Jeff Hart

Region 8-5A should be wide-open as only Habersham Central and Loganville made the 2023 playoffs and the new seven team region as a whole was just 27-45 overall in 2023 and no team posted a winning record.

Blake Perkins was 3 for 5 with three RBIs and the Milwaukee Brewers had 16 hits in an 8-5 victory over the slumping Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night.

Emma Siver tripled in the game’s only run in the bottom of the seventh to give East Forsyth a thrilling 1-0 win over North Hall on Wednesday at home.

Most of the teams in the region will be in flux with roster turnover due to graduation. But three-time defending champ North Oconee always seem to reload and has a solid mix of upper and underclassmen on the roster.

The debate about whether the NFL will expand the regular season once again seems to have been resolved and now it's a matter of how soon the league adds an 18th game.

This was a fierce battle in 2023 with five of the six teams all finishing within two games of each other. The four playoff teams were separated by just one game and the Nos. 2-4 seeds were decided by tiebreakers.

Deshaun Watson might be ready to play. The Browns aren't ready to let him.

Banks County stayed unbeaten with a 11-5 win over Habersham Central on the road on Tuesday.

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.