We’re past the halfway point in the season, so it’s no wonder that this week brings with it a handful of contests that could well decide the destiny of a region crown and/or playoff positioning this weekend.
Two teams have run the table in both Region 8-AAAAA and 7-AAA, and both leagues will see key showdowns between the contenders on Friday.
Gainesville and Lanier battled it out for supremacy in 8-AAAAA last season, with the Longhorns edging out a 26-23 battle in Sugar Hill en route to their first league title. The outcome also effectively consigned Gainesville to second place.
This time around the Red Elephants will look for a little revenge in a contest played out at City Park over the airwaves of 1240 AM ESPN Radio.
Gainesville (4-1, 4-0 Region 8-AAAAA) has righted the ship after a season-opening loss to current Class AAAAAA No. 2 Grayson and has won four straight -- allowing an average of just eight points over that span.
Lanier (5-0, 4-0), meanwhile, has made its living on defense all season, allowing jut 6.6 points per game -- Clarke Central’s output in a 37-20 Longhorns win being the only time an opposing team has managed more than a touchdown.
Something has to give on Friday, and it should prove interesting to see just who will blink first. And while Loganville -- with just one 8-AAAAA loss -- is still lurking, the winner of Friday’s contest will put itself in a great position to finish with a No. 1 seed.
Dawson County and Franklin County will hope to do just the same in Region 7-AAA on Friday. The Tigers (3-2, 2-0 Region 7-AAA) and Lions (3-2, 2-0) sport identical records and look like teams that could well prove impressive by campaign’s end.
Dawson is continuing to learn and -- most eye-catching -- win under new head coach Sid Maxwell, and while you can bet the Tigers won’t be patting themselves on the back, you can also bet they have to like the looks of things at the front of the pack.
To maintain that position, Dawson will have to find a way past a Franklin County team that has largely shut down its two region foes so far, allowing an average of just 7.5 points in two wins.
The Lions are just one win away from equalling last year’s total, while the Tigers have already surpassed their 2014 mark, and while Franklin did make the playoffs last campaign it will be intriguing to see how each program handles being a front-runner in a game broadcast live by northgeorgiasportslink.com.
Elsewhere in 7-AAA, East Hall and West Hall will battle to put themselves on the postseason track. The Vikings (1-4, 1-1) are coming off a wild, 35-28 loss to Dawson, while the Spartans (2-3, 0-1) have had a week to chew over their 17-0 loss to Dawson on Sept. 25.
Both know that a victory is a must to keep up in what looks to be a wide-open 7-AAA race. The contest will be broadcast live on WDUN FM 102.9.
Certainly both Buford and North Hall have postseason hopes in Region 8-AAAA, and while the defending Class AAA champion Wolves (4-1, 2-0 Region 8-AAAA) have shown that they are still amongst the discussion of the best in state, the Trojans (2-3, 1-1) have shown marked improvement in 2015.
North Hall won just two games in 2014 and will most definitely find out just how far it has come against Buford in a contest broadcast live on WDUN AM 550.
Elsewhere in 8-AAAA, Stephens County will look to move to 3-0 in region play, while White County will look to add to its resurgence after earning its first win of the campaign last week. The contest will air on wrwh.com and is part of a huge night of contests in and around northeast Georgia.
WEEK 7 AREA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, OCT. 9
Athens Christian at Towns County
Buford at North Hall -- Radio: WDUN AM 550
East Jackson at Hart County
Fannin County at Lumpkin County -- Radio: northgeorgiasportslink.com
Flowery Branch at Clarke Central
Franklin County at Dawson County -- Radio: northgeorgiasportslink.com
George Walton Academy at Lakeview Academy
Greene County at Union County
Jackson County at Elbert County
Johnson at Osborne
Lambert at Habersham Central
Lanier at Gainesville -- Radio: 1240 AM ESPN Radio
Madison County at Chestatee
Mill Creek at Mountain View
Morgan County at Jefferson
Peachtree Ridge at North Gwinnett
Rabun County at Oglethorpe County
Riverside Military at Washington-Wilkes
Stephens County at White County -- Radio: wrwh.com
West Forsyth at North Forsyth
West Hall at East Hall -- Radio: WDUN FM 102.9
