Week 8 was a dandy.
Lumpkin County shook off the Week 7 loss to Wesleyan with a come-from-behind win over Gilmer. Dawson County knocked off Pickens, and Wesleyan downed White County to make Region 7-3A one of the most exciting region races.
In Region 8-4A, East Forsyth knocked off Cherokee Bluff to stay in the hunt for a home playoff berth, and in Region 8-6A, North Forsyth's big second half propelled them past Lanier and a tie for the region lead with Gainesville.
But Week 9 has been circled for some time. It's the lightest week on the composite schedule, but it has the season's biggest game: No. 2 Mill Creek at No. 1 Buford.
According to the Maxwell lines this week, Mill Creek comes into the Region 8-7A contest as an 11-point favorite.
With that said, Jacobs Media has three key region matchups on its airwaves this week.
Mill Creek at Buford -- Let's go ahead and rip the bandaid off this one. This game is for the Region 8-7A title. It's a battle between the top two teams in Class 7A and the first-ever meeting. Mill Creek has been a team on the rise over the last few years. Since 2015, the Hawks have made the state playoffs, twice finishing in the semifinals and quarterfinals. Last season was one of those quarterfinal years. The stars are aligning for them this season, but one team stands in their way of the region title and, possibly, the state championship. No. 1 Buford, in its first foray into Class 7A football, has been ranked at the top most of the season. It'll be the Hawks' offense (No. 2 in Class 7A) versus Buford's defense (No. 2 in Class 7A). As they say, this one could be a good old-fashioned slobber knocker. You can listen to the game on WDUN AM 550 (Click to listen live)
North Hall at Chestatee -- Although North Hall has dominated the series since the beginning, the Battle of Highway 60 has always been a game of interest. This year is no different. The War Eagles are struggling offensively, and so is North Hall. Both teams are way under their offensive averages from a year ago. Last season, the Trojans won a nailbiter at The Brickyard, 23-20, and that loss still lingers in Sardis. The biggest question is: can the War Eagles muster enough offense to stay in the game because the Trojans have proved a couple of times that they can score this year? This one could either be a blowout or a dang good ball game. You can hear the game on FM 102.9 WDUN (Click to listen live).
Habersham Central at Gainesville -- The Red Elephants will be fully rested when Habersham Central rolls into City Park on Friday, and that doesn't bode well for the Raiders. Big Red's offense has improved, averaging almost 38 points per game. With the Raiders struggling offensively, scoring only 20.2 ppg, it may not get any better for them this week. Gainesville is the No. 7 defensive in Class 6A, giving up just over 13 ppg. If Habersham Central can't score, this one could get out of hand early. The game can be heard live on FM 94.5 The Lake (Click to listen live).
SCHEDULE FOR OCTOBER 14
Bethlehem Christian at Riverside Military*
Commerce at Athens Christian
Dawson County at Wesleyan*
East Forsyth at North Oconee*
Habersham Central at Gainesville*
Jefferson at Flowery Branch*
Mill Creek at Buford*
North Hall at Chestatee*
Providence Christian at Union County*
Walnut Grove at Cherokee Bluff*
Rabun County at Elbert County*
Towns County at Johnson
White County at West Hall*
(Banks County, East Hall, East Jackson, Jackson County, Lakeview Academy, Lanier Christian, Lumpkin County, and North Forsyth all are off this week.)
