Six teams nailed down their region championships last week and earned a home game for the first two rounds of the state playoffs.
In Region 3, Northside Columbus (9-1, 4-0) beat McIntosh 57-14 and earned the school’s first region championship. The nine wins tied a school record from 2005, when Northside went 9-3 and reached the second round of the playoffs for the only time in school history. The Patriots, who began playing football in 2004, are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
In Region 4, Decatur (5-4, 4-0) outlasted Chamblee 40-38 to win its first region title since 2004. The Bulldogs finish the regular season at home against King. It came in dramatic fashion when Decatur connected on a 53-yard option touchdown pass with 11 seconds left. Decatur overcame an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit. “These kids fought,” Decatur coach William Felton said. “For them to even get to this point and then to be able to take it … I talk to them about their dedication and their belief in me and our coaches and what we teach them.”
In Region 5, Creekside (7-2, 6-0) secured first place with a 77-0 win over Tri-Cities. The Seminoles finish the season on Friday against Banneker. Coach Maurice Dixon’s team owns the tie-breaker over second-place Lithia Springs because of their 35-14 win over the Lions.
In Region 6, Cambridge (7-2, 5-0) had already secured first place based on last week’s win over Kell.
In Region 7, Calhoun (7-3, 4-1) nailed down first place with its 30-16 win over Cass. The Yellow Jackets tied Cartersville (9-1, 4-1) but earned the No. 1 seed based on its 50-48 win over the Purple Hurricanes.
Region 8, Jefferson (7-2, 5-0) made it official with last week’s 49-6 win over Heritage. The Dragons finish the regular season against Eastside. Even with a loss, Jefferson has the tiebreaker over Loganville because of a 42-6 win over the Red Devils.
That leaves only two region championships to be determined in the final week of the season. In Region 1, Ware County travels to Coffee on Friday to decide the title. In Region 2, Dutchtown can secure the No. 1 seed with a win over Ola. But Warner Robins will finish first if it wins and Ola beats Dutchtown.
Five top performances from last week:
Chase Reese, Warner Robins: The quarterback continues to grow into his role and had perhaps his best performance of the season in the 54-30 win over Jones County. Reese completed 17 of 27 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns and ran 14 times for 144 yards. The Demons have been lighting up the scoreboard, scoring 171 points over the last four games – an average of 42.7 per game.
Malachi Hosley, Northside Columbus: The senior running back continues to pile up big numbers. He ran 25 times for 260 yards and four touchdowns in the 57-14 win over McIntosh that clinched the Region 3 championship. Hosley has rushed for 1,834 yards and has a legit shot at reaching the 2,000-yard milestone. Special thanks to statistician extraordinaire Nicholas Krueger for consistently getting the info out there about the team.
Malachi Jeffries, Cartersville: The senior carried 20 times for 227 yards and two touchdowns, one a 48-yarder, in the 39-14 win over Dalton. He is being recruited by the likes of Kennesaw State, Chattanooga, Jacksonville State and Birmingham Southern.
Malachi Miller and Tristan Strickland, Decatur: These two hooked up for a 53-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left to give Decatur the 40-38 win and the Region 4 title – its first since 2004. Strickland, the starting tight end, took a pitch from quarterback Harrison Hannah and heaved a pass to Miller, who caught the ball around the 5 and tumbled into the end zone for the winning score.
Jai’Que Hart, Lithia Springs: The senior completed 15 of 23 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns and helped the Lions whip rival Chapel Hills 32-9 and secure their fourth straight trip to the state playoffs. Six of the passes went to Devon Green for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Hart has thrown for 2,411 yards this season.
Top 10 (Official) and Next 10 (Unofficial): 1. Ware County, 2. Creekside, 3. Cartersville, 4. Coffee, 5. Cambridge, 6. Jefferson, 7. Dutchtown, 8, Warner Robins, 9. Calhoun, 10. Loganville. Next 10: 11. Kell, 12. Northside-Columbus, 13. Ola, 14. Jones County, 15. Dalton, 16. Lithia Springs, 17. Chamblee, 18. Clarke Central, 19. Eastside, 20. Maynard Jackson.
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