Three more Class 5A regions will begin league play in Week 5 of the high school football season. Here’s a brief look at each of the eight-team regions, which will each have a full slate of games this weekend:
Region 3
Overview: Hughes is the overwhelming favorite, given a 91% chance of winning the region championship by the computer Maxwell Ratings. The Panthers averaged 12 wins over the past four seasons and reached the state finals twice, winning the title in 2022. Hughes is 2-1, with a tough 21-14 loss last week against Class 6A No. 3 Douglas County. Four teams in the region – Banneker, Dutchtown, McIntosh and Northgate – moved up in classification this year, and Dutchtown appears to have the best chance of making some noise. The Bulldogs were 6-6 last year but won a playoff game on the road, and they won at least 11 games in three of the previous five seasons. They’ll learn their place in the pecking order when they face Lovejoy and Hughes in the first two league games. Lovejoy, Morrow and Newnan are the returning Class 5A teams, and all have reason to be optimistic. Lovejoy missed the playoffs only once in the past 14 seasons; Morrow won seven games over the past two seasons (and earned a playoff berth) after winning only two in the previous two; and Newnan has good wins over Greater Atlanta Christian and Arabia Mountain and a tough loss to East Coweta. Maxwell projects Dutchtown, Lovejoy and Newnan to join Hughes in the playoffs.
This week’s games: Hughes at Banneker, Newnan at Northgate, Dutchtown at Lovejoy, Morrow at McIntosh
Region 4
Overview: Woodward Academy won eight region championships in the past 10 seasons, and the Maxwell computer gives the War Eagles an 86% chance of winning another one this year. Woodward is off to an 0-3 start, but the losses have come at the hands of No. 1 Carrollton and No. 6 Collins Hill of Class 6A and No. 1 Marist of Class 4A. Woodward’s top competition is likely to come from three of the region’s five teams from DeKalb County – Decatur, Dunwoody and Arabia Mountain. Those are Maxwell picks to fill out the region’s playoff contingent. Decatur has made five consecutive playoff appearances and won a region title in 2022. The Bulldogs moved up in classification this year and are off to a good start with wins over Greater Atlanta Christian, Carver-Atlanta and Stephenson. Dunwoody is 1-2 this year against a challenging schedule but went 8-3 last year and earned its first playoff berth since 2009. Arabia Mountain is 1-2 this year after moving up one class but was 9-2 and a region champion last year. Chamblee, Lakeside-DeKalb, Shiloh and Tri-Cities will be aiming to work their way into the top four.
This week’s games: Tri-Cities at Dunwoody (North DeKalb Stadium), Lakeside-DeKalb at Arabia Mountain (Thursday, Godfrey Stadium), Chamblee at Decatur, Shiloh at Woodward Academy
Region 5
Overview: Rome enters as the favorite despite a rough first month of the season. The Wolves’ season opener against Creekside was cancelled after several players were injured in a bus crash in early August. They have played two games since against top-ranked teams – Class 6A Carrollton and Class A Division I Toombs County – and lost both. East Paulding has emerged as the top challenger, winning convincingly in its first three games against North Paulding, Paulding County and Hiram. The Raiders will find out quickly how well they measure up, as the winner of their game against Rome this week will emerge as the team to beat. The rest of the playoff picture appears a bit more scrambled. Of the other six teams in the region, only 3-0 New Manchester has a winning record, and that was built against a relatively weak schedule. If Rome and East Paulding plays as expected, the other six teams – Alexander, Kennesaw Mountain, Lithia Springs, New Manchester, South Paulding and Villa Rica – will be fighting for two playoff berths. Maxwell projects that Villa Rica and South Paulding will get them.
This week’s games: East Paulding at Rome, Kennesaw Mountain at New Manchester, Villa Rica at Alxander, South Paulding at Lithia Springs
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