All eight region championships and 16 of the 32 playoff berths in Class 6A are still up for grabs heading into the final two weekends of the high school football season.
Eight teams have a chance to clinch region titles with victories this weekend. They are Thomas County Central and Lee County in Region 1, Mundy’s Mill and Woodward Academy in Region 3, Marist in Region 4, Douglas County in Region 5, Rome in Region 6 and Gainesville in Region 8.
The playoffs begin on Nov. 10 with 16 first-round games in Class 6A. The championship games in all classifications will be played Dec. 11-13 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Here’s a look at where things stand in the playoff races in Regions 1-4. The races in Regions 5-8 will be dissected on Thursday.
Region 1
The winner of this week’s game between defending region champion Thomas County Central and Lee County in Thomasville will be the region champion, and the loser is likely to finish second. Houston County, Northside-Warner Robins and Tift County are tied for third place with two losses each. Tift County has the toughest schedule of the three, facing Houston County this week and Lee County next weekend, but the Blue Devils will make the playoffs if they can navigate through that stretch. If Houston County (vs. Tift County) and Northside (vs. Veterans) win this weekend, they will clinch the final two playoff berths. Last-place Veterans still has hope but must beat Northside and Houston County and get help elsewhere in the region.
*This week’s games: Lee County (7-1, 3-0) at Thomas County Central (8-0, 3-0); Houston County (6-2, 1-2) at Tift County (2-6, 1-2); Northside-Warner Robins (3-5, 1-2) at Veterans (3-5, 0-3).
Region 2
Effingham County is the only remaining unbeaten team in region play and can win its first region title since 1995 with victories in its final two games against Lakeside-Evans and defending region champion Brunswick. The key will be the Brunswick game. One-loss team Glynn Academy handed Brunswick its only region loss, and a Brunswick victory over Effingham County probably creates a three-way tie for first place. All three have clinched playoff berths. The other spot likely goes to the winner of next week’s game between Evans and South Effingham in Guyton. Lakeside, like South Effingham, has three losses in the region but has no path to the playoffs because of the way the schedule works against it, and last-place Grovetown has been eliminated.
*This week’s games: Lakeside-Evans (3-5, 1-3) at Effingham County (5-3, 4-0); Evans (3-5, 2-2) at Brunswick (5-2, 3-1); Grovetown (2-7, 0-5) at South Effingham (5-3, 1-3); Glynn Academy is off.
Region 3
The winner of this week’s game between Woodward Academy and Mundy’s Mill in College Park will clinch the region title and the loser will finish in second place. Woodward Academy is the defending champion and projected as a 31-point favorite by the computer Maxwell Ratings. Mundy’s Mill has never won a region title in the 21-year history of the school. Jonesboro and Lovejoy have two losses each, and the winner of their game on Nov. 3 likely takes third place. The only other team with a realistic shot at the playoffs is fifth-place Alcovy, which plays Jonesboro this week. If Alcovy wins its two remaining games and either Jonesboro or Lovejoy lose both or theirs, Alcovy would be in the playoffs. Rockdale County, Morrow and Forest Park are out of the mix.
*This week’s games: Mundy’s Mill (7-1, 5-0) at Woodward Academy (6-2, 5-0); Jonesboro (5-3, 3-2) at Alcovy (3-5, 2-3); Forest Park (0-8, 0-5) at Lovejoy (5-3, 3-2); Morrow (1-7, 1-4) at Rockdale County (2-6, 1-4).
Region 4
Marist is the only remaining unbeaten team in region play and can clinch its fourth consecutive region championship with a victory in either of its final two games, against rival St. Pius on Friday or Riverwood on Nov. 3. If things goes as projected this week, the winner of next weekend’s Dunwoody-North Atlanta game will finish in second place and the loser will take third. That leaves St. Pius and Riverwood fighting for the final playoff berth. The nod there would go to St. Pius, which defeated Riverwood 35-0 last weekend and has the easier remaining schedule. Last-place South Cobb is only one game behind Riverwood and St. Pius but is 0-8 for the season. Lakeside-DeKalb, playing a non-region schedule, closes out the season with games against Druid Hills and Clarkston.
*This week’s games: St. Pius (2-6, 1-2) at Marist (7-1, 3-0); Riverwood (3-5, 1-2) at Dunwoody (7-1, 2-1); South Cobb (0-8, 0-3) at North Atlanta (7-1, 2-1); Lakeside-DeKalb (4-4) at Druid Hills (6-1-1).
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