Only two defending state champions open as the No. 1 ranked team in their respective classification due to a major shuffling of the state picture. Now three years removed from their last title in 2014, No. 1 Brookwood debuts as the team to beat in Class AAAAAAA. Gwinnett County has ruled the state’s largest classification, winning five straight years and seven out of eight. No. 2 Parkview took the crown last season and will have easy motivation for starting the season behind their bitter rival.
Class AAAAAA will be fun to watch shape up as Dalton earns the top spot after seeing their four-peat fall short a year ago. No. 2 Chattahoochee joints the field from Class AAAAAA a year ago and will make the Catamounts’ road to a fifth title difficult.
Class AAAAA won’t be for the faint of heart as it contains a smorgasbord of good footy. No. 2 Riverwood, No. 3 McIntosh and No. 4 Decatur have four state titles between them over the past four seasons with Riverwood winning state last year in AAAAA and Decatur capturing the title in Class AAA, but all three teams will start their season behind No. 1 Buford who has never won a championship in soccer. The Wolves fell to Johnson-Gainesville in the semifinals of Class AAAA last year.
Speaking of AAAA, defending state champs St. Pius open as the No. 1 team in the state and will look to defend their title and make it five straight years as champs. No. 2 Blessed Trinity came on strong last year in Class AAA and will try to catch the Golden Lions.
The top three of Class AAA will be a roller coaster ride between No. 1 East Hall, No.2 Pace Academy and No. 3 Greater Atlanta Christian. Pace and GAC are familiar with each other, both coming out of Region 6 last year to make the Final Four in Class AA. Pace eliminated the Spartans 5-2 in the semifinals before losing to fellow Region 6’er Wesleyan 4-0 in the championship. East Hall suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the AAA title match, 3-2 against Decatur.
With AA void of all private schools, Putnam County gets the nod as the No. 1 ranked team after battling its way to a semifinal appearance in AA where Wesleyan erased them 9-2. No. 2 Benedictine, a military school, is happy to see the traditional private schools exit the class as well. They took a 1-0 defeat to Pace in the second round.
Defending state champs No. 1 Wesleyan and No. 2 Paideia load the field in Class A with the Wolves earning the top spot in their new home.
Class AAAAAAA
1. Brookwood
2. Parkview
3. Milton
4. Duluth
5. Mill Creek
6. Lakeside-DeKalb
7. Pebblebrook
8. Lambert
9. Campbell
10. Etowah
Class AAAAAA
1. Dalton
2. Chattahoochee
3. Northgate
4. Allatoona
5. Cambridge
6. Houston County
7. Greenbrier
8. Lanier
9. Lakeside-Evans
10. Gainesville
Class AAAAA
1. Buford
2. Riverwood
3. McIntosh
4. Decatur
5. Clarkston
6. Cross Keys
7. Grady
8. Starr’s Mill
9. Johnson-Gainesville
10. Thomas County Central
Class AAAA
1. St. Pius X
2. Blessed Trinity
3. Southeast Whitfield
4. Mary Persons
5. Cairo
6. Northwest Whitfield
7. Oconee County
8. Spalding
9. Jefferson
10. White County
Class AAA
1. East Hall
2. Pace Academy
3. Greater Atlanta Christian
4. Savannah Arts Academy
5. Dawson County
6. Sonoraville
7. Calhoun
8. Worth County
9. Bremen
10. East Jackson
Class AA
1. Putnam County
2. Benedictine
3. Union County
4. Social Circle
5. Vidalia
6. Fitzgerald
7. Dublin
8. Thomasville
9. Jeff Davis
10. Pepperell
Class A
1. Wesleyan
2. Paideia
3. Fellowship Christian
4. St. Anne-Pacelli
5. Stratford Academy
6. Walker
7. Mt. Paran
8. Landmark Christian
9. Atlanta International
10. Athens Academy
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