Region 6 sweep falls just short

Well, Region 6 almost pulled off the unthinkable of sweeping the second round. Both GAC and Pace Academy held up their end of the tall task, with the Spartans beating Vidalia 48-22 and the Knights coasting to a 27-7 victory over Screven County.

However, both Wesleyan and Lovett lost incredibly close games. In fact, the combined margin of defeat for the Wolves and Lions was just three points. The Lions nearly upset defending state champions Benedictine, but lost 41-40. Jefferson County edged the Wolves by a score of 23-21.

If No. 1 seed GAC can beat Brooks County at home, and No. 4 seed Pace can beat Macon County on the road, the Spartans and Knights will make up one-half of the final four and will meet in the semifinals, with GAC hosting.

Brooks County, the No. 1 seed from Region 1, has looked impressive thus far, beating Northeast Macon and Manchester by a combined score of 89-26. Next week's meeting will be the first ever between the Spartans and Trojans.

Macon County, the No. 1 seed from Region 4, has also enjoyed an impressive playoff run, outscoring Pelham and Bowdon 76-19. As is the case with the Brooks County-GAC matchup, the Bulldogs and Knights have never played each other.

So even though another Region 6 round sweep didn't take place, two league teams remain. Only one other region - Region 1 - has two teams remaining (Brooks County and Fitzgerald). The only way Brooks County and Fitzgerald meet is if both advance to the state finals. Fitzgerald would have to knock off the Cadets, who definitely looked mortal last week.

Regardless of what happens in the coming weeks, Region 6 has had by far the strongest showing of any region in the Class AA playoffs. And that should come as no surprise, since the region fields Atlanta-area teams.