Going into the final weekend of the regular season, six of the eight regions in Class 5A have already determined their champions. But there remains a lot to be determined before the playoff order can be set in stone.
Here’s a region-by-region look at the final week of the regular season and the drama that could unfold.
Region 1: This one is easy. No. 1 Ware County (8-0) travels to play No. 4 Coffee (8-1) on Friday, with the winner emerging as the top seed and the loser as the second seed. Statesboro (3-6) plays at Jenkins (3-6), with the winner taking the No. 3 seed and the loser going to postseason as No. 4.
Region 2: The top three teams have been determined, but the order is uncertain. Ola (6-3) plays at Dutchtown (8-1) and Warner Robins (5-4) is at Locust Grove (0-9). If Dutchtown wins, the Bulldogs are the region champions. If Ola wins, the Mustangs will win the region title if Locust Grove wins. If Ola wins and Warner Robins wins, Dutchtown will be the region champion. The fourth seed will go to the winner of the Jones County (5-4) vs. Union Grove (4-5) game.
Region 3: Northside Columbus (9-1) is the champion and Northgate (3-6) will be No. 2. Harris County (2-7) plays at McIntosh (4-5), with the winner earning the No. 3 seed and the loser the No. 4 seed.
Region 4: Decatur (5-4) secured the title last week with its dramatic last-second win over Chamblee (6-2) nailing down the runner-up position. The third and fourth seeds will be determined by the outcome of the game between Arabia Mountain (4-5) and Tucker (4-5) on Thursday night at Godfey Stadium.
Region 5: No. 2-ranked Creekside (7-2) has won seven in a row and already has the top seed nailed down. Lithia Springs (6-3) will finish second with a win over Mays (5-4), which would be the fourth seed if Maynard Jackson (5-3) defeats Tri-Cities to create a tie for third. Jackson would then be the No. 3 team based on its regular-season win over Mays.
In the case of a three-way tie for second, the region tiebreaker would be: Under the region’s tiebreaker system, if Lithia Springs loses to Mays by 13 or fewer points, it will be the No. 2 seed. If Mays wins by more than 13 points, the Raiders will be the No. 2 seed and Lithia Springs would be No. 3. Jackson would be the fourth seed.
Region 6: Cambridge (7-2) and Kell (8-1) will finish one-two since Cambridge won the head-to-head meeting. Greater Atlanta Christian (5-4) and Centennial (4-5) play on Friday to decide which team finishes third and fourth.
Region 7: The season is over for these teams. The seeds are: No. 1 Calhoun (7-3), No. 2 Cartersville (9-1), Dalton (5-5) and Cass (4-5).
Region 8: Jefferson (7-2) is No. 1 and Loganville (9-1) is No. 2. Eastside (6-3) is guaranteed a spot. If Eastside loses to Jefferson, it will be No. 4. If Eastside wins and Winder-Barrow (5-4) beats Clarke Central (4-5) by more than eight points, Eastside will be No. 3 and Winder will be No. 4. If Eastside wins and Clarke Central beats Winder-Barrow, Clarke will be No. 3 and Eastside will be No. 4.
First-round playoff pairings
The opening round of the playoffs will feature Region 1 vs. Region 2, Region 3 vs. Region 5, Region 5 vs. Region 6, and Region 7 vs. Region 8.
The No. 1 seeds will host the No. 4 seed from the opposing region. The No. 2 seeds will host the No. 3 seeds from the opposing regions. All No. 1 seeds are guaranteed two home games if they keep winning.
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