Here’s what to look for during Week 12 of the high school football season.
Class AAAAAA
Perhaps no team in Georgia has more at stake Friday than Etowah.
The Eagles (7-2, 4-2) will win Region 5 if they defeat Lassiter (6-3, 5-1), but they will drop to fifth place — and out of the state playoffs — if the four games this week in Region 5 are won by the teams that are higher in the standings.
That would be Lassiter over Etowah, Walton over Roswell, Milton over Woodstock and Cherokee over Wheeler.
The good news is that Etowah would win any tiebreakers in the event of a two-, three- or four-way tie for first place.
Other things to watch this week in AAAAAA and the other classifications:
- Colquitt County and Camden County are playing for the title in Region 1. Colquitt County is ranked No. 1 and favored to win its first region title since 1999. Camden County is seeking its 13th consecutive region title and second since moving to Region 1.
- Region 7 has four top 10 teams but might not know its region champion until a Saturday coin toss among No. 3 North Gwinnett, No. 5 Norcross and No. 10 Collins Hill, if each wins Friday. Norcross plays Meadowcreek. North Gwinnett plays No. 10 Peachtree Ridge. Collins Hill plays Mill Creek. Head-to-head would determine two-way ties. Norcross beat Collins Hill, which beat North Gwinnett, which beat Norcross.
- East Coweta (4-5, 2-2) might need to beat archrival Newnan (6-3, 3-1) in Region 3 to keep a long playoff streak going. East Coweta hasn't missed the playoffs since 1996, the longest streak in the highest classification. East Coweta gets bailed out if Tri-Cities beats Douglas County.
- Brookwood (4-5, 4-3) might need to beat archrival Grayson (4-5, 4-3) in Region 8 to keep a long playoff streak going. Brookwood hasn't missed the playoffs since 2001, the longest streak among Gwinnett County AAAAAA teams. Brookwood is bailed out if Parkview beats South Gwinnett.
Class AAAAA
- Two regions will determine their championships with head-to-head meetings of the two leaders. One is 8-AAAAA, where rivals Flowery Branch and Gainesville are undefeated in region play. Flowery Branch won 35-34 last year by stopping a late two-point conversion attempt, but Gainesville recovered to win the state championship. The other is 6-AAAAA, where Mays' upset of Stephenson last week set up a showdown with top-ranked Tucker for the title. Mays won its only region championship in 2003.
- Creekside and Kell enter the weekend with 9-0 records and top-five rankings, but they'll miss the playoffs if they don't beat teams with losing records in the regular-season finales. That's because they play in subdivided regions that hold winner-take-all play-in games that determine the state playoff representatives. Creekside faces Ola (2-7) in a 4-AAAAA, while Kell takes on Cambridge (3-6) in 7-AAAAA.
- Sixth-year program North Paulding will win its first region title if it beats Villa Rica in 5-AAAAA. If North Paulding loses, the title most likely will go to South Paulding, which is tied with the Wolfpack for first place and closes the regular season against Lithia Springs (0-9).
- Ware County will have the least stressful week of any of the region leaders after clinching the championship in 3-AAAAA last week. The Gators, who close out the regular season against Effingham County, hold a one-game lead over Richmond Hill but beat the Wildcats three weeks ago.
Class AAAA
- Three teams are looking to cap undefeated regular seasons this week. No. 1 Sandy Creek (8-0-1) is at Columbus. The Patriots have won 41 consecutive region games and haven't lost in the regular season since Week 1 of the 2009 season. No. 2 Griffin (9-0) hosts Woodland-Stockbridge. A victory would give the Bears the top-seed from Region 4-AAAA. No. 3 Monroe Area hosts Eastside. Eastside defeated the Purple Hurricanes 35-0 last season. Monroe Area already has locked up the top seed from Region 8.
- Two winless teams meet Saturday at Avondale Stadium, where 0-9 South Atlanta faces 0-9 Redan. South Atlanta has lost 16 consecutive games, including a 24-18 defeat to Redan to end last season. Dougherty (0-9) and Spalding (0-9) also are looking to avoid winless seasons this week.
- Cedartown senior defensive back Caleb Ely is expected to make a full recovery from the head injury he suffered in last week's game against Gilmer. Ely collapsed on the sidelines late in the third quarter and was taken to the hospital, where he underwent surgery to alleviate swelling in his brain. Ely was moved out of intensive care this week and plans to return home early next week, according to his mother, Malindy Ely.
Class AAA
Ringgold at Cartersville: The championship in Region 7 will be determined when Ringgold travels to Cartersville. The two teams will finish one-two in the league, but only one can be a No. 1 seed. Ringgold (8-1) has been fighting for respect all year. After losing an early-season game to Central Carroll — a loss that likely kept them out of the polls — the Tigers have won six consecutive times. Only once has the score been closer than 18 points. Cartersville (9-0) has not been tested. Its slimmest margin of victory was a 35-point victory against Cass on Sept. 6. The Canes' average margin of victory has been an incredible 42.6 points.
Blessed Trinity vs. Cedar Grove (Hallford Stadium): Blessed Trinity (6-3) will win the Region 6 championship with a victory. Cedar Grove (6-3) can guarantee a spot in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year with a victory. The two teams met for the first time a year ago, and Blessed Trinity prevailed 28-22.
Buford at North Hall: The steam came out of this one last month when White County knocked off North Hall. That means No. 1 Buford (9-0) will win the Region 7 championship unless North Hall (8-1) not only upsets the Wolves, but beats them by more than 12 points. Buford won 45-16 last year.
Class AA
- In Region 6, the winner of the Lovett-Greater Atlanta Christian game not only will determine the region championship, but possibly could lay the foundation for how the entire AA state playoffs shape up. The loser will be lumped into the other side of the bracket, where No. 1-ranked Lamar County awaits as Region 4's top seed.
- In Region 5, No. 9-ranked Bowdon travels to Heard County to decide the region. The winner of Friday's contest gets Region 7's No. 4 seed, the loser gets Region 7's No. 3 seed. And about Region 7 …
- The only seed determined in Region 7 is No. 1, which Calhoun has clinched. The rest of the region is complicated and could result in a "play-in" game situation Monday. If second-place Model beats Dade County, Model is the No. 2 seed. Then, if Pepperell and Coosa beat the bottom feeders of the region, Dade County, Coosa and Pepperell will be in a three-way tie for the last two playoff spots. Those three teams will travel to a neutral field, and all three will play in a single game consisting of two five-minute halves. A coin flip will determine which two teams play the first five-minute half. The winner of that half gets the No. 3 seed. The loser of the first half plays the remaining team in the second half, and the second half winner gets the No. 4 seed.
Class A
No. 1 Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (9-0, 5-0) at No. 8 Landmark Christian (8-1, 4-1): The Chargers are poised to claim their fourth consecutive Region 5 crown as they march toward their second consecutive Class A private-school state title. Landmark Christian hopes to reclaim some momentum heading into the playoffs, after losing its first game last week at Holy Innocents' (6-4, 4-2), 29-28. This is the fourth consecutive season the Region 5 title has come down to a battle between ELCA and Landmark Christian.
Mitchell County (6-3, 5-0) at No. 3 Seminole County (9-0, 5-0): The Eagles began the season 1-3, but have become one of the hottest teams in Class A, stringing together five consecutive victories during Region 1 competition. Mitchell County has outscored its opponents 218-43, including a 80-0 demolition of winless Stewart County. Seminole County could not only win its third consecutive Region 1 championship with a victory, but it can also solidify its hold on the top seed in the Class A public-school power ratings.
No. 10 Calvary Day (7-2, 5-0) at No. 4 Johnson County (9-0, 5-0): Calvary Day, the Region 3, Division A champion, is the hottest team in Class A, with seven consecutive victories after losing its first two. The Cavaliers have outscored opponents 309-33. Johnson County, the Division B champion, is out to prove that it is a serious contender for the Class A public-school state title, which would be its first since Herschel Walker led the Trojans to the 1979 championship.
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