for the second time in nine meetings. Marietta needs a victory at Harrison this week to avoid its first winless season in region play since 1955. The Blue Devils will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2010.
7. Southeast Whitfield 37, Ridgeland 20: Southeast Whitfield beat Ridgeland for the first time since 2005 and guaranteed itself its first winning season since 1986, when it lost to Villa Rica in the region semifinals and finished 6-5. A victory this week against Northwest Whitfield would put Southeast in the state playoffs for the first time in school history.
8. Habersham Central 32, North Forsyth 7: Habersham Central stopped a 21-game losing streak, winning for the first time since a 31-12 victory against Meadowcreek in 2012. Habersham was a Class AAAA playoff team in 2011 but has struggled mightily since moving to the highest classification, posting a 2-27 record since the start of the 2012 season.
9. Westover 29, Bainbridge 27: Bainbridge was relegated to the No. 3 seed in Region 1-AAAA Division B after losing to Westover for the just the third time in the past 14 meetings. The loss puts Bainbridge in a play-in game against Thomas County Central for a spot in the playoffs. Westover is the second seed from the subregion and will play Crisp County.
10. Apalachee 28, Cedar Shoals 17: Apalachee snapped an 18-game losing streak, winning for the first time since beating Winder-Barrow 42-20 in the final game of the 2012 season. Cedar Shoals, which has won just two of seven all-time games against Apalachee, will finish 0-10 for the first time in school history unless it upsets Salem this week.
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