North Oconee toppled No. 1 ranked Jefferson 11-6 on the road in the Region 8 championship last Friday. The Titans’ defense held Jefferson to just 38 total yards in the first half and built an 11-0 lead off two safeties and a 2-yard touchdown run by Dominick Elder Jr. North Oconee’s first safety came on a blocked punt that went out of the back of the endzone and a mishandled snap on a punt attempt by Jefferson resulted in the other safety. North Oconee also stopped Jefferson on a fake punt attempt that ultimately led to the favorable field position that set up the Elder touchdown. Jefferson cut into the deficit with a 56-yard touchdown run by Tre Reece, but failed the two-point conversion. In the fourth quarter, North Oconee forced Jefferson to turn it over on downs at the 7:25 mark and with 3:26 left. The Titans missed a field goal attempt with 1:04 left and then Khalil Barnes sealed the win with an interception.
The other notable result was Jenkins’ 34-28 win over New Hampstead. Jenkins rallied back from a 28-14 halftime deficit to shock New Hampstead and secure the No. 2 seed out of Region 3. Jeremiah James scored on a quarterback sneak with 3:41 left in the third quarter to make it 28-21 and then found Trey Brown on a 69-yard touchdown pass to tie it up 28-28 with 11:27 left. New Hampstead turned it over on the ensuing kickoff and Joshua Pridgen scored a 28-yard touchdown on a 4th-and-2 call to put the Warriors up 34-28 with 7:19 left. Jenkins faced a 4th-and-1 with 1:27 left and converted the down after New Hampstead was flagged for having 12 players on the field.
Carver-Columbus clinched the No. 1 seed with a 38-7 win over Hardaway on Friday. Carver-Columbus led visiting Hardaway 10-7 after a tightly-contested first half before pulling away for its ninth-straight victory to secure the Region 2 title. The Tigers held a 2-0 lead early in the second, despite a pair of first-quarter turnovers, before Hardaway took the lead on a 27-yard completion from DJ Lucas to Darnell Brooks. Jaiden Credle reclaimed the lead before the break, however, and broke free for a 36-yard run up the middle early in the second half to continue the 36-0 scoring run with which Carver closed the game.
The No. 2 seed in Region 2 was clinched by Troup following a 35-14 win over LaGrange. Troup quarterback Taeo Todd rushed for four touchdowns and Tyson Duncan iced the game with an interception returned for a touchdown with 3:28 left in the game. LaGrange scored right before the half on a 60-yard touchdown pass from Tae Snead to Tristian Smith that cut the deficit to 14-7. Todd’s third and fourth rushing touchdown gave the Tigers a 28-7 lead late in the third quarter and LaGrange scored on an AJ Tucker run before Duncan’s defensive score.
Bainbridge locked down the No. 1 seed in Region 1 and Cairo earned the No. 2 seed with a 24-21 win over Dougherty. Visiting Cairo trailed 21-10 after giving up three straight Dougherty scores, but a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns gave the Syrupmakers a key Region 1 victory over the Trojans. Gary Davis intercepted Dougherty quarterback Kameron Davis in the first quarter, and Cairo capitalized with a Landon Vickers field goal. Quarterback Braylon Robinson’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Mo Robinson midway through the second came off a turnover by the Cairo defense as well before Kameron Davis added three rushing scores for the Trojans. A Gary Davis run cut Cairo’s deficit to 21-16, and Braylon Robinson connected with Tyree Robinson on 4th and 9 for the go-ahead score late in the fourth. Dougherty got one more chance to reclaim the lead, but Gary Davis’ fourth-down hit on Kameron Davis sealed the Cairo win.
Below, I have all the latest standings. The seeds that have already been finalized are listed next to the team and there is also a breakdown of how the remaining seeds will play out.
REGION 1 STANDINGS
#1 (6-3, 4-0) Bainbridge
#2 (5-3, 3-1) Cairo
(7-2, 2-2) Dougherty
(5-3, 2-2) Thomas County Central
(3-6, 1-3) Monroe
(2-7, 0-4) Westover
WEEK 11 SCHEDULE
Cairo 24, Dougherty 21
Bainbridge 38, Thomas County Central 21
Monroe 21, Westover 0
WEEK 12 SCHEDULE
Cairo vs. Westover (Thursday)
Thomas County Central at Dougherty
Bainbridge at Monroe (Saturday)
WHAT IT MEANS: The top 2 seeds are set in stone with Bainbridge No 1 and Cairo No. 2. The winner of Thomas County Central at Dougherty next Friday will earn the No. 3 seed and the loser will get the No. 4 seed
REGION 2 STANDINGS
#1 (9-1, 8-0) Carver-Columbus
#2 (8-2, 7-1) Troup
(7-2, 5-2) LaGrange
(6-3, 5-2) Hardaway
(3-6, 3-4) Columbus
(3-6, 3-4) Shaw
(3-7, 2-6) Spencer
(1-9, 1-7) Kendrick
(0-10, 0-8) Jordan
WEEK 11 SCHEDULE
Carver-Columbus 38, Hardaway 7
Columbus 63, Kendrick 8
Troup 35, LaGrange 14
Shaw 32, Spencer 6
WEEK 12 SCHEDULE
Columbus vs. Shaw (Thursday)
LaGrange vs. Hardaway
Carver-Columbus (BYE)
Spencer (BYE)
Kendrick (BYE)
Troup defeats Jordan by forfeit
WHAT IT MEANS: Carver-Columbus earned the No. 1 seed and Troup secured the No. 2 seed with its 35-14 win over LaGrange. The winner of LaGrange vs. Hardaway will be the No. 3 seed and the loser of that game will get the No. 4 seed.
REGION 3 STANDINGS
#1 (8-2, 3-0) Benedictine
#2(7-3, 1-2) New Hampstead
#3 (5-4, 2-1) Jenkins
#4 (4-5, 0-3) Islands
WEEK 11 SCHEDULE
Benedictine 58, Islands 13
Jenkins 34, New Hampstead 28
WEEK 12 SCHEDULE
Benedictine (BYE)
New Hampstead (BYE)
Jenkins (BYE)
Islands (BYE)
WHAT IT MEANS: Region 3 concluded the regular season on Friday. Benedictine is No. 1 and Jenkins earned No. 2 with its 34-28 win over New Hampstead. The loss to Jenkins resulted in New Hampstead getting the No. 3 seed and Islands is the No. 4 seed.
REGION 4 STANDINGS
(6-2, 5-0) Baldwin
(8-1, 4-1) Perry
(6-2, 3-1) Spalding
(4-5, 2-3) Westside-Macon
(4-5, 2-3) West Laurens
(3-6, 1-4) Howard
(1-8, 0-5) Rutland
WEEK 11 SCHEDULE
Perry 35, Howard 0
West Laurens 27, West Laurens 8
Spalding 48, Westside-Macon 13
WEEK 12 SCHEDULE
Perry at Baldwin
Spalding vs. Howard (Thursday)
Westside-Macon at West Laurens
Rutland (BYE)
WHAT IT MEANS: Region 4 will not be settled until Week 12. Baldwin has a chance to clinch with its season finale against Perry. Spalding defeated Perry and owns the tie-breaker so a Baldwin win over Perry and a Spalding victory over Howard would give the Jags the No. 2 seed. Westside-Macon and West Laurens will battle for the No. 4 seed on Friday.
REGION 5 STANDINGS
(7-0-1, 5-0) Riverdale
(7-2, 5-0) Luella
#3 (6-4, 4-2) Fayette County
(2-5, 2-3) Hampton
(4-5, 1-4) McDonough
(1-8, 1-4) North Clayton
(0-8, 0-5) Mt. Zion-Jonesboro
WEEK 11 SCHEDULE
North Clayton 14, Mt. Zion-Jonesboro 0
Luella 20, Fayette County 6
Riverdale 42, McDonough 0
WEEK 12 SCHEDULE
Riverdale vs. Luella
Fayette County (BYE)
Hampton vs. North Clayton (Thursday)
McDonough at Mt. Zion-Jonesboro
WHAT IT MEANS: Fayette County and Luella will face off in the region championship game on Friday. The winner will get the No. 1 seed and the loser will get the No. 2 seed. Fayette County wrapped up its season this past week and will be the No. 3 seed. Hampton can get the No. 4 seed with a win over North Clayton on Thursday. Hampton owns the tie-breaker over McDonough and McDonough owns the tie-breaker over North Clayton.
REGION 6 STANDINGS
(7-1, 4-0) Marist
(3-5, 3-1) Mays
(6-3, 2-2) Miller Grove
(4-5, 2-2) Hapeville Charter
(5-4, 1-4) Stephenson
(3-7, 1-4) Arabia Mountain
(0-10, 0-0) Druid Hills
WEEK 11 SCHEDULE
Lithonia 20, Arabia Mountain 9
Hapeville Charter 32, Stephenson 14
Chapel Hill 52, Druid Hills 14
Marist 33, Miller Grove 0
WEEK 12 SCHEDULE
Marist vs. Mays
Miller Grove vs. Hapeville Charter (Thursday)
Stephenson (BYE)
Arabia Mountain (BYE)
Druid Hills (BYE)
WHAT IT MEANS: Marist and Mays will play next Friday for the Region title. Marist gets the No. 1 seed with the win and would have the No. 2 seed with a loss. A Mays win would give the Raiders the No. 1 seed, but a loss would put them in a potential tie-breaker scenario with Miller Grove. Miller Grove has a big matchup with Hapeville Charter. If Miller Grove wins and Mays loses to Marist then Miller Grove will get the No. 2 seed. If Hapeville Charter defeats Miller Grove, then they will get the No. 3 seed and Miller Grove will get the No. 4 seed.
REGION 7 STANDINGS
(7-1, 4-0) Cedartown
(6-2, 3-1) Heritage-Catoosa
(6-3, 3-1) Northwest Whitfield
(4-4, 1-3) Pickens
(4-5, 1-3) Central-Carroll
(1-8, 0-4) Ridgeland
(2-8, 0-0) Southeast Whitfield
WEEK 11 SCHEDULE
Cedartown 34, Central-Carroll 7
Heritage-Catoosa 24, Pickens 14
Northwest Whitfield 49, Northwest Whitfield 21
Southeast Whitfield 28, East Forsyth 21
WEEK 12 SCHEDULE
Cedartown vs. Heritage-Catoosa
Northwest Whitfield vs. Pickens
Central-Carroll vs. Ridgeland
Southeast Whitfield (BYE)
WHAT IT MEANS: Cedartown controls its destiny and can take the No. 1 seed with a win over Heritage-Catoosa. Northwest Whitfield owns the tie-breaker over Heritage-Catoosa, so if Cedartown wins and Northwest Whitfield beats Pickens, then they will take the No. 2 seed. Pickens needs a win over Northwest Whitfield and Central-Carroll to fall to Ridgeland to get the No. 4 seed. If Central-Carroll beats Ridgeland, then they will get the No. 4 seed regardless of the results of the Pickens vs. Northwest Whitfield game.
REGION 8 STANDINGS
#1 (7-3, 6-0) North Oconee
#2 (8-1, 4-1) Jefferson
#3 (6-3, 3-2) Flowery Branch
(2-6, 2-3) Cedar Shoals
(5-4, 2-3) Madison County
(3-6, 1-4) Chestatee
(1-8, 0-5) East Hall
WEEK 11 SCHEDULE
Clarke Central 42, Cedar Shoals 21
Madison County 62, East Hall 18
Flowery Branch 30, Chestatee 20
North Oconee 11, Jefferson 6
WEEK 12 SCHEDULE
North Oconee (BYE)
Jefferson vs. Madison County
Flowery Branch vs. East Hall
Cedar Shoals vs. Chestatee (Thursday)
WHAT IT MEANS: North Oconee swept the region and earned the No. 1 seed with its 11-6 win over Jefferson—which will take the No. 2 seed into the playoffs. Flowery Branch is the No. 3 seed and the No. 4 seed will come down to Week 12. Cedar Shoals owns the tie-breaker over Madison County and Madison County owns the tie-breaker over Chestatee, so the Jags can earn the No. 4 seed with a win over Chestatee. If Chestatee wins and Madison County falls to Jefferson, then there would be a three-way tie for the No. 4 seed with Cedar Shoals, Chestatee and Madison County all at 2-4.
RECLASSIFICATION NOTES: The GHSA released the new classifications for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school year and the reclassification count included the newly introduced 3 percent out of zone multiplier for the first time. As a result, there were multiple programs that jumped up multiple classifications and in Class 2A-7A there will be more 90 programs entering a new classification next year.
In Class 7A, there are 49 schools and 13 will be new to the classification. The most significant newcomers were a direct result of the new multiplier and that includes St. Pius from 5A, Woodward Academy from 5A. The 11 schools moving from 6A up to 7A are Wheeler, Rockdale County, Osborne, Central Gwinnett, Carrollton, Kennesaw Mountain, Westlake, Dacula, Richmond Hill, Buford, Valdosta and East Paulding.
Class 6A will also look significantly different with 57 total schools and 21 newcomers. A total of 10 schools are moving down from Class 7A: North Forsyth, Tift County, Newnan, Gainesville, Hillgrove, Milton, Alpharetta, Woodstock, Roswell and Dunwoody. Additionally, eight programs are jumping up from Class 5A: Blessed Trinity, Jonesboro, Forest Park, Chapel Hill, Mundy’s Mill, Veterans, Apalchee and Cartersville. The multiplier also sent Thomas County Central and Marist up from Class 4A and KIPP Atlanta all the way up from Class 2A. KIPP Atlanta’s significant jump was the result of a 1,425 total enrollment that with a 622 out of zone tally brought their weighted enrollment to 2,047. Marist has a 1,381 total enrollment with a 581 out of zone total that pushed them up to a 1,962 total enrollment.
Class 5A features 57 total schools with 16 newcomers. There are 10 programs joining the classification down from Class 6A: Winder-Barrow, Kell, Heritage-Conyers, Chattahoochee, Dalton, Cambridge, Centennial, Tucker, Statesboro and Bradwell Institute. Five schools moved up from Class 4A: Flowery Branch, Jefferson, Perry, Jenkins and Benedictine and Greater Atlanta Christian moved up all the way from Class 3A.
Class 4A will also look different with 56 total schools and 18 newcomers. Eight schools are coming down from Class 5A: Johnson-Gainesville, Clarkston, Stockbridge, Griffin Southwest DeKalb, Woodland-Stockbridge, Wayne County and Stone Mountain. Nine schools moved up from Class 3A: Westminster, Central-Macon, North Hall, West Hall, Johnson-Savannah, Cherokee Bluff, Burke County, Cross Creek and Sonoraville. Also, Lovett moved into Class 4A from Class 2A.
There are 14 newcomers in Class 3A and a total of 56 schools. Eight schools make the move down from Class 4A: Carver-Columbus, Dougherty, Monroe, Columbus, Arabia Mountain, Spencer, Jordan and Kendrick. There are also six schools that jumped up from Class 2A: Thomasville, Bremen, Vidalia, Therrell, Westside-Augusta and Columbia.
In Class 2A, there are 54 total schools, including Barrow Arts and Sciences and Dalton Academy that are new to the GHSA. There are also nine newcomers arriving from other classifications. Columbus is dropping down from Class 4A and Thomson, Rockmart, Redan, Brantley County, Savannah Arts and Savannah are entering from Class 3A. Additionally, Social Circle and Bryan County jumped up from Class A Public.
The remaining 143 schools are listed in Class A and that will be split up into a Private and Public. There are also still appeals that can be made and that could also change the standings. For example, if an appeal is won by a team in Class 6A that moves down to Class 5A, then that would send a new team up to Class 6A.
To access all of the GHSA reclassification assignments CLICK HERE
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