High School Sports

Balance is the word that will define this region as the season goes along. Several teams will be rebuilding elements of their offense with others hoping to improve on that side of the ball with growth of some young talent.

While Rockmart was a clear favorite by the panel, repeating as champion with a loaded North Cobb Christian, picked second, will be a challenge.

Basically, the GHSA took the old Region 8-3A, dropped most of it down to Class 2A, and then kept one holdover and added a behemoth from Class A.

This should be one of the most competitive regions in the state, top to bottom, in any classification It already may be the toughest in Class A Division 1. And it may very well come down to the final week.

For the past seven years Dr. Robin Hines was front-and-center while guiding the Georgia High School Association from his Executive Director position down in Thomaston.

West Hall opened the 2024 season with a come-from-behind 7-5 win over Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy on Thursday.

White County has several key guys back on both sides of the ball coming into the 2024 campaign. But they will have to replace Ryan Fowler’s 1,500 yards rushing from a year ago and rework a young secondary on defense.

West Hall had a rough 2023 with injuries but returns an experienced group that looks ready to turn the corner in 2024.

Union County will undergo several changes in 2024, including moving to a new region in the northwest portion of the state. But the biggest change will be at quarterback.

Towns County was decimated by injuries in 2023, derailing what they thought was a team that could challenge for just the program’s second-ever playoff appearance. However, a slew of underclassmen gained valuable playing time as a result and the participation numbers have never been higher.