Week 9's completion means we are done with three quarters of the regular season, and we know the fourth quarter is where the action really heats up.
Here are five things we learned from Week 9:
1. NORTH HALL SNAPS STREAK
No Hall County team had ever beaten GAC in the regular season. That changed Friday night when North Hall used some Brickyard magic to take down the Spartans, 27-23. Even with Alex Schlieman going down for the Trojans, the defense and special teams did what they needed to do to hold off the Spartan rally in the second half and allow the offense to score late to win the game. We thought that there might be a change in the guard of GAC this season, and North Hall came through to sit on top of Region 6-3A. But...
2. REGION 6-3A PLAYOFF PICTURE STILL MUDDY
Even with North Hall's win Friday, the playoff picture is still nowhere close to being decided. If Lumpkin County beats North Hall this week, there will be a three-way tie atop the standings. If Lumpkin wins by nine or more, they have the edge in the standings with the +/- system. North Hall can afford to lose by a point and still hang on to the top of the standings. Also, Chestatee and Dawson County have emerged as the two teams vying for the final guaranteed playoff spot. They play each other this week, so the muddiness of this region might start clearing up after the dust settles Friday.
3. CHEROKEE BLUFF GETS PAST FIRST TEST
The Bears remained undefeated to start their gauntlet stretch, taking on the other top three teams in Region 8-3A in three consecutive weeks. This past week, they used a massive second half to run away from Monroe Area, setting up the marquee matchup Thursday night against Oconee County. If the Bears can take down the Warriors, they all but guarantee themselves a home playoff game and a chance to claim the region title a week later. We will see what grade the Bears get against an Oconee County team that is on fire right now.
4. EAST FORSYTH KEEPS PACE
The Broncos got an impressive win over Walnut Grove Thursday night, and with Eastside's heartbreaking loss to North Oconee one night later, East Forsyth now has the opportunity to take second place in 8-4A with a win over the Eagles. The Broncos have been playing very well as of late, averaging over 40 points per game the last two outings, but now they face their biggest test since their only loss of the season to the Titans. This should be a really fun one Friday night.
5. TOWNS COUNTY CLAIMS WINNING SEASON
The Indians are playing a non-region schedule this season, but that doesn't take anything away from them as they secured their first winning season in 16 years with a 21-14 win over Spartanburg Christian Friday night. And they shattered records along the way as well for rushing yards and tackles while their fifth win of the season was only the third time in program history to get to that number. Towns County's season ends in two weeks with their final game of the season, but we would be remiss if we didn't give the Indians their credit here.
