The race is by no means over, but a few more teams crossed the regular season finish line -- of sorts -- on Friday, while a few others pulled in front in the state playoff race during Week 10 of high school football.
Dawson County and Lanier joined the list of region champions on Friday -- the Tigers netting their first ever region crown in a dominating 41-0 win over Lumpkin County in Region 7-AAA. Lanier, meanwhile, held off Winder-Barrow for a 48-21 victory that saw the Longhorns take their second straight Region 8-AAAAA title.
The duo joined Rabun County, from 8-AA, as 2015 region champs. Meanwhile, we now know who will play for region titles next week in 8-AAAA, 7-AAAAAA after Friday's results. Buford and Stephens County both picked up victories to set up a showdown for the 8-AAAA crown next week in Buford.
Mill Creek will face Peachtree Ridge for the 7-AAAAAA championship next week after the Hawks pushed past Norcross.
Meanwhile, plenty more teams made their push for seeding around northeast Georgia.
Gainesville knocked off Loganville 24-14 to move into second place in Region 8-AAAAA. But the Red Elephants still face a stout season-ending test next week against a resurgent Flowery Branchy team. The Falcons won their third straight, 30-16 over Salem to stay alive in the postseason race. The result, along with Winder's loss to Lanier, means there is still a lot of movement possible on the final night of the regular season for the remaining three playoff spots in 8-AAAAA.
In Region 7-AAA, East Hall won a 50-36 shootout over Fannin County to solifidy its postseason spot. Meanwhile, the remaining two spots will now be contested by four teams -- Banks County, Fannin, Franklin County and West Hall. The Spartans edged the Leopards 27-21 to stay in the mix, while Franklin defeated Johnson 14-7 in non-region play.
Perhaps the biggest shock of the night came in Region 8-AAA, where Oconee County handed Jefferson its first loss of the season, 36-35 in double overtime in Watkinsville. Funny enough, however, the result did not throw a major crimp in the Dragons' title hopes -- they still need to defeat Hart County next week -- though next week's Oconee County-Elbert County contest now takes on importance as well, as the Warriors could potentially win the 8-AAA title by defeating Elbert IF Jefferson also defeats Hart. If Elbert and Jefferson win, the Dragons will repeat as 8-AAA champs.
And, in 8-AAAA, North Hall knocked off Chestatee 42-22 to continue its push to the postseason. Meanwhile, White County kept its playoff hopes breathing in a 30-14 win over Monroe Area -- meaning that the Warriors need a big win over the Trojans next week (by 12 or more points) to notch a playoff berth.
In 8-AA, Union County saw the return of Joseph Mancuso in a 29-14 defeat of Riverside Military. The Panthers can clinch second seed in 8-AA next week with a defeat of Washington-Wilkes.
It's sure to be a finish worth watching.
Visit our Friday Game Night page to see in-depth game stories and video highlights from contests around northeast Georgia.
WEEK 10 AREA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES, OCT. 30
Buford 49, Madison County 8
Cedar Shoals 29, Apalachee 0
Commerce 35, George Walton Academy 9
Dawson County 41, Lumpkin County 0
East Hall 50, Fannin County 36
Elbert County 41, East Jackson 0
Flowery Branch 30, Salem 16
Franklin County 14, Johnson 7
Gainesville 24, Loganville 14
Lanier 48, Winder-Barrow 21
Mill Creek 24, Norcross 0
North Forsyth 20, Habersham Central 14
North Hall 42, Chestatee 22
North Gwinnett 38, Meadowcreek 7
Oconee County 36, Jefferson 35 2OT
Prince Avenue Christian 56, Lakeview Academy 0
Stephens County 24, North Oconee 7
Union County 29, Riverside Military 14
West Hall 27, Banks County 21
White County 30, Monroe Area 14
