Here's a look at five things we learned from Week 9 of the high school football season...
1. Area programs set themselves up for title shots
First off, take a look at the standings for area regions here... Forget the final week of the regular season (Nov. 4), thanks to the performances of last week, it appears that this Friday could be the biggest occasion for region title showdowns for a number of northeast Georgia regions. Stephens County's gutty 16-9 defeat of Oconee County means the Indians can clinch their first region title since 2007 if they can defeat Jefferson in a huge battle in 8-AAAA. The Dragons cannot clinch this week with a win, as they still have Oconee County to come on Nov. 4 (unless the Warriors were also to slip up on Friday against Madison County to incur their second region setback), but it is essentially the first of two region title games for Jefferson. Meanwhile, Region 8-AAAAA sees a conventional winner-take-all championship game this week when No. 2 Buford plays host to No. 9 Loganville. The Wolves have steamrolled the 8-AAAAA field so far, outscoring four league foes 186-33. But the Red Devils have been just about as dominant, going 4-0 as well while outscoring foes 150-37. Certainly Buford will be favored to claim its fourth straight region crown, but the Wolves will likely require a top performance to do so. Rabun County does not face a titanic tilt to clinch its third straight 8-AA title this week -- the fifth-ranked Wildcats already played their big showdown game last week, and dominated over No. 9 Elbert County 42-10 (for more on that see below). But Rabun must not suffer a letdown this week as Oglethorpe County pays a visit with a chance to win and clinch a No. 1 postseason seed. Also, Region 8-AAAAAA could be decided this week thanks to Dacula's ability to stay unblemished in league play, and now only Lanier stands in the Falcons' way. The Longhorns are gunning for their third straight region championship but cannot clinch this week (unless they win and Gainesville also falls at Apalachee, as the Red Elephants travel to Lanier on Nov. 4). Dacula battled injuries this season and went 1-4 in non-region play but has recovered in 8-AAAAAA, winning three straight. Lanier, meanwhile, has rebounded from its own early setbacks to win five straight and appears to be rolling at the right time. With four titles on the line, it is shaping up as a momentous week.
2. Rabun County makes a statement
The Wildcats were supposed to be in a defining showdown on Friday night. If so, the definition was "domination." Even as Rabun stumbled early against a top 10 foe, the Wildcats still found enough traction to handle Elbert County in a way that should have everyone north of Tallulah Gorge thrilled for the playoffs to come. True, things could always unravel, but after what we saw on Friday night in the Granite Bowl, we believe it's going to take something incredibly special to halt Rabun County this season. And it's not just about the lightning of the Wildcats' offense. The thunder of Rabun's defense was beyond impressive against the Blue Devils, allowing just three points and roughly 100 yards to an explosive Elbert attack -- despite three turnovers from the Wildcats' offense. And then, once Rabun got over its early offensive stumbles, it was almost a game of name-the-score for the visitors, as quarterback Bailey Fisher began to disect the Blue Devils defense with his plethora of receiving options -- and his own set of wheels, ripping off some huge runs. It will be interesting to see the draw for the playoffs, because, after Friday we believe this Rabun team could do something none has done before -- and that's after graduating the most successful class in program history.
3. Lumpkin County could still have something to say about 7-AAA race
While it's easy to get wrapped up in the possibility of a No. 9 Dawson County vs. No. 1 Greater Atlanta Christian showdown to decide the Region 7-AAA title on the last night of the regular season, we ignore the Indians at our own peril. Lumpkin County will travel to Dawson County this week and closes out the regular season at Union County -- both huge contests for a program fighting to get back into the state playoffs. It's already been an impressive rebound for a team that underwent a coaching change in May (new head man Shane Williamson took over the first week of June), and Lumpkin would love nothing more than to notch a win over Dawson and Union and vault itself into the postseason for the second time in three campaigns. And the Indians have the capability to wreck havoc in both games thanks to an offense that has rung up large chunks of rush yards on just about every defense faced. Last week's 63-37 win over Fannin provided an almost absurd scoresheet, as Lumpkin put up 689 total yards, including four backs rushing for over 100 yards apiece. The bruising Zach Matthews is a load for any would-be tackler, and while the Tigers have shown they can play defense, they cannot afford to overlook the Indians with GAC looming next week.
4. Lanier seems to be peaking at the right time
It was far from an easy start to the season for the Longhorns, as they took on an extraordinarily tough schedule and some off-the-field issues that could have wrecked a less focused program. But after winning two straight region crowns, this team was not about to let things get away for it. And after starting 1-2, the Longhorns have now won five straight. And perhaps those early season setbacks forged a team that is now in position to close out the season with another region crown and No. 1 playoff seed. After all, Lanier's defeats included road losses to face South Gwinnett (which is now 6-2 in Class AAAAAAA) and Northside-Warner Robins (now 8-1 and ranked No. 3 in Class AAAAAA), and the lessons learned in those defeats will only have made Lanier stronger. By the way, the Longhorns immediately followed those two losses with a win over Class AAAAAAA Lambert -- a team now leading Region 5-AAAAAAA. Lanier has been on the rise ever since and are doing it in familiar fashion, leaning on a dominant defense. The Longhorns have allowed just 9.75 points per game over their last four contests and have also kicked their offense into gear since beginning region play, scoring 36.6 points on average in 8-AAAAAA. They will face a stout task this Friday in Dacula, taking on a Falcons team only allowing 9 points per game in region play. As stated above, it is a game the Longhorns must win in order to maintain their region title hopes, and you can bet there will be some fireworks come Friday night in Dacula.
5. Habersham Central/Winder-Barrow's playoff hopes could rest on Friday
One team (Habersham) is looking to break a four-year state playoff drought, the other (Winder) is looing to secure a third straight postseason berth. Something is going to have give this season, and it could well be decided on Friday at the Bulldoggs' W. Clair Harris Stadium. The Raiders trail Winder in the 8-AAAAAA standings by a game, but a win for Habersham on Friday would clinch a vital head-to-head tiebreaker should the two teams finish tied for a postseason slot. Dacula and Lanier are tied atop the region standings, with Gainesville just behind (and the Red Elephants have wins over both Habersham and Winder), and should GHS take out Apalachee on Friday that would seal a postseason spot for Big Red and leave just one postseason position to play for. Apalachee is by no means finished either, but Winder and Habersham will have a great chance to make their playoff case on Friday -- and it should be an interesting game between two teams with playmakers on both sides of the ball. Both teams employ a spread attack, and both will know how important this contest is to their respective campaigns. Expect each to pull out all the stops in this one.
WEEK 9 AREA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES, Oct. 21
Banks County 42, Social Circle 21
Buford 38, Walnut Grove 6
Chestatee 27, White County 21
Clarke Central 44, Flowery Branch 21
Commerce 56, Towns County 20
Dacula 9, Habersham Central 0
Dawson County 38, East Hall 24
Gainesville 30, Winder-Barrow 16
Greater Atlanta Christian 42, North Hall 14
Haralson County 27, East Jackson 26
Hebron Christian Academy 34, Lakeview Academy 14
Jefferson 24, St. Pius X 0
Lanier 45, Apalachee 9
Lumpkin County 63, Fannin County 37
Mill Creek 35, Mountain View 23
Peachtree Ridge 28, North Gwinnett 21 OT
Stephens County 16, Oconee County 9
Rabun County 42, Elbert County 10
Riverside Military Academy 14, Georgia Military College 6
South Forsyth 42, North Forsyth 7
WEEK 10 AREA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE, Oct. 28
Athens Christian at Riverside Military Academy
Banks County at Putnam County
Collins Hill at North Gwinnett
Commerce at Athens Academy
East Hall at North Hall
Gainesville at Apalachee
Habersham Central at Winder-Barrow
Jackson County at East Jackson
Johnson at Cedar Shoals
Lanier at Dacula
Loganville at Buford
Lumpkin County at Dawson County
Marist at Chestatee
North Forsyth at West Forsyth
Oglethorpe County at Rabun County
Stephens County at Jefferson
Towns County at Lakeview Academy
Union County at Fannin County
White County at West Hall
