The playoff picture in Class 5A is coming into focus heading into Week 11 of the high school football season.
One region champion will be determined Friday night when Woodward Academy takes on Decatur in a winner-take-all Region 4 game.
Hughes of Region 3 and Rome of Region 5 can clinch region titles with victories this week (Hughes faces Morrow, and Rome meets New Manchester), and Brunswick, Lee County and Sprayberry could clinch if a number of circumstances break their way.
Here’s a closer look at the races for region titles and playoff berths in the eight Class 5A regions.
Region 1
Brunswick is alone in first place after defeating previously unbeaten Lakeside-Evans last week. The Pirates can clinch the region title by winning either of their remaining games, against the bottom two teams in the nine-team region. Barring an upset, Lakeside will finish in second place. Effingham County and Glynn Academy hold the No. 3 and No. 4 spots, and the winner of their game this week probably takes third place. However, Greenbrier and Statesboro are one loss behind them and could still find a way into the playoffs.
Region 2
Lee County, Coffee, Thomas County Central and Houston County, all ranked in the top 10, are almost certain to be the region’s four playoff teams. Lee County is the only remaining unbeaten team (the other three have one region loss each) and can clinch the region title with a victory against Houston County next week. Northside-Warner Robins and Veterans, both winless in region play, would be eliminated with a loss in either of their final two games. Thomas County Central, the 2023 Class 6A champion, will hold the key in the jockeying for seeding, as the Yellow Jackets play Houston County and Coffee in their final two games.
Region 3
Hughes is the only remaining unbeaten team in region play, and the Panthers can clinch the region title with a victory this week against Morrow. Newnan, which has lost only to Hughes, can lock up second place with a win in either of its final two games. Two-loss teams Dutchtown and Lovejoy currently hold the final two playoff positions and can clinch berths this week, but they are playing the two teams sitting right behind them (Dutchtown plays McIntosh, Lovejoy plays Northgate). A loss by either would throw things up for grabs.
Region 4
The winner of the Decatur-Woodway Academy game on Friday will be the region champion. The loser probably will need to win next week (Decatur plays Tri-Cities, Woodward plays Lakeside-Atlanta) to lock down second place. Tri-Cities and Lakeside are tied for third place. Lakeside’s position is more fragile, because the Vikings play fifth-place Shiloh this week and Woodward Academy in the finale. Although a loss to Shiloh wouldn’t knock Lakeside out of contention, the Vikings would need a lot of help next week.
Region 5
Rome is the only remaining unbeaten team and can clinch the region championship with a victory over New Manchester this week (the computer Maxwell Ratings project Rome as a 20-point favorite). One-loss teams New Manchester and East Paulding and two-loss Villa Rica probably get the other three playoff spots, with next week’s East Paulding-Villa Rica game likely to greatly affect the final order. Fifth-place South Paulding is clinging to life, but the Spartans have to beat East Paulding on Thursday to stay in the race.
Region 6
Sprayberry and Sequoyah are tied for first place with one loss each, but Sprayberry holds the tiebreaker because of its 31-17 victory against Sequoyah on Sept. 13. The Yellow Jackets can win their first region title since 2008 with wins over Lassiter and Woodstock. Woodstock, Creekview and River Ridge are tied for third place with two losses each as they battle for the two playoff spots behind the first-place teams. Creekview has the most difficult schedule remaining, with games against River Ridge and Sequoyah.
Region 7
Milton and Roswell are the two remaining unbeaten teams in region play, and whichever of them wins its final two games will be the region champion (they play each other next week). But Roswell first must get past third-place Gainesville, which could finish second or even tied for first place if it beats the Hornets this week in what will be the Red Elephants’ final regular-season game. The winner of next week’s Lanier-Seckinger game is likely to finish in fourth place, but Chattahoochee would still be in the hunt if it beats Seckinger this week.
Region 8
Clarke Central (4-0 in region play), Jackson County (3-1), Winder-Barrow (3-1) and Habersham Central (2-2) hold the top four spots in the standings, and it’s likely they’ll be the four playoff teams. The bottom three teams – Alcovy, Apalachee and Loganville – are a combined 1-9 in region play, so a late-season push from any of them seems improbable. Clarke Central can clinch the region title with a victory against Winder-Barrow next week, but a Winder-Barrow victory could create a three-way tie for first.
