One area team halted a streak in a big way, while plenty more set up big finishes during Week 9 of prep football around northeast Georgia.
Gainesville got its first win of the season -- and first of the Heath Webb era -- as the Red Elephants fended off Winder-Barrow 20-7 at City Park. It was an emotional night for the Red Elephants on a number of levels, but -- most importantly -- it kept Gainesville in the thick of the Region 8-6A playoff hunt.
Plenty more teams saw their playoff picture get that much clearer on Friday, including in Region 8-2A.
(NOTE: To see a round-up of Friday's scores from around the area scroll down. And visit our Friday Game Night page for video highlights and game stories.)
Rabun County and Union County set up a huge showdown for the Region 8-2A crown, as the two mountain rivals each won to stay undefeated in region play, the Wildcats hammering Social Circle 63-7 and the Panthers drilling Oglethorpe County 56-0. The two foes face one more region foe before facing off on Nov. 2 in Tiger. Banks County also ended a two-game skid and got back in the thick of the playoff race with a 24-12 defeat of Putnam County.
Region 7-4A, on the other hand, saw plenty of scenarios thrown into the air, as Denmark nipped White County 28-27 in Alpharetta to deny the Warriors consolidating their hold on the fourth playoff spot. Meanwhile, Marist blanked a beat-up Flowery Branch team 20-0 in Atlanta to set up a region title showdown between Marist and Blessed Trinity next week after the Titans shut out Chestatee 42-0.
The Region 8-3A crown was decided on Friday, as No. 3 Monroe Area overcame Jefferson 35-21 at Memorial Stadium. Jackson County also fell 24-6 to Franklin County and East Jackson suffered a 56-0 defeat to Hart County.
North Hall and Dawson County also continued on their collision course, as each won handily in Region 7-3A. The Trojans blitzed Lumpkin County 70-0, while the Tigers ran away from Fannin County 53-7. The two teams are currently set for a battle for the No. 2 seed in 7-3A, as Greater Atlanta Christian pulled away from Cherokee Bluff 45-7.
In Region 8-A, Commerce stayed undefeated at 8-0 on the season witha 49-7 win at Towns County, while Riverside Military suffered a hardfought 17-7 loss to Hebron Christian.
FRIDAY'S AREA PREP FOOTBALL SCORES
Banks County 24, Putnam County 12
Blessed Trinity 42, Chestatee 0
Commerce 49, Towns County 7
Dacula 49, Habersham Central 7
Dawson County 53, Fannin County 7
Denmark 28, White County 27
Franklin County 24, Jackson County 6
Gainesville 20, Winder-Barrow 7
Greater Atlanta Christian 45, Cherokee Bluff 7
Hart County 56, East Jackson 0
Hebron Christian 17, Riverside Military 7
Lanier Christian Academy 28, Griffin Christian 12
Marist 20, Flowery Branch 0
Monroe Area 35, Jefferson 21
North Hall 70, Lumpkin County 0
Prince Avenue Christian 55, Lakeview Academy 6
Rabun County 63, Social Circle 7
Union County 56, Oglethorpe County 0
