With the regular season over for teams covered by AccessWDUN Sports and Friday Game Night in the northeast Georgia area, there were plenty of things to celebrate, scratch your head over, and some that made us go “WOW,” both good and bad.
The playoffs for 15 area teams begin over the next two weeks. The GIAA opens its postseason on Friday. The GHSA begins on Nov. 15.
Here’s what we do know:
Buford, Gainesville, Jackson County, Habersham Central, East Forsyth, Flowery Branch, Jefferson, Cherokee Bluff, North Hall, Lumpkin County, Chestatee, Commerce, Rabun County, Lakeview Academy (GIAA), and Lanier Christian (GAPPS) all qualified for the playoffs. (Teams in bold won region titles)
Several others -- West Hall, East Hall, Dawson County, Union County and East Jackson -- could get in based on the new Power Rankings System (PRS) that will be deployed for Class A through 3A playoffs.
Nothing will officially be settled statewide until after Saturday when the last of the scores of games that were postponed due to Hurricane Helene in September are played.
So, what were some of the biggest surprises and disappointments of the 2024 season for our area? Who can make a run to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the finals?
The sports team at AccessWDUN (Bo Wilson, Jeff Hart, Walker McCrary, Caleb Hutchins) each gave their impressions of the regular season, which was one of the more interesting and unpredictable in recent memory.
QUESTION: Which team(s) were the biggest pleasant surprise of the season?
HART: I guess I would obviously have to start with Chestatee. The War Eagles went from an 0-10 season last year to 5 wins and a playoff berth this season. They are the first Hall County team to ever go from a winless season to making the playoffs the following year. An amazing accomplishment. Next up for me would be Jackson County. The Panthers tied a program-best with 8 wins and also secured their first-ever home playoff game. And how about the way Flowery Branch finished. They won 3 of their last 4 to get into the playoffs after starting the season 1-5 and looking like a team in disarray.
WALKER: I think the way that Union County performed after losing their starting quarterback to injury in the preseason was the most surprising thing to me. The Panthers pulled off a few very impressive wins, setting themselves up to get an at-large bid to the 2A playoffs. Also, North Hall winning 6-3A was something I think no one really had on their BINGO cards, but the way they bounced back after their season-opening losses to Wesleyan and Cherokee Bluff to win their last eight games was impressive.
BO: This one is way too easy. Chestatee has been a surprise and really fun to watch grow and develop into a pretty good team this season. Although the War Eagles didn’t finish first, it still has that worst-to-first type of feeling, and who knows, with the way the War Eagles are playing, they could continue to surprise us. As Jeff mentioned, Jackson County. Yes, their finish might surprise a few, but it’s kind of what I expected the Panthers to be able to do. Head coach Korey Mobbs is changing the program's attitude, and I think he’s also getting through to the community. If that continues, watch out for the Panthers in the years to come. I’ve also got to mention Union County. The Panthers started the season without their starting QB, along with several key player losses to graduation, and even though they’ll have to rely on the playoff rankings to get them in the playoffs, which probably will happen, the Panthers finished the season 4-4 in a really tough region. So, hats off to head coach Michael Perry and his staff on a great job this season. I also want to give a tip of the hat to North Hall, Flowery Branch and Lakeview Academy. All three have exceeded expectations over the course of the season.
CALEB: The first and most obvious answer is Chestatee. To go from 0-10 to a 5-win team making the playoffs with wins over the likes of GAC is nothing short of remarkable. Ben Plemmons has been one of the most fun running backs to watch this season and Stuart Cunningham would be my easy choice for coach of the year in this part of the state. I also think the degree of success by both Cherokee Bluff and North Hall has been a little surprising. We expected the Bears to be better than 2022 and 2023, but to be 9-1 and ranked second in the GHSA power ratings I think exceeds what just about anybody expected out of them this season. Ditto for the Trojans, who lost a ton of experience on both sides of the ball from their breakout 2023 season only to get, arguably, better. Winning their first region title since 2012 with how many new faces they had this season is a big testament to the program Sean Pender is building in Murrayville.
QUESTION: Which team(s) were the biggest disappointments of the season?
HART: Probably for me, it would be White County. I had them as a serious contender for the 6-3A title. The Warriors have offensive weapons all over the field, and Tripp Nix led Class 3A in passing for a good portion of the season. They lost 3 region games by just 14 points and 4 games by a total of 17 points. They just never seemed to be able to put games away.
WALKER: I agree with Jeff that White County underperformed this year. Another team that is probably going to make the playoffs but definitely didn’t do what I projected was East Jackson. This seemed like the year that the Eagles were going to make a lot of noise, but they ended up not being able to win some games that they were projected to win. Not to say that they can’t win a playoff game, but this felt like they had a chance to win the region with the roster they have. Instead, they are likely getting an at-large bid.
BO: This one is way too easy: White County. The Warriors had the most returning talent in Region 6-3A and massively underperformed this season. A team that some in our Kickoff 2024 region predictions picked to finish first and overall in the top 4. Yet, they finished seventh in the standings with only three wins for the season. It’ll be back to the drawing board for the coaching staff in Cleveland in the offseason as they lose a massive senior class.
CALEB: Having a quarterback lead Class 3A in passing only to go 3-7 is shocking, and it’s hard not to point to White County as the most disappointing team because of that alone. I think they were largely a byproduct of a Region 6-3A that had absurd levels of parody, where there was really little to no separation between the No. 1 and No. 7 teams in the region in terms of quality. I think Rabun County is worth a mention here as well. Yes, they had injury issues, namely at quarterback with star Ty Truelove missing a significant portion of the season. If we’re talking strictly about preseason expectations to actual results, however, the reality is that nobody expects the Rabun County Wildcats to go 6-4 and barely crack the playoffs as a No. 4 seed in their region.
QUESTION: Which of our area team(s) that HAVE made the playoffs do you want to see more from (as in high potential but not playing that way) as we get ready for the playoffs?
HART: Gainesville. The Red Elephants have enough talent to go deep into the playoffs. Their only losses were to two No. 1 teams and a top 5 team. Kharim Hughley may be the area’s most talented QB, with plenty of upside still to go. The defense is stout when healthy. But I would like to see more discipline overall. They were within one score of all 3 of those losses at halftime. But penalties and a lack of concentration at times cost them in the big games. Improve in those areas, and I think they can get to The Benz.
WALKER: I know this might be shocking to everyone who knows me…I’m going to say Lumpkin County. The Indians have arguably the best player on the field at any given time in Cal Faulkner, plus a running game that has the potential of being dominant with Nolan Matthews. Add in the fact that they have shown that Faulkner can go out to receiver and catch from Mason Hester. But it feels like this Indians squad has still not played their best football. If they can find that in the playoffs, watch out.
BO: This one is way too easy: Gainesville has the potential to make a run in a brutal Class 5A playoff bracket. We’ve watched them play a massively brutal schedule with top-five opponents littered throughout. They are definitely battle-tested and road-tested. The biggest question is whether they can put it all together for a five-game run through the playoffs.
CALEB: If you can find me a road playoff seed with more talent than Gainesville, I’d love to see them. Getting placed in a region with the best football team in Georgia (Milton) and losing a heartbreaker at Roswell dropped them to a No. 3 seed, but I still believe they are a threat to make a deep run in the postseason. They need to avoid the penalty bug and play better on the defensive side of the ball, but I believe there’s still a chance we haven’t seen their best ball yet.
QUESTION: Which of our area teams that HAVE made the playoffs do you think will be a tough out for anyone in the playoffs?
HART: The way Buford dominated Mill Creek last week showed me something. They haven’t gotten past the quarterfinals in the state’s largest classification, which is like the SEC of high school football -- every round is brutal. But this could be the year for the Wolves.
WALKER: Buford, yes. Serious state title contender. But let’s look outside the box. How about Commerce? A three-headed monster in the backfield with Daniels, Huff and Wiggins. Triple option attack. Good luck preparing for that in a week. If the Tigers aren’t ousted in the first round when their potential opponents will have an extra week to prepare for it, the Tigers could make a deep run this season.
BO: Jeff, could you please make the questions harder? This one is way too easy, as well. The obvious is Buford. Next is Jefferson, followed by Commerce. Do I need to elaborate more? If so, Buford is playing really, really, well, just ask Mill Creek. Jefferson had a hiccup against Oconee County. I’m still scratching my head after the loss to the Warriors. Commerce, just wow. Stop the triple-headed monster then I’ll change my opinion on Commerce.
CALEB: As everybody above has said, Buford is looking like their old, dominant selves right now. Class 6A is a beast and anybody can beat anybody, but I wouldn’t want to play the Wolves right now. I’m going to go off the page here, though, and throw out Lakeview Academy. The GIAA, in all their wisdom, somehow made the Lions a road seed in the Class 3A playoffs, but does any team with championship aspirations really want to have to face Kyari Burch and Jr. Thompson in any stadium? I don’t think so.
QUESTION: Is there one or two area teams that you would NOT want to play right now based on how they played coming down the stretch?
HART: This is an interesting one since there is a two-week gap til the start of the playoffs for our area teams. As it sits right now, Chestatee matches up with Harlem, who could be No. 1 overall in 3A. But by then the Bulldogs will be playing their fourth game in 15 days. With only a short week to prepare, I don’t think I would want to tangle with Chestatee and that wing-T offense right now. I also would not want to play Commerce right now. They have that triple-option rolling going into the playoffs and are underrated as far as the PRS goes, in my opinion.
WALKER: This one is tricky. I could just say Buford because they are playing the best football and have been for a while, but I like not taking the easy route. I’m going to go with Lakeview. This team has been firing on all cylinders all season long. They had the minor setback against Bethlehem Christian, but have been rolling since then, scoring an average of over 40 points a game while allowing just 12.3 points per contest. They start the GIAA playoffs on the road, but I feel like this Lions team, despite their small numbers, is a dangerous matchup.
BO: Dear Jesus, Jeff. This one is way too easy … again. In baseball terms, I’m batting 1.000. Buford, the end. OK, not the end. I do like Lakeview’s chances of making a run in the Class 3A GIAA playoffs. They’re a No. 5 seed and are playing well. They’re also getting some key players at the right time. Watch out for the Lions.
CALEB: Commerce immediately comes to mind. They had some offensive struggles early in the season when Jaiden Daniels was injured and then moved over to quarterback in Mark Hollars’ option offense. Over the last several weeks, however, they’re looking really comfortable and are starting to really gash people the way we got used to seeing them do last year.
QUESTIONS: Does anyone want to make a prediction or two about our area teams? Can any of our teams walk away with a state title in 2024?
HART: That’s like trying to predict a lightning strike. HOWEVER, if Buford and Carrollton are the two best teams in Class 6A -- and I have seen both play -- I feel the Wolves are better defensively and have an offense that could grind down the Trojans. I think they can win it all this season. And depending on the matchups, I still feel Gainesville can get to The Benz. And don’t sleep on Commerce. The Tigers have enough to get to downtown Atlanta.
WALKER: I’m going to go bold, as I normally do on the FGN Pick ’Em Show (by the way, watch it every Wednesday live at 10 a.m. on YouTube and Facebook, or watch it on demand on those same two sites). I think that if the brackets play out like they are projected, I’m going to say that a team from Region 8-3A will make the championship game. I would lean toward Jefferson being that team, but would not be shocked if it’s Cherokee Bluff.
BO: Well, I’ve met my match with this question. The batting average is about to go down. Have you seen where I sit in the Friday Game Night Pick ‘Em standings? I’m terrible at picking. So, can I get back to you on this one? OK, after a five-minute break, I agree with Walker. Everyone should watch the FGN Pick ’Em Show live on Wednesday at 10 a.m. on YouTube and Facebook or on demand on those same two sites. OK, I’m back after another five-minute break to Jeff Hart’s favorite vending machine in the Jacobs Media break room, where all snacks are free. Once again, I agree with Walker. Region 8-3A could have a team in the championship game. Note: there are four Region 8-3A teams in the playoffs. Oh, and Buford.
CALEB: I’m going to make this prediction more with my heart than my head, but I think there’s a real chance we see Cherokee Bluff and North Hall meet again in the playoffs. If the season ended today, the Trojans would be the No. 5 seed in the 3A bracket with the Bears No. 8. If that holds, that would mean the earliest they could meet would be the semifinals, but I don’t think that’s out of the question. Some of the top seeds in 3A haven’t been playing their best ball down the stretch and both teams have solid defenses and running games that should translate well to the postseason. Can you imagine the atmosphere for that rematch, which, in my scenario, would be in The Brickyard? Let’s hope!
