We have officially reached the halfway point of the 2024 high school football regular season. Boy was that last part of the second quarter fun to watch.
Here are five things we learned from Week 6:
1. NORTH HALL IS A CONTENDER IN 6-3A
Coming into the season, there were a lot of question marks around North Hall after losing a lot to graduation after the 2023 season. After beating White County on the road Friday night, North Hall has brought itself to the prime spot in 6-3A to be the number one contender to GAC for the region title. There's still time before the matchup with the Spartans, so the Trojans have to get there first, but they are in position to push for the region title.
2. REGION 8-3A IS UP FOR GRABS
Jefferson, Oconee County and Cherokee Bluff had the week off, but that didn't mean that Region 8-3A continued to be one of the more interesting regions in our area to try and predict. Monroe Area, ranked fourth in Class 3A, fell on the road at Hart County, while West Hall blew past Franklin County. East Hall lost in a shootout to East Jackson as well. As the region kicks off this week, there is not a clear favorite for the region championship, making the next six weeks that much more fun to watch.
3. GAINESVILLE REOPENS CITY PARK WITH A BANG
The Big Red offense was ready to go as Gainesville opened Region 7-5A play with a massive 50-14 win over Lanier. The offense shook off Week 5's loss at Carrollton and looked like they had every other game this season. Not to mention the new look City Park got its christening with the big region win. With only two more home games looming, including potentially the region championship game against Milton, Big Red needs to continue this output to further put their stamp on the region.
4. UNION COUNTY IS JUST FINE
Last week, we said that Union County might be just fine with freshman Kamden Kendrick behind center, taking over after a season-ending injury to Dockery. Well, the Panthers got their second win in region play and did so in a shutout, 21-0, over North Murray. There are still tough matchups on the horizon, but the Panthers are in prime position for a playoff berth in Class 2A.
5. OUR PRESEASON PREDICTIONS ON REGION STANDINGS...WELL....
So most regions have either just started or are getting underway over the next week or so, but for those that have started, our preseason predictions have been, well let's say kind of right. Buford and Mill Creek are on a collision course, as are Gainesville and Milton. We didn't predict North Forsyth to be in the mix in 6-6A, while we had East Jackson and West Hall outside the playoff picture. There's still a lot to go in this season, but some teams are proving us wrong through the first half of the season.
