The state’s 64 regions already have begun placing seeds into the GHSA’s boys soccer playoff brackets, and you don’t have to look much farther than the top of the rankings to find favorites.
Classes 7A, 5A, 3A and A Public and Private will begin the state tournament on April 13. Classes 6A, 4A and 2A will play the first-round matches April 15.
Here are some of the top state-title contenders:
Class 7A
Harrison will enter the playoffs in the state’s highest class with major momentum.
The No. 1-ranked Hoyas are 17-0 and 9-0 in Region 3 play and are outscoring opponents 59-12. They have shut out eight opponents this season, including each of the last three.
Harrison has beaten five ranked opponents, including 7A No. 5 Lambert (4-2), 7A No. 9 Walton twice (3-1, 1-1 shootout victory 4-3) and 7A No. 10 Roswell (4-1). It also has beaten Class 6A No. 9 Kennesaw Mountain (3-0) and Class 5A No. 10 Blessed Trinity (2-0).
Seniors Lee Archer, Tyler Vitelli, Nicholas Perla, Yousef Ibrahim and A.J. Daniels have led the way for Harrison. The Hoyas will end the regular season Friday at North Cobb (4-10-1) before setting its sights on the playoffs.
Last season, Harrison advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual-champion South Forsyth, 3-2. The program has one state championship (2007) in Class 5A, the highest class at the time.
Class 6A
Top-ranked Central Gwinnett (16-0-1, 9-0) beat Dacula 4-1 Thursday in double-overtime – the Black Knights scored three goals in the second overtime period to take control – to secure the No. 1 seed from Region 8. Central trailed 1-0 with four minutes remaining before its late-match charge.
Central Gwinnett has never won a state title. The Black Knights lost in the quarterfinals to semifinalist Lakeside-DeKalb (3-1) last season.
What other team could threaten? Maybe two-time defending champions and No. 2-ranked Dalton (12-1-3, 7-0). With its regular season complete, Dalton will spend Monday traveling to Tennessee’s Baylor. Dalton seniors Yahir Paez, Fabian Rodriguez, Fernando Guerrero and junior Ezekiel Ortiz have been productive for the Catamounts and will factor in the playoffs.
Class 5A
Top-ranked Johnson-Gainesville (15-1-1, 6-0) is clearly a playoff favorite and will end its regular season against another playoff favorite, No. 3 Clarke Central (14-2, 6-0), at home Friday in a state-title caliber region title match.
The winner gets the region title and No. 1 seed. Johnson won the 2018 5A title; Clarke Central has one title, in 1999 in Class 4A.
Johnson’s only loss (4-3) this season came against No. 2-ranked Woodward Academy on March 28. The War Eagles have four titles but haven’t finished at the top since 2012.
But don’t forget No. 4-ranked McIntosh (12-4-2, 6-0), which won the 5A title last season and in 2019 (2020 was cancelled due to COVID). McIntosh has won eight championships.
Class 4A
At the top of Class 4A are championship programs and teams that want their first taste of glory.
Top-ranked Columbus has never won a title and enters the bracket a favorite.
No. 2-ranked Southeast Whitfield and No. 4-ranked Northwest Whitfield each have championships in the past five years. No. 3 LaGrange and No. 5 Jefferson have never won titles.
Southeast Whitfield has two championships (2017 and 2021), and Northwest Whitfield won the 4A title in 2018.
[Note: To view the GHSA playoff brackets follow the link. Come back Monday for a look at the favorites in the bottom four classes and a tentative schedule for the first round of the playoffs.]
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