FROM THE PREP ZONE BLOGS AT AJC.COM
The high school bloggers at ajc.com include Todd Holcomb (Class AAAAAA), Chip Saye (AAAAA). David Purdum (AAAA). Stan Awtrey (AAA). Adam Krohn (AA) and S. Thomas Coleman (A).
Class AAAAAA
It took some luck, but Norcross is the No. 1 seed from Region 7 for the state high school football playoffs.
The Blue Devils won a rare three-team coin toss Friday night after the regular-season games ended.
Norcross, North Gwinnett and Collins Hill each finished 7-1 in region play, each going 1-1 against the other two. After their games Friday, all victories, the teams’ head coaches met at a restaurant in Suwanee. Each team flipped a coin, and Norcross was the only one to flip tails. Odd-man-out wins.
The No. 2 seed was decided by head-to-head play. Collins Hill defeated North Gwinnett, so Collins Hill will be seeded second, North Gwinnett third.
That means North Gwinnett, a candidate to be ranked No. 1 in the state in AAAAAA next week after current No. 1 Colquitt County lost Friday, is unlikely to get a home game in the state playoffs. The Bulldogs will travel next week to Milton for the first round. The winner is seeded to play at unbeaten Archer of Region 8 in the second round.
The top two seeds will play at home, Norcross against Etowah, and Collins Hill against Walton.
All three Region 7 teams are considered region champions.
In other news from AAAAAA and the other classifications:
- No. 7 Camden County defeated No. 1 Colquitt County 22-15 to clinch Region 1. Camden has won 13 consecutive region titles, two in 1-AAAAAA. Colquitt remains without a region title since 1999 despite leading the highest classification in playoff victories during the past four seasons.
- Brookwood defeated Grayson 30-27 in overtime in a game that meant the loser was out of the state playoffs in Region 8. Grayson was the 2011 state champion. Brookwood was the 2010 state champion.
- Hillgrove defeated McEachern 31-17 in a game between Powder Springs rivals that decided second place and a home playoff game in Region 4. McEachern quarterback Ty Clemons, once a candidate for state player of the year, was injured, and his status for the playoffs is uncertain.
- Lassiter defeated Etowah 37-20 in a game that decided the Region 5 champion. Etowah would have dropped to fifth and out of the playoffs but was saved by Wheeler, which broke a seven-game losing streak by upsetting Cherokee 30-20.
Class AAAAA
- Elijah Sullivan scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter, and Dominick Sanders had two fourth-quarter interceptions to preserve Tucker's 16-11 victory against Mays that clinched the Region 6 championship, the Tigers' eighth region title in 13 years. Mays failed in its attempt to win its first region title since 2003, but the second-seeded Raiders will get their first home playoff game since 2007 next week.
- Gainesville's Deshaun Watson had perhaps his best all-around performance of the season in the Red Elephants' 55-45 victory against Flowery Branch that clinched the Region 8 championship. The senior quarterback, who is the state's all-time leader in passing yardage, threw for 245 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 201 yards and two scores, according to the Gainesville Times.
- Warner Robins (2-AAAAA) won its first region championship since 2004 with a 35-7 victory against Lakeside-Evans. The Demons finished tied for first place with Northside, which they beat last weekend. … Ware County (3-AAAAA) clinched its region title last weekend, but the Gators completed an unbeaten region schedule with a 34-0 victory against Effingham County, which fell to the No. 4 seed. … North Paulding (5-AAAAA) won the first region title in the program's six-year history with a 42-0 victory against Villa Rica, and South Paulding earned the first playoff berth in its eight seasons with a 28-12 victory over Lithia Springs. The big story in Region 5 was the battle for third place, which East Paulding won by beating Allatoona 31-19. Allatoona finishes as the No. 4 seed.
Class AAAA
- Burke County quarterback Donquell Green accounted for seven touchdowns, including the winning score in overtime of the Bears' 49-43 victory against Wayne County. Green ran for four touchdowns, threw for two and caught another as the Bears won the Region 3 championship.
- Here are the top seeds in the AAAA state playoffs: Griffin, Sandy Creek, Veterans, Dalton, Burke County, Marist, Westover and Monroe Area.
- Sandy Creek, Griffin and Monroe Area are the only AAAA teams to finish the regular season undefeated.
- Veterans and Locust Grove will meet in the first round of the playoffs. This is the first trip to the playoffs for both teams. The Lanier Longhorns also will be making their playoff debut. The Longhorns, the No. 3 seed from Region 8, open at Carver (Atlanta).
- Alexander is back in the playoffs for the first time since 1997. The Cougars, the No. 4 seed out Region 5, open at Dalton.
- Cedartown running back Nick Chubb rushed for 305 yards on 28 carries with two touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 41-27 victory against Ridgeland. Chubb finished the regular season with 2,339 yards and 39 touchdowns.
Class AAA
Two teams will advance to the playoffs for the first time: the B.E.S.T. Academy Eagles and the Sonoraville Phoenix. West Hall and Southeast Bulloch will be going to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. A few nuggets from several of the other regions:
Region 1: The fourth playoff spot went to Johnson-Savannah, which beat Tattnall County 13-3 on the strength of quarterback Raquen Green's 158 yards passing, including a 20-yard score to Darrell Myers.
Region 2: No. 4 Carver-Columbus (9-1), which had clinched first place, completed the season with a 33-16 victory against Jackson. The Tigers won their 50th consecutive region game and won their ninth game for the eighth consecutive year. The other three playoff teams are Peach County, Pike County and Jackson. Peach was led by quarterback Greg Williams (192 yards passing, four touchdowns) in a 54-6 victory against winless Southwest Macon.
Region 3: Jefferson County beat Thomson 21-14 to break a three-game losing streak and take second place. But Jefferson County lost quarterback Will Jordan to a knee injury. Fourth place went to Dodge County after the Indians blitzed Swainsboro 42-0, thanks to Landon Martin, who rushed for 77 yards and two touchdowns.
Region 7: West Hall defeated Dawson County 10-7 on Bradley Hodgson's 37-yard field goal to grab the final playoff spot and qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2002.
Class AA
- The Lovett Lions once again have defeated a Top 10 team. The No. 2 Lions went on the road and took Region 6 and a No. 1 seed for the state playoffs by defeating No. 3 Greater Atlanta Christian 17-14. Both will head into the playoffs as legitimate contenders to win the state title, but GAC may have the tougher road, facing Lamar County in the semifinals if both teams get that far.
- The quandary of having to play a three-team "Mini-Playoff game" has happened in Region 1. Because Cook defeated Early County, there are three teams tied for the final two playoff spots. Cook, Early County and Fitzgerald all have 3-3 region records. To settle the score, the teams will travel to Worth County for the mini-playoff, where all three teams will play in one game. A coin flip will decide which of the two teams play each other first. The first two teams play two five-minute halves, with the loser playing the remaining team in another session. The seeding is based on how the two winning teams of the mini-playoff fared against each other in the regular season. Region 7 avoided the same scenario when Dade County defeated Model for the first time in four years.
- Heard County claimed the No. 1 seed from Region 5, easily handling No. 8-ranked and previously undefeated Bowdon, 42-19.
Class A
No. 1 Eagle's Landing Christian Academy 35, No. 8 Landmark Christian 0: The Chargers (10-0, 6-0) dominated the War Eagles to win their fourth consecutive Region 5 title. It was the second loss in a row for Landmark Christian (8-2, 4-2), which began the season 8-0. ELCA went into the game tied for first in the private-school power ratings with Mt. Pisgah (10-0, 6-0), a 41-26 winner over Mt. Zion-Carroll. Landmark was No. 3 in the ratings, which will be finalized Wednesday after appeals are considered.
No. 3 Seminole County 18, Mitchell County 12: Seminole County finished the regular season undefeated for the first time in 40 years to win the Region 1 championship for the third consecutive season. Seminole County (10-0, 6-0) ranks No. 1 in the public-school power ratings, while Mitchell County (6-4, 5-1) sits tied with Trion at No. 12.
No. 10 Calvary Day 41, No. 4 Johnson County 14: The Cavaliers (8-2, 6-0) won the Region 3 title in overwhelming fashion and have won eight consecutive games since beginning the season 0-2. It is the first outright region championship for Calvary Day since 1996. Calvary Day currently sits at No. 9 in the private-school power ratings, while Johnson County (9-1, 5-1) which lost for the first time this season, is at No. 3 in the public-school power ratings.
