There are two things that make this time of year just perfect -- postseason speculation, unexpected playoffs runs and crisp, cool weather.
Ok, so three things.
The 3A postseason is loaded with top-notch storylines, and when broken down by quadrant, it is a bit easier to visualize possible outcomes.
So let’s look at each of them:
3A first-round schedule
(Top-left quadrant)
R1#3 Long County at R3#2 Southeast Bulloch
R7#4 White County at R5#1 Cedar Grove (No. 5)
R6#3 Adairsville at R8#2 Oconee County (No. 2)
R4#4 Harlem at R2#1 Crisp County
Note: With No. 2 Oconee County, No. 5 Cedar Grove and an unranked Crisp County team with a region title-sized chip on its shoulder, the top-left quadrant is tough. If Crisp (Harlem) and Oconee (Adairsville) both win, Oconee will travel to Cordele to face Crisp in the second round. Then, if Cedar Grove comes out on top of its first two games – White County and Long County/Southeast Bulloch – the Saints would be at the virtue of a coin-flip against Crisp County if it wins and would host Oconee County if the Warriors beat Crisp.
Who wins the quadrant: Oconee County
(Bottom-left quadrant)
R3#3 Johnson-Savannah at R1#2 Appling County (No. 6)
R5#4 Greater Atlanta Christian at R7#1 Cherokee Bluff (No. 10)
R8#3 Hart County at R6#2 Ringgold
R2#4 Jackson at R4#1 Thomson (No. 4)
Note: The biggest storyline in this quadrant is the fact that Cherokee Bluff completed a 10-0 regular season and did not break into the top 10 until the final week. Somebody must know something. The first two games certainly will provide answers. The Bears will play Region 5′s No. 4 seed GAC in the first round, and if Cherokee Bluff wins and No. 2 Appling County beats Johnson-Savannah (it should), the Bears are provided with a statement-making opportunity in the second round against Appling. Fourth-ranked Thomson faces Region 2 No. 4 Jackson in the first round, and if it wins it gets the winner of Hart County (R8 #2) and Ringgold (R6 #2).
Who wins the quadrant: Appling County
(Top-right quadrant)
R2#3 Mary Persons at R4#2 Burke County
R8#4 Stephens County at R6#1 Rockmart (No. 9)
R7#3 North Hall at R5#2 Carver-Atlanta (No. 8)
R1#4 Brantley County at R3#1 Liberty County
Note: This part of the bracket might be more predictable. And it might not. Predictability in this quadrant all relies on Stephens County vs. Rockmart. It’s easy to look at Stephens County (7-3), the four-seed from Region 8, and say it won’t make it past Rockmart. But the Indians did hold then-No. 2 Oconee County to 16 points in a 16-7 loss on Oct. 29. The winner of Rockmart/Stephens will play either Mary Persons or Burke County, which should be a test. If Carver-Atlanta moves past North Hall, which it should, the Panthers will play Brantley County or Liberty County, and I like a Carver victory against either program.
Who wins the quadrant: Carver-Atlanta
(Bottom-right quadrant)
R4#3 Morgan County at R2#2 Peach County
R6#4 North Murray at R8#1 Monroe Area (No. 1)
R5#3 Sandy Creek (No. 7) at R7#2 Dawson County
R3#4 Windsor Forest at R1#1 Pierce County (No. 3)
Note: Three of the top-10 teams and two of the top-3 teams in the class can be found in one quadrant. Buckle up. I like Peach County over Morgan County, but if the Trojans win against Morgan, they get a first-class ticket to Monroe Area to face the top-ranked Purple Hurricanes. The most likely outcome in this bracket is a Monroe Area-Pierce County semifinal matchup. But that would require Pierce to get past Windsor Forest and most likely Sandy Creek in the second round.
Who wins this quadrant: Purple reign. I think it’s Monroe Area’s year.
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