1. Clinch County 13, Irwin County 0: Clinch County, projected as a 16-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings, denied Irwin County in its first attempt to clinch the Region 2-A Public title. Irwin County, the defending state champion, will still win the region if it beats Turner County this week. Irwin had not been shut out in a game since 2012.
2. Alpharetta 35, Roswell 21: Two weeks ago, Roswell was undefeated and ranked No. 5 in Class 7A. However, two consecutive losses, including Friday’s against 14-point underdog Alpharetta, has the Hornets on the brink of playoff elimination. Roswell must win this week against Woodstock or will miss the postseason for the first time since 2013.
3. Alexander 23, Carrollton 22: Alexander got a field goal with 2:14 left to upset 12-point favorite Carrollton and prevent the Trojans from clinching their second consecutive region title. Carrollton can still win 5-6A this week by beating Douglas County, but a Carrollton loss likely hands Rome the region title. Alexander earns a playoff berth if it beats South Paulding.
4. Morgan County 41, Burke County 21: Burke County, a region champion last year, would have had a chance to earn at least a share of first place in 4-3A with a victory this week against Richmond Academy (8-1, 5-0), but that chance is gone after losing to 11-point underdog Morgan County. The Bears (3-4, 3-2) are likely to be a No. 4 seed in the playoffs.
5. Hancock Central 32, Wilkinson County 8: Hancock Central won as expected against 35-point underdog Wilkinson County in a 7-A Public game to clinch the first region title for a school that began playing football in 1960. Hancock (5-0, 4-0) went 0-6 in region play in 2019 and had finished with a winning record in region games only three times since 1984.
Worth noting: Dacula avoided a major upset when it rallied from a 16-7 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat 30-point underdog Central Gwinnett 20-16. Dacula will put its 25-game winning streak in region games on the line Friday when it meets Buford for the 8-6A title. … Lakeview Academy clinched the first playoff berth in program history with a 59-27 victory over 28-point underdog St. Francis in a Region 6-A Private game. Lakeview, in its first season under head coach Lee Shaw, first played football in 2007 and began playing a region schedule in 2014. … North Paulding beat 14-point favorite Hillgrove 35-28 for its first victory in the seven-game history of the series. The loss prevented Hillgrove from clinching a playoff berth and created a three-way tie for fourth place in 3-7A including North Paulding, Hillgrove and Marietta. … Shiloh significantly improved its playoff chances with a 20-17 overtime victory against eight-point favorite Lanier in the first meeting between the Gwinnett County schools. Lanier fell into sixth place in Region 8-6A and needs a miracle to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012. … Woodland (Cartersville) picked up its first Region 7-5A victory when it beat 14-point favorite Hiram. However, unless Woodland upsets top-ranked Blessed Trinity this week, it will finish in a three-way tie with Cass and Hiram for the fourth playoff berth, and Hiram holds the tiebreaker advantage.
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