McEachern became the first Class 7A team to clinch a region title Friday night while Carrollton became the clear team to beat in Region 2.
Here’s a quick look at Friday’s games with a look forward to the next week.
In Region 1, third-ranked Colquitt County (8-0, 2-0) beat Lowndes 52-34, and Valdosta (7-2, 3-0) beat Camden County 24-21. Valdosta will play at Colquitt on Friday for the region title.
Carrollton, ranked No. 6 in Class 7A, routed No. 8 Westlake 31-7 in Class 7A. The 2022 state runner-up, Carrollton will be heavily favored to clinch Region 2 next week when the Trojans play Campbell (3-5, 1-1).
McEachern (5-4, 3-0) clinched Region 3 with a 34-21 victory over North Paulding (6-2, 2-1). McEachern still must play Hillgrove (2-6, 0-2) but would win any region tiebreakers if it lost.
Archer (5-3, 3-0) finds itself unranked but leading Region 4, a league in which four teams other than the Tigers have been in the top 10 this season.
Archer beat South Gwinnett 22-12 on Friday. Meanwhile, unranked Parkview beat fifth-ranked Newton 28-21. Parkview (6-2, 2-1) was ranked the week before but dropped out after losing to Archer.
Newton, which had been 7-0 for the first time in history, fell to 2-1 in Region 4. Also in the region mix is No. 7 Grayson (6-2, 2-1), which routed former top-10 team Brookwood 59-10.
In Region 5, Wheeler (6-2, 2-1) brought Osborne (7-1, 2-1) back to earth a bit with a 17-10 victory. Osborne is still in the playoffs for the first time since 1994 and the state playoffs for the first time ever. Second-ranked Walton (8-0, 3-0) finishes up with Wheeler and Osborne and will be heavily favored against each.
Defending champion Milton (6-2, 3-0) is in firm control of Region 6 after beating West Forsyth (6-2, 2-1) 45-14 on Thursday. West Forsyth had been the only other team in the region without a region loss.
Peachtree Ridge (8-0, 4-0) beat Discovery 62-0 on Friday while Norcross (7-1, 4-0) beat Meadowcreek 48-0 in Region 7. Peachtree Ridge is at Norcross next week potentially for the region title, although Norcross still might need to beat North Gwinnett (5-3, 3-1).
In a surprisingly close game, No. 1 Mill Creek of 7A beat Collins Hill 24-18 on Friday in Region 8. Mill Creek was coming off a 31-24 victory over previous No. 1 Buford. Mill Creek (8-0, 3-0) will clinch Region 8 next week if it beats Dacula (1-7, 0-3) and if Buford (7-1, 2-1) beats Mountain View (4-4, 2-1).
About the Author
