Last week Region 8-2A got its road to the playoffs under way with league play. This Friday, Regions 7-4A, 7-3A, and 8-3A will kickoff their playoff drives by opening league play with several critical matchups right out of the gate.
Regions 8-5A and 8-6A are the last two northeast Georgia area regions to get going and will commence region play next week.
REGION 7-4A
In 7-4A, perhaps the biggest showdown of the night features Class 4A No. 2-ranked Marist (3-1, 0-0 Region 7-4A) traveling to a White County team trying to find some traction. The Warriors (1-3, 0-0 Region 7-4A) have lost three straight, the last two after holding leads in the fourth quarter.
White County coach Tim Cokely said his Warriors are still learning how to finish but will need a good beginning, middle, and end to take down the 2017 Class 4A state runners-up.
“We’re playing pretty well but just making key mistakes at bad times, and that’s been the real story so far,” Cokely said of their disappointing start. “For us, it’s really just about us and what we do and focus on that. We need to do some of the little things better, and if we do that I always feel like we have a chance.”
Cokely said every game in what many consider to be the toughest region in Class 4A will matter -- and be difficult.
“It’s a very tough region, no doubt,” Cokely said. “Every game is important, and there won’t be any real easy games, nothing you can point to and say ’that’s a win.’ The pressure may be more on Marist, for instance, because if we can knock them off then they still have Flowery Branch, Blessed Trinity, Denmark, West Hall. I feel very certain it’s going to go down to the final game in the final week of the season (to determine who is in the playoffs).”
Chestatee (1-3, 0-0 Region 7-4A) picked up its first win of the season last week and plays host to Denmark (3-1, 0-0 Region 7-4A). The War Eagles are led by perhaps the most dynamic player in north Georgia in sophomore quarterback Christian Charles.
Charles has 834 yards rushing (208.5 yards per game) and 11 touchdowns and is among the state leaders. He has added 536 yards passing. The combined 1,370 yards is an astounding 90 percent of Chestatee’s total offensive yardage so far on the season.
West Hall (1-3, 0-0 Region 7-4A) travels to defending state champion and No. 1-ranked Blessed Trinity (4-0, 0-0 Region 7-4A) trying to snap a two-game losing streak. Flowery Branch (3-0, 0-0 Region 7-4A) is the odd-team out this week in 7-4A, taking on Gainesville (0-4, 0-0 Region 8-6A) in both teams’ final non-region game of the season.
REGION 7-3A
In 7-3A, the most compelling matchup sees Dawson County (4-0, 0-0 Region 7-3A) playing host to arch-rival Lumpkin County (2-2, 0-0 Region 7-3A) in what is expected to be a full-scale ground war.
The Tigers' revamped spread option averages over 400 yards and just over 43 points per game, second in Class 3A, and is led by senior quarterback SeVaughn Clark and senior running back Ahmad Kamara, who have combined for 877 yards and 13 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Indians’ wishbone, led by senior running back Luke Smith and junior running back Kevin Harkins, who have 653 yards and 6 touchdowns combined, is averaging 18 points per game.
Dawson County coach Sid Maxwell said they are expecting a battle.
“Lumpkin is a rival and is very physical, and I’m sure it’s going to be a hard-hitting game,” Maxwell said. “But I think every game, every week in this region is going to be a battle. There are no easy games in this region. You have to bring your ‘A-game’ every week.”
Last year Region 7-3A sent three teams into the second round, with Greater Atlanta Christian advancing all the way to the semifinals. Maxwell thinks the region is good enough to repeat that feat, if not surpass it.
“Class 3A is so tough it’s hard to say how far a team can go because there were some really good teams that didn’t get out of the first round,” he said. “But I think we have some teams that certainly can compete in Class 3A and make a run. We’ll just have to wait to see what happens.”
In other action in 7-3A, North Hall (4-0, 0-0 Region 7-3A) heads to newcomer Cherokee Bluff (0-4, 0-0 Region 7-3A), while East Hall (1-3, 0-0 Region 7-3A) travels to Greater Atlanta Christian (2-2, 0-0 Region 7-3A). Fannin County (1-3, 0-0 Region 7-3A) is off this week.
REGION 8-3A
In 8-3A, Jackson County (2-2, 0-0 Region 8-3A) will entertain Hart County (1-3, 0-0 Region 8-3A) in a crucial matchup for both squads right out of the gate. This game decided the No. 3 seed in 2017 and the loser faced then-No. 2 Greater Atlanta Christian in the first round. The Bulldogs took a 44-14 victory in Hartwell.
Panthers coach Brandon Worley, whose team has been hit-or-miss with a pair of shutout wins but also a pair of shutout losses so far, said they are still developing as a young team.
“It’s been interesting but really we’re trying to become more consistent,” Worley said. “We’re young overall. For instance (in a 35-0 loss to North Hall) we moved the ball but we also had 105 yards of offensive penalties. It was a 14-0 game going into the fourth quarter. Consistency is the key and we’re working on improving that.”
For the Panthers, the Hart County matchup the last two seasons has decided either a playoff spot or key positioning. Worley said Friday’s showdown is no different. They follow with a matchup against a struggling Morgan County team (1-3, 0-0 Region 8-3A) that is the two-time defending region champions.
“We have a tremendous opportunity in the first two weeks against a young and improving Hart County and a young and improving Morgan team to get a big start in the region,” Worley said. “We feel confident that we can compete and certainly have a chance to win both games.
“It usually has significance for the region and with it being the first (region) game it’s even more important. (Hart County) is big on the defensive front and we’ll have to find a way to move them off the line.”
In other action, East Jackson (1-3, 0-0 Region 8-3A) travels at Jefferson (3-1, 0-0 Region 8-3A) while Morgan County (1-3, 0-0 Region 8-3A) heads to unbeaten and fourth-ranked Monroe Area (4-0, 0-0 Region 8-3A). Franklin County is the odd-team out this week and is off.
Region 8-2A is back in action again this week with Monticello traveling to Rabun County, Banks County playing host to Oglethorpe County, and
Putnam County heading to Union County as all three area teams, who got huge road victories last week, are in action once again looking to stay unbeaten in region play. Elbert County travels to Social Circle as well.
In Region 8-A, 2017 Class A Private semifinalist Athens Academy travels to Towns County with the Indians trying to rebound from a rough outing last week on the road against George Walton. Lakeview Academy will entertain George Walton while Prince Avenue Christian heads to Riverside Military. Commerce plays at Madison County in a non-region battle.
