Friday nights are about to get a little more meaningful in Class AA. With Regions 2 and 6 kicking off their league slates in earnest this week, I figured it was a good time to look around the state and see what we've learned so far. In some cases, as you'll see, it's not much. But in every region, I think we have at least a marginally better idea of what we're dealing with than we did a couple of weeks ago.
Let's take a look...
UPDATE: Before we get started, we should mention that Lamar County is planning to protest the conclusion of last week's game against Mary Persons. The game was halted due to lightning late in the third quarter as Lamar County was preparing for a two-point conversion that could have tied the game and was never resumed. Per GHSA rules, Mary Persons was declared the winner, 29-27. In a statement released Monday, Lamar County says no lightning was found by its detectors, but that Mary Persons principal Jim Finch "ran onto the field with their lightning detector" and told the officials of lightning in the area.
This has been an odd story from the start. Stay tuned.
Region 1
The Favorites
Fitzgerald (3-0): After barely making playoffs last year, the Purple Hurricanes appear to be back among the state's elite. Led by quarterback Gerald Morgan's 452 rushing yards, Fitzgerald is scoring 37 points per game and is ranked No. 2 in AA.
Brooks County (1-2): The two-time defending champ is still one of the teams to beat in 1-AA. They've faced a challenging non-region schedule, but should be battle-tested and ready to defend their title when they open region play at Pelham on Sept. 26.
In the Mix
Berrien (2-1): haven't made playoffs since 1993, but already defeated rival Cook this year for first time since 1997.
Pelham (3-0): It's about get tougher, starting Friday with Colquitt County (No. 1, AAAAAA). The Hornets also started 3-0 last year, but finished 4-6.
Seminole County (1-1): The newcomer. The Indians won 31 games in last three years in Class A, and haven't missed the postseason since 2004. Their loss to Pacelli was surprising, but Pacelli appears to be improving and is 3-0 on the season. Seminole County bounced back last week with a 42-12 win over Mitchell County.
We'll learn more about the Indians when they take on Thomasville on Sept. 26 in their region opener. Thomasville (0-3) is off to its worst start since 2008, but it's important to note that the Bulldogs opened the season with two AAAA foes before falling to Valdosta (No. 7, AAAAAA), 10-0, last week. Equally worth mentioning: that 2008 Thomasville team, which began the season 0-4, finished second in the region and reached the second round of the playoffs.
Early County (1-1-1): Narrowly missed postseason last fall and is just one season removed from a trip to the state quarterfinals.
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Region 2
The Favorites
Vidalia (3-0): The Indians are up to No. 3 in the latest top 10, led by senior Jordan Black (296 rushing yards, 195 passing yards), and an opportunistic defense that has six interceptions through three games, two of which have been returned for touchdowns.
Benedictine (1-1): After a two-week layoff, the Cadets bounced back from a loss to GAC with an impressive 44-13 win over Liberty County last week. They're at No. 5 in the poll and appear headed for an Oct. 17 showdown with Vidalia.
In the Mix
None of the other teams have yet distinguished themselves. Groves is off to a 3-0 start after winning only one game in its previous two seasons combined, but has had the benefit of opening the season with two first-year programs and a Windsor Forest team currently riding a 16-game losing streak. The Rebels will face Bryan County (1-2), last year's third-place finisher, on Friday in a game that should be more telling.
Long County could also be an interesting team to keep an eye on. The Blue Tide (1-1), which re-launched their program in 2002, has never had a winning season, but they're coming off a 28-20 win over Metter, a 2013 playoff team, and are led by running back Brendon Scott, who has 463 rushing yards through two games.
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Region 3
The Favorites
Jefferson County (1-2): The Warriors have faced a tough schedule, and haven't generated much offense yet, but they're coming off 14-7 win over Washington-Wilkes that has them up to No. 8 in AA.
Dublin (2-1): The 10th-ranked Fighting Irish have scored back-to-back lopsided wins after an opening-week loss to Laney.
In the Mix
Screven County (3-0): The Gamecocks are off to their best start since 2003, and will likely be 4-0 -- assuming they extend Windsor Forest's losing streak to 17 games on Thursday -- when they travel to Jefferson County next week.
Metter (2-2): Made playoffs last year in Region 2; have lost last two games after opening season with back-to-back wins.
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Region 4
The Favorite
Lamar County (1-1-1): The ninth-ranked Trojans have won three straight region titles and appear to be the front runner again.
In the Mix
Macon County (2-1): Have made the playoffs in each of their first two seasons under coach Larry Harold and have a big non-region contest vs. No. 2 Fitzgerald coming up this week.
No other team in the region has a winning record at this early stage of the season.
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Region 5
The Favorites
Bowdon (2-1): The Red Devils haven't won a region title since 2005 in Class A, but they're a perennial playoff team and have looked strong in back-to-back wins after falling to Central-Carroll in the season opener. Darnell Holland and Tay Sheppard could be a handful for opposing defenses; the duo rushed for 459 yards in the Red Devils' 55-20 win over Cedartown last week. Bowdon should get a test at Darlington this week in its final non-region game of the season.
Heard County (1-2): Two-time defending champ Heard County opened 2014 with back-to-back defeats, but may have suffered a bigger loss in a 14-0 win over South Atlanta last week when two-way standout Duranta Dunson suffered a broken collarbone. Dunson ran for more than 2,000 yards last season as a junior and posted over 100 tackles on defense. The Heard Citizen reports he'll be re-evaluated in six weeks.
In the Mix
The rest of the region appears wide open at this point. Last year's third-place team Kendrick is in Class AAA this season, as are Spencer and Jordan.
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Region 6
The Favorites
Greater Atlanta Christian (3-0): The top-ranked Spartans have lived up to their billing thus far, successfully navigating a tough non-region schedule.
Lovett (2-2): The defending state champs may have had the toughest non-region schedule in Class AA and suffered some bruises along the way before knocking off a ranked AAAA team, Woodward Academy, last week.
In the Mix
B.E.S.T. Academy (2-1): In just their third year of varsity football, the Eagles have played stout defense through three games and already have an attention-getting win under their belt (14-7 over Callaway). They also have one of AA's most dynamic athletes, Deshawn Waller, who has rushed for 542 yards through three games and passed for 208 in last week's win over Therrell. A big barometer game looms this week at Lovett.
Wesleyan (2-1): The Wolves haven't had a winning season since 2011, and their nonregion schedule doesn't tell us a lot, but they do look to be improved and could be in the hunt for the postseason.
Holy Innocents' (1-2): A newcomer to AA, the Golden Bears are slipping under the radar for some after starting the season with back-to-back losses to AAAAA teams. Overlooking a team a team with seven straight winning seasons isn't wise, though. In Class A, Holy Innocents' only missed the playoffs in 2006, its first year as a varsity program.
And despite a slow start, Hapeville Charter (1-2) could still make things interesting. The Hornets boast a pair of high-caliber college prospects on defense.
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Region 7
The Favorite
More than any other region, this one looks like an all-out scrum. Calhoun, which had won 13 straight region titles (including some in 6-AA), is now in AAA. So is last year's last-place team, Murray County.
They've been replaced by Darlington, a perennial playoff team in Class A, and Gordon Lee.
In the Mix
Darlington (2-1) and Model (4-0) look like the early leaders, but it's too early to know for sure. Dade County and Coosa both finished with winning records last season, but have started slow in nonregion play this year. Nevertheless, both should be a factor in the postseason race. Ditto for Chattooga. The Indians haven't reached the playoffs since 2009, but could be dangerous this year thanks to the sophomore tandem of Isaac and Isaiah Foster. The twin brothers have combined for 676 rushing yards through three games.
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Region 8
The Favorite
Washington-Wilkes (2-1): The Tigers suffered a frustrating setback last week in a 14-7 loss to Jefferson County that dropped them from No. 2 to out of the top 10. They'll need to find more consistency in their offense, but the Tigers appear to have the talent edge on the rest of Region 8.
In the Mix
Union County (3-0): Any discussion of the Panthers starts with junior QB Joseph Mancuso, who has thrown for 685 yards with 10 TDs and no interceptions while completing 67 percent of his passes through three games. Union County got back to the playoffs for the first time since 2001 last season and appear poised for back-to-back trips for the first time since the late 1960s.
Also look for the winner of this week's Rabun County - Riverside Military matchup to emerge as a contender. Riverside pulled in an influx of talent, as coach Gary Downs told accessnorthga.com in this preseason article, including quarterback Hunter Sims, who was slated to be the starter at Rabun County.
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