We’ve played 10 games this year, and only now do we know which teams are in and which are out of the playoffs. In what always prove to be the hardest-fought, most passionate matchups of the year, the final week of the regular season always offers suspense. Here’s how it all played out on Friday night.
CLASS 5A (by Brian Jones)
It was the last week of the regular season and there were some surprises to lead into the first week of the playoffs. Harrison was looking to claim another region title when it took on Etowah on Friday, but the Eagles had other plans as they were also looking to claim the No. 1 spot in Region 5. Ryan Boykin ran for 229 yards to help the Eagles blow past the Hoyas 44-21 to win the region title. … Over in Gwinnett County, Peachtree Ridge defeated North Gwinnett 19-7 and claimed the Region 7 title. The Lions have won eight consecutive games after losing to Harrison and Lowndes at the beginning of the year. … In their annual battle Parkview get past Brookwood 7-0 to earn the No. 2 seed in Region 8. Clayton Wilkin scored the lone touchdown with a 1-yard run in the second quarter. … Other teams to win region titles on Friday were Newnan, Stephenson, Camden County and Walton, as they had to win their last game of the season to get that extra home game this coming Friday. Grayson and Lowndes were able to clinch before the season ended and they both end their seasons with a perfect 10-0.
CLASS 4A (by Ricky Dimon)
Region championships and crucial regular-season finales seized the spotlight in 4A action on Friday night. An undefeated showdown between the two sub-region winners in Region 5 saw Sandy Creek (10-0, 6-0) blank Villa Rica 23-0. Two early turnovers put the Wildcats (8-2, 6-1) in a quick 10-0 hole. … In Region 7, Sprayberry (8-3, 5-0 7B) defeated Rome (8-2, 6-0 7A) 27-6 in a championship game that was delayed three hours due to referees failing to show up. … Region 2′s top two teams waited until the very end of the year to square off and Brunswick (8-2, 6-0) pulled off a 30-29 thriller over Statesboro (9-1, 5-1) to win the title. … Chamblee (5-4 in region) emerged from a crowded pack in Region 6 to grab the fourth playoff spot by shutting out Miller Grove (5-4) 14-0. Tucker (8-1) secured the No. 2 seed and knocked Forsyth Central (5-4) out of the playoff picture with a dominant 49-0 victory. … In a similarly competitive Region 8, Cedar Shoals (6-4) stole the No. 4 position by defeating Heritage-Conyers (5-5) 17-0. The Jaguars also benefited from a 23-7 Salem (5-5) loss to Apalachee (7-3).
CLASS 3A (by Fletcher Proctor)
Several region titles were decided last night and one player may have shown that he is the best player in the classification. Treavor Scales led the Dunwoody Wildcats to a 20-14 win over St. Pius X by rushing for 162 yards and two touchdowns. With the win the Wildcats take the Region 5-AAA title and will host a first-round playoff game next week. The only bad news for Dunwoody has to be injuries. The team suffered several, including Scales, that could linger through the week. The other big region up for grabs was Region 7-AAA when Flowery Branch squared off against Gainesville. Blake Sims rallied the Red Elephants back from a 10-7 third quarter deficit to win 27-13 and take home the region crown at 10-0. Sims had three touchdown runs in the victory. Baldwin completed a perfect 10-0 season with a 21-7 win over Thomson. No. 9 Carrollton fell and Carver-Columbus beat Northside-Columbus 33-7. In Region 8-AAA, the Eastside Eagles, thanks to a 34-0 win over Franklin County, finished 9-1, 6-1 and atop the region. No. 1 Cairo shutout Westover 30-0 to finish the regular season at 9-0. Entering the playoffs, the offense is averaging 29 ppg while the defense is allowing just five ppg.
CLASS 2A (by Corey Mitchell)
Two perfect seasons were completed last night in Class 2A. One was expected, the other not so much. The Buford Wolves secured their fourth perfect regular season in a row Friday by beating Greater Atlanta Christian 35-6. The 202 yards of total offense against the Spartans wasn’t up to the standards that the Wolves have set this year and they’ll want more in their first-round matchup against Heard County in the playoffs. … The Jefferson Dragons ran their record to 10-0 with a 48-0 pounding of East Jackson in the regular season finale for both teams. The Dragons were led by signal-caller Darius Minor who passed for three scores on the evening. The defense heads into the playoffs on a high note for Jefferson, handing out two shutouts in their last three contests. … Dublin finished its season with a 13-12 win against Jefferson County. The Fighting Irish will face Central-Macon in their playoff opener. … Fannin County fell into an unfortunate three-way tie by losing to North Oconee 21-14. Banks County, Riverside Military, and Fannin County all finished with identical 6-3 records in Region 8. However, Fannin will stay home due to losing tiebreakers to the other two teams. A costly loss for the Rebs indeed.
CLASS A (by Derek Wiley)
The Score Atlanta/GPB Game of the Week between Brookstone and Schley County for the Region 4-A championship was closer than the final score of 28-7 will show. Schley County trailed Brookstone 14-7 with the ball inside the Cougars’ ten yard line, but Trae Mann fumbled the snap, senior linebacker John Spencer recovered and Brookstone was on its way to winning Region 4-A for the third straight season. They will host Savannah Country Day next week in the state playoffs. … Miller County upset third-ranked Clinch County 21-19 to win Region 1-A. The Panthers were doomed by turnovers and a blocked punt that gave Miller County the ball inside the Panthers’ 20 yard line four times. The Pirates cashed in on three of these possessions. Two of the scores came from running back ShawnDre Sheffield, who finished with 65 yards rushing on the night. Miller County will host Dooly County and Clinch County will host Twiggs County next week in the playoffs. … Bremen defeated seventh-ranked Bowdon to win Region 6-A. Is it still an upset when the underdog wins by 24? Bremen will host Landmark Christian and Bowdon will host Holy Innocents’ next week. Whitefield Academy defeated tenth-ranked Eagle’s Landing Christian to win Region 5-A. The Wolfpack will host Gordon Lee next week.
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