There was a lot going on Friday during the first full weekend of region play in 4-AAAAAA.
Lovejoy rallied and then held on to beat Stephenson, putting it in position to challenge for the region title. Drew and Mundy’s Mill picked the right time to collect their first victories of the season. And Tucker extended Jonesboro’s woes.
On Tuesdays, we’ve been taking a look at the playoff outlooks for every Class AAAAAA team as region play kicks off (or shortly after it starts). We continue today with Region 4.
Here’s a closer look at each of the Region 4 teams, broken down by playoff likelihood, in alphabetical order within each group:
Safest bets
*Lovejoy (2-3, 2-0): The Wildcats' 28-27 win over Stephenson put them in sole possession of first place. They have made six consecutive playoff appearances, the past four in the highest classification, and likely need just of couple of more wins to make it back again this year. Lovejoy's three non-region losses are a bit misleading – they came against teams with a combined record of 10-2.
*Tucker (3-1, 1-0): The Tigers were the preseason pick of the computer Maxwell Ratings to win the region, and nothing has taken place to make it look like that can't happen. They have two victories against AAAAAAA teams (Colquitt County, Lakeside-DeKalb) and a close loss to AAAAA No. 4 Kell. Tucker is likely to be favored in all its remaining games, but it won't be a walk in the park.
In the hunt
*Drew (1-3, 1-1): The Titans lost their non-region games against pretty good teams – Newton, Riverdale and Rome – but they got things going in the right direction last week, beating Mount Zion-Jonesboro 23-13. The Maxwell Ratings project Drew to earn the No. 4 seed out of the region. The next three games, matchups with Lovejoy, M.L. King and Stephenson, will tell a lot.
*M.L. King (0-1, 2-2): The Lions probably have the biggest uphill climb of any of the "in the hunt" teams. M.L. King already has a loss to Mundy's Mill and has Tucker, Drew, Lovejoy and Stephenson among its next five games. M.L. King made the playoffs 11 of its first 12 seasons, but unless it beats at least a couple of the aforementioned teams, it will be three years in a row missing out.
*Mundy's Mill (1-3, 1-1): After opening the season with three consecutive losses, including one in region, the Tigers' 33-13 win over M.L. King last week was critical to their playoff hopes, especially with Stephenson and Tucker up next on the schedule. An 0-4 start in region play would have been the end of their chances. Mundy's Mill's fate could come down to the Drew game on Oct. 27.
*Stephenson (1-3, 0-1): The Jaguars' loss to Lovejoy doesn't kill their playoff chances by any means, but it reduces their margin for error. They've made the playoffs 16 consecutive years and probably will extend that streak. In fact, had it beaten the Wildcats, Stephenson would have been among the "safest bets." Instead, its game this week against Mundy's Mill becomes more important.
Not this year
*Jonesboro (0-5, 0-2): The Cardinals have fallen off badly since going 11-2 and reaching the state quarterfinals in 2015. Jonesboro has scored just nine points in five games and was outscored 149-0 the past three weeks by Spalding, McEachern and Tucker. The Cardinals have a difficult schedule the rest of the way, so a late-season turnaround doesn't appear likely.
*Mount Zion-Jonesboro (2-2, 1-1): The Bulldogs were in first place after beating Jonesboro in the first week of the season, but that victory doesn't look nearly as good now as it did then. It's hard to find enough winnable games the rest of the season for Mount Zion to make the playoffs, but one more victory would give the Bulldogs their best season in five years.
Note: Forest Park (0-5) is playing a non-region schedule this year and is not eligible for the postseason.
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Next week: Region 6-AAAAAA
