Soccer is headed for the stretch run as the playoffs loom, and several DeKalb teams find themselves jockeying for playoff position as the regular season winds to a close. There’s a logjam for the final playoff spot in Region 6, Class 4A, while other teams fight for seeding. Marist is in the tournament with a 7-1 region record, and will head to the tourney after non-region matchups with Habersham Central on Friday and Wesleyan on Wednesday. Lakeside could make things interesting in the region if they can win their final region game against Chamblee on Friday, which would create a three-way-tie atop the division.
The final spot in the region comes down to Chamblee and Tucker. The Tigers have typically held onto the fourth spot in recent seasons and have a nice tandem in the attack behind Josimar Olmos and Andrew Chin. But a 6-2 drubbing at the hands of North Springs didn’t help their cause. Also, Chamblee holds the tiebreaker after a huge win on penalties over the Tigers just before Spring Break. That means Uwe Neuhaus’ team is in the playoffs with a win over Lakeside on Friday.
Keep an eye on Region 5, Class 3A, where region tournament play continues throughout the week. The final is scheduled for Tuesday, with Druid Hills and St. Pius X being the two favorites to come out on top. A win in the first round of the tourney means a top four seed and automatic state playoff birth, making Friday’s matches between Clarkston vs. Riverwood Grady vs. Dunwoody all the more interesting.
Also headed to state is Decatur. The Bulldogs appear to be playing their best soccer as well, as they upset No. 7 Westminster before Spring Break. They finish up region play with No. 8 Paideia tonight, and close the regular season with Grady on Wednesday.
The St. Pius program is dominating in Class 3A. They are ranked No. 1 in both boys and girls soccer heading into the region tournament.
ON THE DIAMOND …
Keep an eye on Redan in baseball. The Raiders are 6-2 in region play and look primed to make a run for the state tournament if they can just maintain their play in region. They play in the Georgia Dugout Tournament this week, before entering a gauntlet of a schedule to finish the season where they play five region games in just over two weeks. Patrick Smith’s great season continues as he is hitting at a spectacular .531 clip.
Marist is emerging as a sleeper as well in Class 4A. They are ranked No. 9 in the classification and are coming off a monstrous 32-4 victory win over region foe Forsyth Central. But they are still chasing Lakeside for first place in the Region six, Class 4A. The two face off on Monday with a possible region title on the line. The Vikings previously beat the War Eagles 4-2 on March 31.
OTHER NEWS …
Pius also looks like a contender in lacrosse, where they currently rank No. 3 in the state according to laxpower.com. They face Peachtree Ridge of Class 5A on Tuesday, before facing Decatur two days later.
The Marist track and field program breathed a sigh of relief this week regarding something much more important than sports. Head coach Eric Heintz, was diagnosed with oral cancer, but is expected to make a full recovery after taking a medical leave while having parts of his tongue and lymph nodes on his neck surgically removed.
A host of programs including Dunwoody and St. Pius will compete in the Region 5, Class 3A, boys and girls finals this Saturday at Lakewood Stadium. The girls will race for bragging rights in the Region 6, Class 4A finals beginning on Tuesday and finishing on Thursday. The races will all take place at Panthersville Stadium.
Meanwhile, his program finished second in the Westminster Quad Meet, which featured Lovett and hosts Westminster. Burke Mccarty, Christian Antos, and Shane Gizzi impressed by finishing 1-2-3 respectively in the discus throw. Peyton Cambas and Nathan Daniel both finished first in the Pole Vault.
Loading ...
