One northeast Georgia-based region champion is already anointed, and as many as three more could be crowned this Week 10 of high school football action.
Programs such as Dawson County, Lanier and even Jefferson will look to lock up titles on Friday night. And while the Dragons could do so with a win, combined with a Hart County loss, the Tigers and Longhorns both know that all they need is a win to claim a No. 1 seed for the fast-approaching postseason.
And if that isn’t enough to get your attention there are also plenty of battles for playoff positioning at stake this week.
Region 8-AAAAA features a number of those contests -- including Lanier at Winder-Barrow, Salem at Flowery Branch and Gainesville at Loganville. The Red Elephants will travel to take on the Red Devils knowing that a win would go a long way toward a No. 2 seed for the playoffs.
In a game that will play out live on 1240 AM ESPN Radio, Gainesville (5-3, 5-2 Region 8-AAAAA) will look to continue its play of last week that saw the Red Elephants end a two-game losing skid by pulling away from Cedar Shoals for a 46-18 win. Gainesville looks to be getting a number of key players back on the field at just the right time -- and it will need all cylinders firing to defeat a Loganville team that has lost only to Lanier so far this campaign. The Red Devils (7-1, 6-1) pushed past Salem last week and still have an outside shot at the 8-AAAAA title themselves if Lanier slips up.
The Longhorns (8-0, 7-0) are prepping to face a Winder-Barrow squad that is brimming with confidence after winning four straight -- all in dramatic fashion -- to get into the thick of the playoff race. The Bulldoggs (5-3, 5-2) are gunning for their second straight postseason berth and could wrap up that spot with another victory.
Flowery Branch, however, is lurking just behind, knowing that it can still make the playoffs. The Falcons (5-3, 4-3) need to keep winning to stay in that mix, and they will look to do so against a Salem team that has faded since a 4-0 start in a game broadcast live on WDUN AM 550. The Seminoles (4-4, 3-4) have dropped four in a row, but the Falcons know they are still a dangerous squad and will be wary as they look to notch their fifth win in six games.
Meanwhile, Region 7-AAA’s top four chase -- which is still somewhat convoluted -- could become much clearer this weekend. The team with the simplest route to the top is Dawson County. The Tigers (5-3, 4-1 Region 7-AAA) can claim their first ever region championship on Friday by defeating Lumpkin County in a game broadcast live on northgeorgiasportslink.com. The Indians (2-6, 0-4) may be winless in region play but have put up 35 and 31 points in their last two contests -- both against playoff contenders Fannin County and Banks County -- so Dawson must be prepared if it is to make history.
East Hall, meanwhile, is also fighting for playoff seeding and knows that it is also in the region title running should Dawson County slip up. The Vikings (4-4, 3-1) will take on Fannin County in a game broadcast live on WDUN FM 102.9 on Friday. East Hall will bring its potent offense (scoring 27.5 points per game) and opportunistic defense to bear against an equally-powerful Rebels attack (32.5 points per game). Both teams feature outstanding quarterbacks, and fans can expect some fireworks, as Fannin also fights for its postseason life.
Also in 7-AAA, Banks County travels to West Hall needing a win both to bounce back from a tough loss at Dawson County last week and to maintain pace in the playoff race. The Spartans too are not technically out of the race after defeating Fannin last week.
In other region races, Jefferson can lock down its second straight Region 8-AAA crown if it can win at Oconee County, combined with a Hart County defeat at Morgan County. Even if they don’t get help from Morgan County, the Dragons know they can still clinch the region crown with two straight wins -- including against Hart County in two weeks.
The Region 8-AAAA race is down to two teams for the crown, as both Buford and Stephens County are both 5-0 in league play. While they do not play each other this week, both the Wolves and Indians will want to set themselves up for the showdown on Nov. 6 in Buford. Stephens faces the tougher task, traveling to North Oconee. The Titans were hammered by the Wolves last week, 56-7, and need a win to keep pace with North Hall in the 8-AAAA playoff hunt.
The Trojans (4-4, 3-2 Region 8-AAAA) are currently third in the 8-AAAA standings thanks to a head-to-head win over North Oconee and know that they can clinch a playoff berth by winning out -- and could even finish as high as the No. 2 seed should other results also break in their favor. North Hall will play host to rival Chestatee on Friday. The War Eagles (0-8, 0-5) are still looking for their first win but could make their season much brighter by upsetting their neighbors.
Meanwhile, White County is also still alive in the playoff race but must win out to maintain that challenge. The Warriors (2-6, 2-3) will look to pick up their first of two wins when they play host to Monroe Area on Friday in a game broadcast live on wrwh.com.
There are also key games in Region 7-AAAAAA and 6-AAAAAA this week, as Mill Creek looks to maintain its unbeaten record against a tough Norcross squad in 7-AAAAAA. In 6-AAAAAA, Habersham Central and North Forsyth will look to finish strong and pick up their second wins of the season against each other in a battle in Coal Mountain.
With so much on the line make sure you stay tuned to the Jacobs Media family of stations -- WDUN AM 550, 102.9 FM and 1240 AM ESPN Radio -- as well as staying logged on to AccessWDUN’s Friday Game Night page to keep up with all the latest from around northeast Georgia football.
WEEK 10 AREA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, OCT. 30
- Apalachee at Cedar Shoals
- Banks County at West Hall
- Buford at Madison County
- Chestatee at North Hall
- Elbert County at East Jackson
- Fannin County at East Hall -- Radio: WDUN 102.9 FM
- Gainesville at Loganville -- Radio: 1240 AM ESPN Radio
- George Walton Academy at Commerce
- Habersham Central at North Forsyth
- Jefferson at Oconee County
- Johnson at Franklin County
- Lakeview Academy at Prince Avenue Christian
- Lanier at Winder-Barrow
- Lumpkin County at Dawson County -- Radio: northgeorgiasportslink.com
- Monroe Area at White County -- Radio: wrwh.com
- Norcross at Mill Creek
- North Gwinnett at Meadowcreek
- Providence Christian at Towns County3
- Riverside Military at Union County
- Salem at Flowery Branch -- Radio: WDUN AM 550
- Stephens County at North Oconee
