The second half of the high school football season begins this weekend, and the remaining two regions that have yet to begin league play (Regions 1 and 4) will do so Friday night. There has been a lot of the expected and a bit of the unexpected in Class 6A through the first six weeks of the season. Here are some stories to watch in the second half of the regular season.
- The toughest playoff race in 6A begins this week when Region 1 opens league play with three games Friday night. The headliner is sixth-ranked Lee County visiting No. 3 Houston County. Veterans hosts defending region champion and second-ranked Thomas County Central, which is trying to extend its 15-game regular-season win streak, and Northside-Warner Robins travels to Tift County.
- Douglas County is in control in Region 5 after upsetting defending state champion Hughes 30-27 last week. The Tigers (5-0), a third-place team in 2022, are tied for first place with East Paulding and will be favored in their final five games, putting them within reach of their first region title since 2002. Hughes’ loss ended a streak of 21 consecutive regular-season victories against Georgia opponents.
- Gainesville is 19-1 under second-year head coach Josh Niblett, who inherited a team that went 5-5 in Class 7A the year before his arrival from Hoover, Ala. The Red Elephants have been challenged a couple of time in their 5-0 start this season, but the tougher half of the schedule is behind them. This week’s Region 8 game against an improved Lanier team is likely the biggest challenge remaining.
- Jonesboro of Region 3 is one of the most improved teams in Class 6A, and the Cardinals (4-1) are on track to return to the playoffs after missing out last year for the first time since 2017. The winner of their game this week against Mundy’s Mill will establish itself as the top challenger to defending region champion Woodward Academy. They are the three remaining unbeaten teams in region play.
- North Fulton County neighbors Roswell and Blessed Trinity are the two highest-rated teams in Region 7, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings, so their game Friday will have a championship feel to it. Alpharetta and Sprayberry, the next two-highest rated teams, also meet this week in a game that could have playoff-seeding implications. All four teams made the playoffs last year.
- Brunswick and Glynn Academy moved into Region 2 together in 2016, and since then they have combined to win six of the seven region championships. Brunswick won the past two, but Glynn Academy beat the Pirates 22-15 last week in the teams’ region opener to establish itself as the favorite. Effingham County (Glynn Academy’s opponent this week) and Evans also won their region openers.
- Allatoona got off to a 1-5 start in 2022 but recovered in time to finish second in Region 6 and reach the second round of the playoffs. The Buccaneers will need a similar turnaround this season after starting 0-6 for the first time in school history. They likely need to win three of their final four games to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since they began playing a region schedule in 2010.
- Rome, in Region 6 with Allatoona, got off to a great start in its quest for a sixth region championship in eight seasons when it beat the Buccaneers 62-0 last week. In five games, the Wolves have allowed 48 points, 33 of which came in a 20-point loss to Class 7A No. 5 Carrollton on Sept. 1. Rome is one of four teams tied for first place in the region, with Creekview, River Ridge and Sequoyah.
- Dunwoody is 5-0 for the first time since 2008 and looking to make a run at its first playoff berth since that 2008 team went 12-1 and reached the state quarterfinals. Dunwoody’s opponent this week, Marist, is the favorite to repeat as Region 4 champion, but the race behind the War Eagles is wide open, with Dunwoody, North Atlanta, Riverwood and St. Pius likely fighting for the other three spots.
- Dunwoody is one of seven remaining unbeaten teams. The others are Houston County and Thomas County Central of Region 1, Mundy’s Mill of Region 3, North Atlanta of Region 4, Douglas County of Region 5, and Gainesville of Region 8. All are 5-0. Last year, Thomas County Central, Brunswick, Hughes and Gainesville went undefeated in the regular season, with Hughes finishing 15-0.
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