Four region championships and six playoff berths remain up for grabs in Class 5A heading into Week 12 of the high school football season.
Most teams in the classification will complete their regular seasons this week, but Region 1 and Region 5 will spill over into next week, which was set aside by the GHSA to give teams assistance in rescheduling games that were postponed in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Lee County, Hughes, Woodward Academy and Rome have secured region titles. At least three more will be settled Friday night.
Here’s a closer look at the races for region titles and playoff berths in the eight Class 5A regions.
Region 1
There will be four rescheduled games next week in this nine-team region, so there’s still a lot to be settled. This much is settled – Brunswick and Lakeside-Evans will be the top two teams. Brunswick wins the region title if it beats South Effingham or Bradwell Institute or if Lakeside loses to Statesboro. Effingham County is sitting in third place and can lock it down with a victory against Statesboro this week. If Effingham County loses, it risks dropping into a tie with Statesboro and Glynn Academy for the final two playoff berths.
Region 2
Lee County, Coffee, Thomas County Central and Houston County are the four playoff teams from this six-team region. Lee County has clinched the region title, its sixth in eight years. Houston County, Lee County’s opponent this week, will finish as the No. 4 seed, regardless of the outcome of its game. Coffee travels to Thomas County Central this week, with the winner taking second place and the loser finishing third. Thomas County Central won the Class 6A championship last season, and Coffee took the title in Class 5A.
Region 3
Hughes, Newnan and Dutchtown have clinched the top three spots in this eight-team region. Hughes secured its third region championship in four seasons with a 66-0 victory over Morrow last week. Lovejoy will be the region’s other playoff team if it wins either of its last two games (vs. Hughes and Morrow) or if Morrow loses to Banneker this week. There’s still a chance that McIntosh and Northgate could finish in a tie for fourth place, but they would need to win this week and get a lot of help.
Region 4
Woodward Academy clinched the region title in this eight-team region last week with a victory over Decatur, which will finish in second place. Shiloh will claim third place with a victory against Dunwoody. Barring a major upset, a victory by Dunwoody would create a four-way tie for the final two playoff spots involving Shiloh, Dunwoody, Lakeside-Atlanta (which plays Woodward Academy) and Tri-Cities (which plays Decatur). Shiloh and Lakeside would have the advantage there, each having beaten two of the other three.
Region 5
Rome, East Paulding, New Manchester and Villa Rica will be the playoff teams from this eight-team region. Rome clinched the region title with a 35-7 win over New Manchester last week. It was the Wolves’ fourth consecutive region title and seventh in nine seasons. If East Paulding beats Villa Rica this week, the Raiders will take second place, followed by New Manchester and Villa Rica. If Villa Rica wins, it likely creates a three-way tie for second place, with East Paulding currently holding the advantage in point differential.
Region 6
Sprayberry, Sequoyah, Woodstock and River Ridge have clinched the playoff spots in this eight-team region. Sprayberry can win its first region championship since 2008 with a victory this week against Woodstock (Sprayberry is a 13-point favorite, according to the computer Maxwell Ratings). If Sprayberry loses, it probably falls into a three-way tie for second place with Woodstock and River Ridge. A Sprayberry loss would open the door for Sequoyah, which would win the title with a victory against Creekview.
Region 7
Milton and Roswell are the two remaining unbeaten teams in region play. The winner of their game Friday will be the region champion and the loser will be the runner-up. Milton, the Class 7A champ last year, has won six consecutive region titles. Gainesville, which has completed its regular season and lost to Milton and Roswell, will finish in third place. The fourth playoff spot in this seven-team region will go to the winner of the Lanier-Seckinger game. Seckinger, in its third season, is seeking its first playoff berth.
Region 8
Clarke Central, Jackson County, Winder-Barrow and Habersham Central are the playoff teams from this seven-team region, and they play each other this week. Clarke Central wins the title with a victory against Winder-Barrow, and Jackson County can clinch second place by beating Habersham (Clarke is favored by 14 points and Jackson County by 13, according to Maxwell). Winder-Barrow can create a three-way tie for first place with a victory, but the Bulldoggs would win the title if they win and Jackson County loses.
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