Welcome to the Class A Division I blog and get ready to see why this classification is the most intriguing classification in the GHSA’s new format. In total, there are 76 schools in the newly formed Class A Division I, but that number shrinks to 62 without the non-football schools. Additionally, the new Class A-3A Private division pulls teams from Class 3A down to Class A Division II and Class A Division I is home to a whopping 16 of the 25 total teams in Class A-3A Private. As a result, Class A Division I by default will house more top 10 teams than any other classification this season with 16 of its 62 football teams being in the Class A-3A Private pool and a remaining 46 teams that will compete for the Class A Division I title. For context, the preseason Score Atlanta rankings saw seven of its 10 ranked Class A-3A Private teams come out of Class A Division I with Savannah Christian, Fellowship Christian, Calvary Day, Wesleyan, Greater Atlanta Christian, North Cobb Christian and Aquinas. There are only eight private schools in the state that will not be playing in Class A-3A Private this season. Woodward Academy is the lone Class 5A private school and Class 4A will house the other seven with Westminster, Marist, Blessed Trinity, Benedictine, St. Pius, ELCA and Pace Academy.
Class A Division I’s 16 Private Schools for the football season are Savannah Christian, Savannah Country Day, Fellowship Christian, King’s Ridge, Landmark Christian, Mount Vernon, Mt. Paran, Mt. Pisgah, St. Francis, Wesleyan, Walker, Whitefield Academy, Darlington, Christian Heritage, Athens Academy and Providence Christian.
HUGE COACHING HIRES
According to the Georgia High School Football Daily, this offseason produced 74 total head coaching changes. Despite that meaning that nearly one in five football teams has a new head coach, that was the lowest margin in the last 15 years of tallying the carousel. Within Class A Division I, there are a total of 12 head coaches that will be debuting with new teams this year. This includes, Banks County, Brantley County, Coosa, Dodge County, East Laurens, Haralson County, Mt. Pisgah, Mt. Vernon, Pepperell, St. Francis, King’s Ridge and Savannah Country Day. Banks County hired former Holy Innocents’ head coach Todd Winter and Brantley County brought in David Shores to lead the Herons after a 3-year stint at Brunswick High School. Brantley County’s former head coach Geoff Cannon is now at Coosa. Dodge County hired former Valdosta assistant Phillip Brown—a Louisiana-native with two state titles in the highest classification on his resume. The big names don’t stop there with East Laurens hiring Jesse Hicks from Baldwin. Coach Hicks enters his 23rd season as a head coach and led the Braves to seven-straight playoff berths before taking over the Falcons this offseason. Haralson County hired former Wayne County defensive coordinator Randy Crutchfield to take over an already competitive and tough Rebels team. The Pepperell Dragons hired Brandon Haywood from Woodland-Cartersville and are looking to reach a 20th-straight playoff this year in his debut. The three final new coaches are all at private schools. Mount Vernon hired former Milton assistant and Georgia High School Football Hall of Famer Terrance Edwards. The Mustangs’ Region 5 opponent Mt. Pisgah promoted defensive coordinator Elijer Martinez to head coach to take over for former head coach and MPCS Athletic Director Ryan Livezey. Coach Livezey went to St. Francis and King’s Ridge hired Holy Innocents’ offensive coordinator Zach Slaney to replace Terry Crowder, who retired.
BY THE NUMBERS
There are 62 total football teams in Class A Division I playing a region schedule (Mt. Bethel Christian will also play its first full football season in a non-region format to prepare for a GHSA slate down the line). A total of 27 teams were in Class A Division I last season and there are 27 newcomers that competed in Class 2A last season. Just two programs were classed up from Class A Division II and six teams have moved down from Class 3A to Class A Division I. Those six teams are a trio of public schools—Thomasville, Bremen and Gordon Lee and three private schools with Wesleyan, Savannah Christian and Savannah Country Day.
The top contenders this season are fresh off impressive runs and teams like Toombs County, Fitzgerald, Swainsboro, Dublin, Model, Bleckley County, Bremen, Commerce, Rabun County and Thomasville will be seen as favorites, but the introduction of a power ranking system for the playoff seeding will make every week critical in securing home field and a favorable path.
Class A Division I Region Alignments
NON-FOOTBALL SCHOOLS
Private Schools
*Football w/non-region
REGION 1
Bacon County
Berrien
Brantley County
Fitzgerald
Jeff Davis
Thomasville
Worth County
REGION 2
ACE Charter
Bleckley County
Central-Macon
Dodge County
Dublin
East Laurens
Jefferson County
Northeast
Southwest
Washington County
REGION 3
Savannah Christian
Savannah Country Day
St. Vincent’s Academy
Swainsboro
Toombs County
Vidalia
Woodville-Tompkins
Region 4
Greenforest Christian
Jasper County
Lamar County
McNair
Putnam County
Social Circle
Southwest Atlanta Christian
Towers
Utopian Academy
W.D. Mohammed
Region 5
Atlanta International
B.E.S.T. Academy
Ben Franklin Academy
DeKalb Schools of the Arts
Fellowship Christian
Galloway
King’s Ridge
Landmark Christian
Mount Vernon
Mt. Bethel Christian*
Mt. Paran
Mt. Pisgah
Paideia
St. Francis
Walker
Weber School
Wesleyan
Whitefield Academy
FOOTBALL’S SUB REGIONS
Sub Region A
Fellowship Christian
King’s Ridge Christian
Mt. Pisgah
Mount Vernon
St. Francis
Wesleyan
Mount Bethel*
Sub Region B
B.E.S.T. Academy
Landmark Christian
Mt. Paran
Walker
Whitefield Academy
Region 6
Bremen
Darlington
Haralson County Heard County
Model
Pepperell
Temple
Region 7
Armuchee
Chattooga
Christian Heritage
Coosa
Dade County
Dalton Academy
Fannin County
Gordon Central
Gordon Lee
Region 8
Athens Academy
Banks County
Barrow
Commerce
Elbert County
Oglethorpe County
Providence Christian
Rabun County
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