One of the more intriguing storylines in Class 6A over the past four seasons has been the race to see which of the five playoff-quality teams in powerful Region 1 would be the one left out of the postseason (only the top four teams from each region qualify).
That won’t be the case this season. The departure of Coffee to Class 5A in the GHSA’s most recent reclassification has left 1-6A with just four teams, so Lee County, Houston County, Valdosta and Northside-Warner Robins enter region play this weekend already knowing that their playoff berths are guaranteed. Three of those four are ranked in the top 10 this week.
Houston County was the team left out of the playoffs three of the past four seasons. That includes the 2016 team, led by quarterback Jake Fromm, that was coming off a state quarterfinal appearance and was 7-0 and ranked No. 1 heading into region play, only to go 1-3 down the stretch and finish in last place. The Bears missed the postseason the next two years as well.
Last year, Northside missed the state playoffs for the first time since 1995, losing to Houston County 21-16 on the final weekend of the regular season in a game that decided fourth place in the region.
The race in Region 1 this year will be all about seeding, not playoff berths. And for Valdosta, which has endured a particularly eventful first two months of the season, the start of region play couldn’t come soon enough.
“Now everything is flushed backwards,” Valdosta coach Rush Propst told Juston Lewis for the Valdosta Daily Times. “It’s 0-0, everything counts from here on out. These next nine weeks will determine the legacy for this football team.”
Here’s a closer look at the teams of Region 1 (in order of their 2020 winning percentages):
*Lee County (5-1): The Trojans are the three-time defending region champions and won state titles in 2017 and 2018. They were eliminated by Dacula in the quarterfinals last season. Lee County is ranked No. 1 heading into region play. The Trojans have played two top-10 opponents this season, losing to current No. 1 Lowndes of 7A (38-13) and beating then-No. 1 Warner Robins of 5A 27-7. Lee County’s Caleb McDowell leads the region in rushing with 526 yards, and the defense is allowing just 11.17 points per game.
*Houston County (5-2): The Bears were 5-5 in the regular season in 2019 and didn’t secure their playoff berth until the final weekend, but they got hot in the playoffs and reached the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated by eventual champion Harrison 28-7. They are ranked No. 10 this season. Houston County has played four top-10 opponents from lower classes, going 2-2 with wins over Class 5A schools Coffee (17-10) and Veterans (7-0) and losses to Warner Robins of 5A (44-10) and Crisp County of 3A (12-0).
*Northside (3-4): The Eagles are going through one of the roughest stretches since the early days of the program in the 1960s, winning just six of their past 18 games dating to a loss to Lee County in the 2018 6A championship game. Northside has matched its victory total from last season, but playing its final three games against top-10 teams might make it hard to find another win. Chad Alligood is in his first season as head coach after being promoted to replace Kevin Kinsler, who retired after 31 seasons at the school.
*Valdosta (2-3): The state’s most famous program hired a new coach in the offseason (Propst replaced Alan Rodemaker). A win over Warner Robins in the opener was overturned by forfeit. Quarterback Jake Garcia transferred in from California, was ruled ineligible, then transferred out. Two games were canceled because of COVID-19. Injuries and suspensions have taken a toll. And they suffered back-to-back losses to rivals Colquitt County and Lowndes. Still, the Wildcats are ranked No. 3 and ready to move forward.
Schedule
Here is the schedule of Friday’s games in 1-6A, as of Wednesday night:
Houston County at Lee County
Northside at Valdosta
About the Author
