Credit: Stan Awtrey
Credit: Stan Awtrey
If Blessed Trinity intends on winning the Class
Credit: Stan Awtrey
Credit: Stan Awtrey
AAA championship, the Titans better do it this year.
Credit: Stan Awtrey
Credit: Stan Awtrey
Next season the school will be moving up into Class AAAA, according to the latest reclassification of schools in the Georgia High School Association.
It’s just one way that Class AAA is going to look quite different next year.
The classification will have 58 schools, 57 of them that play football.
That’s quite a change in the landscape from 20 years ago, when there were only four classifcations (there will be eight next year). In 1995, there were 76 teams that played in Class AAA (the second-highest classification) and 73 teams that played in Class AA.
Here’s a look at who’s coming and who’s going:
Region 1: This region is getting a complete makeover. Only Cook remains. Incoming teams are Crisp County, Dougherty, Monroe and Worth County. This should be a pretty good league.
Region 2: Many of the old Region 1 teams were transferred here: Appling County, Branley County, Pierce County and Tattnall County, with Liberty County and Long County rounding it out. Again, this should be a pretty good league.
Region 3: The Savannah-area schools were cut out of the existing Region 1 and moved into this league. Groves and Savannah Arts (the lone non-football school in the classification) join holdovers Beach, Islands, Jenkins, Johnson, Savannah and Southeast Bulloch. Looks like a killer basketball region.
Region 4: This league (currently Region 2-AAA) stayed pretty much intact with Central Macon, Peach County, Jackson, Kendrick, Rutland and Westside Macon returning. Pike County moves down from Class AAAA. Gone are Southwest, Jordan and Spencer. Should be another good football region.
Region 5: This is a toned-down version of Region 4. The subregions are gone, which simplifies matters. Returning are Cedar Grove, McNair, Towers and Westminster. Coming in are Lovett, Pace Academy, Redan and Stone Mountain. The addition of the two new private schools make this a strong football region.
Region 6: This is northwest Georgia region with Adairsville, Calhoun, Coahulla Creek, Lakeview Fort-Oglethorpe, Murray County, North Murray and Ringgold remaining from the existing league. Haralson County and Bremen enter the fray.
Region 7: Reclassification left things tougher here. Holdovers Dawson County, East Hall, Fannin County and Lumpkin County will join with Greater Atlanta Christian, North Hall and Union County.
Region 8: Some of the shine has been taken off the league with the loss of Jefferson, Elbert County and Oconee County. Hart County remains the likely dominant team. Other holdovers are East Jackson, Jackson County and Morgan County, with Franklin County and Monroe Area moving in.
Who's going down: Say good-bye to Washington County, Dodge County, Laney, Josey, Callaway, Spencer, Douglass, Elbert County, Banks County, who are all dropping into Class AA.
Who's moving up: North Clayton, Central Carroll, Cedartown, Blessed Trinity, West Hall, Jefferson and Oconee County are moving into Class AAAA. Decatur and Maynard Jackson are getting booted up two classifications to Class AAAAA.
Back to tonight's semifinal games. Here is a preview, courtesy of the Georgia High School Football Daily:
Class AAA
Westminster at Cedar Grove
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, James R. Hallford Stadium, Clarkston
Records, rankings: Westminster is 9-4, the No. 3 seed from Region 4-AAA and unranked; Cedar Grove is 11-1-1, the No. 2 seed from 4-AAA and No. 3.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Three things to know: 1. Westminster and Cedar Grove are two of the remaining three teams from Region 4-AAA (Blessed Trinity is the other), but they are in opposite subregions and have never met. Westminster is in the semifinals for the second consecutive season after not advancing that far since 1996. Cedar Grove is in the semifinals for the first time since its 1991 team was the Class AA runner-up. 2. Westminster averages 204.2 yards per game rushing, led by Zay Malcome's 1,224 yards and 13 touchdowns. QB Rankin Woley has passed for 711 yards, rushed for 470 and had a hand in 17 touchdowns. The Wildcats have a big weapon in PK Blake Gillikin, who averages 44.3 yards punting, has put 62 of 77 kickoffs (81 percent) into the end zone, and made 12 of 21 field goals, including a school-record 56-yarder in a 51-21 victory over Adairsville last week. 3. Cedar Grove's LaBron Morris is the leading rusher in DeKalb County with 1,676 yards on 201 carries. Tre' Shaw has run for 670 yards, including 258 and three touchdowns in a 47-0 first-round victory over Pierce County. QB Jelani Woods is fourth in the county in passing yards with 1,883 and leads with 20 TD passes. DT Antwuan Jackson, a four-year starter and AJC Super 11 selection, has 50 tackles for losses.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Cedar Grove by 15
Calhoun at Blessed Trinity
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Blessed Trinity Stadium, Roswell
Records, rankings: Calhoun is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 6-AAA and No. 1; Blessed Trinity is 12-0-1, the No. 1 seed from 4-AAA and No. 2.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Three things to know: 1. Calhoun is the defending Class AA champion and has won 28 consecutive games. The Yellow Jackets are in the semifinals for the seventh time in eight years, reaching the state final six times during that stretch. Blessed Trinity, which began its football program in 2001, is in the semifinals for the second consecutive season and second time in school history. Titans coach Tim McFarlin led Roswell to a share of the Class AAAAA title in 2006. 2. Calhoun has a balanced offense that averages about 260 yards rushing and 212 passing. Olico Dennis is the leading rusher with 1,252 yards, but QB Kaelan Riley (committed to Mercer) ran for 106 yards and four touchdowns in a 33-30 three-overtime victory over Elbert County last week. It was the second straight overtime win for the Yellow Jackets, who beat Peach County 20-14 in the second round. 3. Blessed Trinity is a little more reliant on the running game, getting about 63 percent of its yards on the ground. Milton Shelton has run for 1,776 yards on 207 carries and scored 27 of the team's 40 rushing touchdowns. QB Conor Davis has passed for 1,314 yards and 15 TDs, but freshman Jake Smith subbed for the injured starter last week in a 35-7 victory over Dawson County and was 8-for-14 for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Blessed Trinity by 6
