It’s the last week of the regular season, and that means playoff berths and region titles are on the line. Here are the games to watch for each classification.
CLASS 5A (by Brian Jones)
It’s the final week of the high school football season and there are plenty of marquee games in Class 5A to sink your teeth into. First, it will be the Region 7 championship on the line when No. 4 North Gwinnett will take on No. 7 Peachtree Ridge. The Bulldogs have won eight straight games since losing to Byrnes (S.C.) in their season opener. … Over in Region 3, No. 2 Camden County will look to get another region title when they take on Bradwell Institute. … Parkview and Brookwood will face off in their annual battle but this game will determine who will be the No. 2 seed in Region 8 since Grayson won the region title. Harrison will face No. 9 Etowah and this could determine the champion of Region 5. … No. 5 Newnan will put its prefect record on the line when they battle East Coweta for the Region 4 title. … In Region 6, Walton and Kell are tied for the region lead but Walton has the tiebreaker due to beating Kell earlier in the year. So Walton will win back-to-back region titles with a win over Pope, and Kell will need to beat Milton and have Walton lose in order to win its first region title.
CLASS 4A (by Ricky Dimon)
It’s that time of year again. Postseason play in high school football is already getting underway, as Sandy Creek (9-0, 5-0) hosts Villa Rica (8-1, 6-0) for the Region 5 title on Friday night. Sandy Creek finished the regular season undefeated in Region 5A while Villa Rica posted an unblemished record in 5B action. … In Region 7, Rome (8-1, 6-0) will travel to Sprayberry (6-3, 5-0) for the championship showdown. Rome won five of its six region games by 18 points or more and only one of Sprayberry’s region wins was decided by less than 20 points. … Region 2 saved its top two teams for last as Statesboro (9-0, 5-0) hosts Brunswick (7-2, 5-0) for the title. … There’s a logjam behind North Clayton (7-0) in the Region 4 standings and Alcovy (4-3) vs. Griffin (5-2) will go a long way in clearing up the playoff picture. … Miller Grove (5-3 in region), Forsyth Central (5-3), and Chamblee (4-4) are all contending for the fourth playoff spot in Region 6. Forsyth Central needs an upset win over Tucker (7-1) and a Miller Grove loss to Chamblee, while Chamblee needs a win and a Forsyth Central loss. … Apalachee (6-3) vs. Salem (5-4) and Heritage-Conyers (5-4) vs. Cedar Shoals (5-4) are huge matchups in a crowded Region 8.
CLASS 3A (by Fletcher Proctor)
The final week of the regular season gives the Georgia high school football fan quite a double-header of top games. First off, Dunwoody and St. Pius X will do battle for the Region 5 crown. Treavor Scales and Erick Cooper lead a determined Dunwoody team against Cole Moon and the rest of the Golden Lions in a game featuring two schools ranked in the top five of the recent GPB/Score Atlanta poll. … Meanwhile those north of Atlanta will be treated to Gainesville and Flowery Branch squaring off for the Region 7 title. Blake Sims and the rest of the Red Elephants have GHS fans believing that this is finally the year for their school. On the other sideline, Conner Shaw and Daniel Drummond will look to put the Falcons at home for the first few rounds of the playoffs. … No. 1 Cairo hits the road and Corico Hawkins’s Baldwin Braves will also have a tough go this week as Thomson is the opponent. … LaGrange will look to shake off a second-loss hangover and the Grangers will have a tough opponent with which to do it, on the road at Troup County. … Finally, Peach County looks to make a statement against Crisp County, another potential playoff team.
CLASS 2A (by Corey Mitchell)
The Jefferson Dragons will try to complete a perfect regular season on the road against 3-6 East Jackson Friday night. The Dragons (9-0) are coming off a 17-16 win vs. North Oconee, which clinched the Region 8 title. … One of the more intriguing matchups of the week is Charlton County (8-1, 6-1 region) hosting McIntosh County Academy (9-0, 7-0 region). An Indian triumph will cause a three-way tie for first place in Region 2 between Charlton, MCA and Appling County … let the tiebreakers begin! … Three playoff spots in Region 6 are still up in grabs Friday night. Buford has already clinched the top spot heading into the playoffs and will end its regular season against Greater Atlanta Christian, whose hopes of the postseason are on life support. Westminster and Blessed Trinity will determine the region’s No. 2 seed when the Wildcats host the Titans. Lovett is also in the mix for a postseason berth and has the least difficult finale of the four 4-2 teams in the region. The Lions host the Bulldogs of Decatur with a victory sealing the playoff spot. … Region 1 champs Brooks County (8-1) will finish up its campaign against 2-7 Albany. The Trojans clinched the region last week with a 34-20 win over Cook.
CLASS A (by Derek Wiley)
The region playoffs and three regular season games that will decide region championships make for the best Friday night of Class A football of the season. … No. 1-ranked Emanuel County Institute of Region 3B plays Calvary Day in Region 3A. Another matchup in Region 3 will put the top team in 3A, sixth-ranked Savannah Christian, against Metter, who is fourth in 3B. … One of the best games of the week will be between the top team in Region 1A, third-ranked Clinch County against the top team in Region 1B, Miller County. Miller County’s only loss came to Seminole County on Oct. 17, 13-12. Clinch County beat Seminole County 38-22. … Fifth-ranked Brookstone will go on the road to play Schley County for the Region 4 championship. Schley County’s only loss in Region 4 came to Greenville by one point, 21-20, on Sept. 19. Brookstone beat Greenville by one point the week before, 14-13. All signs point to a tight one. … Seventh-ranked Bowdon plays Bremen to decide Region 6 and tenth-ranked Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy plays Whitefield Academy for Region 5.
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