The championship race in Region 1-6A seemed simple enough heading into last weekend’s games.
Thomas County Central and Lee County would win their games to remain unbeaten in region play, and then they would meet Friday night to determine the champion.
Northside-Warner Robins had other ideas. The Eagles rallied from a 20-0 deficit in the fourth quarter and stunned then-No. 2 Lee County 23-20, putting the region title up for grabs.
Northside scored the winning points in equally stunning fashion, forcing a fumble that Derrick Hardy picked up and ran 40 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the game.
Earlier in the quarter, the Eagles got a 30-yard field goal from Ashton Paredes and two touchdown passes from D.J. Hudson, the second of which went to D’shawn Hooten to cut the lead to 20-17 with 3:17 left.
The victory left Northside (5-3, 2-1) and Lee County (6-2, 2-1) tied for second place in the region behind Thomas County Central (8-0, 3-0), although Northside holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.
All three now have a clear path to an outright region title, although Lee County will need help. Here are the least complicated ways that each team could win the championship:
*Thomas County Central: Win its final two games, against Lee County and Northside. The Yellow Jackets also would win the title if they beat Lee County this week and Northside loses to Veterans.
*Northside: Win its final two games, against Veterans and Thomas County Central.
*Lee County: Win its final two games, against Thomas County Central and Tift County, and hope for a Northside loss to Thomas County Central.
The fourth playoff team from Region 1 probably will be the winner of the Houston County-Veterans game on Nov. 4.
Elsewhere, two region championships definitely will be decided this weekend, and three other teams also have the opportunity to claim titles.
Marist and St. Pius are the only remaining unbeaten teams in Region 4 play, and the winner of their game Friday at St. Pius will be the region champion. The loser is almost certain to be the No. 2 seed. Dunwoody and North Atlanta are likely to be the region’s other two playoff teams.
In Region 8, Gainesville and North Forsyth will meet for the championship Friday in Gainesville. North Forsyth is seeking its first region title since 2013 and North Forsyth its first since 2001. Lanier and Shiloh probably will take the other two playoff spots.
Top-ranked Hughes and South Paulding are unbeaten in Region 5, but only Hughes can clinch the title when they meet Friday in Douglasville. If South Paulding pulls off the upset, the Spartans would still need to take care of Douglas County in the regular-season finale to avoid a three-way tie for first place and win the championship outright. Douglas County and Paulding County are the front-runners for the other playoff berths.
Woodward Academy can clinch the Region 3 title with a victory over Mundy’s Mill. A win would give Woodward Academy a one-game lead over Lovejoy heading into the final weekend, and Woodward won the head-to-head meeting. A victory by Mundy’s Mill would create a tie for first place among the three teams. Morrow can clinch the fourth spot with a win Saturday against Rockdale County.
Rome is the only unbeaten team in Region 6 play, and the Wolves can clinch the title Friday night with a victory against third-place Creekview. Rome holds a one-game lead over Sequoyah but has already beaten the Chiefs. River Ridge, Allatoona and to a lesser extent Etowah are still in play for postseason berths, as well.
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