Class 3A Blog: Peach County falls to No. 4 after loss to Cairo, Sandy Creek ascends

Then-No. 1 Peach County (8-1, 3-1) will not be the Region 1 champion after losing to Cairo (7-2, 4-0) 38-31 last week in a poll-shattering upset in Cairo.  

The somehow still-unranked Syrupmakers, which boast arguably the greatest high school mascot name in history, relied on sophomore quarterback Bryce Puckett, who was a tidy 8-of-9 passing for 153 yards and two touchdowns – both to junior Bryce Duncan Jr.

Duncan made a game-leading four receptions for 132 yards and the key touchdowns while rushing for 20 yards and one score on 17 carries. Senior kicker Dray Bass was 5-of-5 on extra points with a field goal to help keep the Trojans at bay.

Caiden Ivory was 10-for-21 passing for 178 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for Peach. Ashton Barton had 30 carries for 120 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Cairo will play Westover (6-2, 3-1) at home Friday for the Region 1 title.

Three regions – 3, 6 and 7 – have clinched champions. Unranked Jenkins (8-1, 8-0) secured the Region 3 title after beating Mount Zion-Carroll 31-0 last week. North Hall (9-0, 6-0) ascended to No. 3 this week after beating Johnson-Gainesville 63-0 to win the Region 6 championship. Calhoun moved up to No. 2 after securing the Region 7 title with a 35-0 victory against Heritage-Catoosa.

The other five regions are still up for grabs. Here’s how things are shaping up for the regular season’s final week.

In Region 2, LaGrange fell to No. 8 after a 38-24 loss to No. 6 Troup (9-0, 7-0) which sets up a region title matchup between Troup and top-ranked Sandy Creek (9-0, 7-0) this week. The Patriots defeated Mary Persons 44-0 last week.

In Region 4, No. 7 West Laurens (9-0, 7-0) and unranked Westside-Augusta (9-0, 7-0) are the unbeatens in Region 4 and will play for the title Friday. West Laurens is coming off a 49-42 victory against Aquinas, while Westside-Augusta outlasted Baldwin (3-6, 2-5) last week.

The Region 5 title race is interesting and could be decided Friday when No. 10 Douglass (7-2, 5-0) plays at No. 9 Stephenson (8-1, 4-1). Douglass is unbeaten at 5-0 and Stephenson has one loss, against North Clayton (7-2, 4-1). North Clayton’s one loss was to Douglass 42-0 on Oct. 17, its last game before resting last week. If Stephenson beats Douglass, then each team is tied at 4-1 and each team has beaten one of the other teams, resulting in a region-specific tiebreaker scenario.

In Region 8, No. 5 Jefferson has to beat Oconee County (6-3, 3-1) to win the league outright, otherwise a region-specific tiebreaker will be activated. If Jefferson loses to the Warriors, then Oconee County will have beaten Jefferson, but lost to Monroe Area. While Monroe Area will have lost to Jefferson but beaten Oconee County, all the while Jefferson will have lost to Oconee County but beaten Monroe Area.

Class 3A Top 10 Results; Schedule

1. Sandy Creek (9-0, 7-0) beat Mary Persons 44-0; Travels to Troup (9-0, 7-0) for Region 2 title.

2. Calhoun (7-2, 5-0, Region 7 Champions) beat Heritage-Catoosa 35-0; Hosts LaFayette (4-5, 1-4) Thursday.

3. North Hall (9-0, 6-0, Region 6 Champion) beat Johnson-Gainesville 63-0; Travels to Dawson County (4-5, 3-3) Friday

4. Peach County (8-1, 3-1) lost to Cairo 38-31; Hosts Monroe (3-6, 1-3) Friday.

5. Jefferson (8-1, 4-0) beat Cherokee Bluff 31-10; Hosts Oconee County (6-3, 3-1) Friday.

6. Troup (9-0, 7-0) beat Spalding 48-14; Hosts No. 1 Sandy Creek (9-0, 7-0) Friday for Region 2 title.

7. West Laurens (9-0, 7-0) beat Aquinas 49-42; Hosts Westside-Augusta (9-0, 7-0) for Region 4 title.

8. LaGrange (7-2, 5-2) lost to No. 6 Troup 38-24; Hosts Upson-Lee (5-4, 3-4) Friday.

9. Stephenson (8-1, 4-1) beat Luella 48-0; Hosts No. 10 Douglass in key Region 5 game. If Stephenson wins, it forces a tie at the top with Douglass.

10. Douglass (7-2, 5-0) beat Mount Zion-Carroll 31-0; Travels to No. 9 Stephenson (7-2, 4-1) for Region 5 title.

Unranked – Jenkins (8-1, 8-0, Region 3 Champion) beat Islands 49-0; Hosts Johnson-Savannah (2-7, 2-6) Friday.

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