Hurricane Ian threw off the schedules of Week 7's contests, but there was still plenty to be gleamed from the games played Thursday and Friday.
Here are five things we learned last week:
1. Gainesville looks a cut above the competition in 8-6A
While much of Region 8-6A has looked very even through the first half of the season, one team has played themselves into the status of clear frontrunner: Gainesville. In their first year under former Hoover, Ala., coach Josh Niblett, the Red Elephants have exploded to a 6-0 start, their best since 2009, and haven't had a true close call since their season opener at Marist. They've looked equally as impressive in region play so far, blowing past Apalachee and Lanier, both on the road, by a combined score of 97-20. While the Longhorns put up a better fight than the Wildcats did (Gainesville led just 14-7 at halftime), the Red Elephants exploded for 28 unanswered second half points to pull away for a 42-14 win in Sugar Hill Friday night. Gainesville is in an interesting part of their season. They'll have their second BYE in three weeks this coming Friday, giving them plenty of time to rest and refocus before the remainder of their region slates. While North Forsyth and an improving Jackson County team will not be weak opposition, it would be hard to call Gainesville anything other than the clear favorite to win their first region championship since 2013.
2. Jefferson hitting stride ahead of key region stretch
It took Jefferson a few games to find their groove under first year head coach Travis Noland. After a season-opening loss at Alpharetta and a shootout win over Wren, the Dragons have slowly been improving week-to-week and are now starting to look like a dangerous team. Winder-Barrow fell victim to that Thursday night, as they were shut out by Jefferson 28-0 in Memorial Stadium. Quarterback Max Aldridge appears to be getting more comfortable after a dramatic change in offensive systems from the Dragons' old triple-option attack to Noland's pro-style offense. He threw three touchdown passes against the Bulldoggs Thursday to three different receivers. The defense has been nearly perfect since the Wren game, only allowing 4 points per game in their last four outings. The timing of the improvement could not be better, as Jefferson (4-2, 2-0) prepares for the stretch of their season that will decide their postseason seeding in a highly competitive Region 8-5A. They travel to Flowery Branch in two weeks before hosting Loganville on October 21 and Eastside on November 4.
3. Young East Forsyth shows maturity in bounce back win
East Forsyth is only in its second year as a program, but you wouldn't know it by watching them. Brian Allison's build off Jot Em Down Road has gone far quicker than many expected, with the Broncos now 4-1 on the year after a 45-0 shutout of East Hall Thursday night. That win, albeit over a struggling and youth-filled Vikings team, showed a number of signs of maturity for the young program. It showed an ability to bounce back from an emotional letdown after East Forsyth suffered a heartbreaking loss at home to Walnut Grove just one week before on a blocked field goal. It was their first loss of the season, and many young teams would allow that to snowball into multiple losses. It also showed an ability to adapt on the fly as the approach of Hurricane Ian caused the game, along with most others around Northeast Georgia, to be moved from Friday to Thursday. To respond to all of those factors and go on the road and blow past a region opponent shows that the 3-0 start for the Broncos may not have been a flash in the pan. This new school may be ready to compete with established programs for a playoff spot in Region 8-4A.
4. Leaders in the clubhouse emerge in 7-3A race
Many region races around the area are crystalizing as we enter the second half of the regular season. One of those is 7-3A, where things looked to be pretty even amongst a number of schools through the first half of the year. While that still looks largely true, it does appear that the top four in the region are starting to separate from the pack. Gilmer has taken major strides in their second year under former St. Pius X coach Paul Standard and has started 5-1 and 2-0 in region with wins over Wesleyan and West Hall. The Wolves, in their own rights, put their stake in the region race Thursday night with a 28-14 upset win over previously unbeaten Lumpkin County. The Indians (5-1, 1-1) figure to still be a threat to win the region title as well. Dawson County (4-2, 2-0) raised eyebrows around the area as they turned what was expected to be a competitive ball game at White County into a blowout 31-0 win in Cleveland Thursday. White County is likely the one team that could still have the horses to put their name back into the ring for a playoff spot, but right now, it looks like Gilmer, Dawson County, Lumpkin County and Wesleyan will be racing to the finish line for the region crown.
5. East Jackson is quietly becoming a force to be reckoned with
If you haven't been paying attention to the East Jackson Eagles over the last month, Thursday night's blowout win over Banks County might have caught you more than a bit off guard. After all, the Leopards had gotten off to their best start since 1991 and only suffered their first loss the week before in a thrilling three-point battle with Commerce. Many expected a matchup with a historically struggling East Jackson team would be just what the doctor ordered for Banks County to get back up off the mat. However, those people had not noticed that the Eagles were slowly turning a corner on their season. After an 0-2 start that saw them score 7 combined points, coach Cameron Pettus' team has been improving each week, winning their last three entering the Banks County contest and then opening eyes around Region 8-2A with a 55-24 win over the Leopards in Nicholson. East Jackson (4-2, 1-0) now has their longest winning streak since 2009 and has tied the second most wins in a season in program history. They've outscored their last four opponents 161-41. It looks like there could be more in store for this team that is eyeing its first playoff appearance since that 2009 season.
WEEK 8 SCHEDULE
OCTOBER 06
Jackson County at Shiloh*
OCTOBER 7
Cherokee Bluff at East Forsyth*
Commerce at Social Circle*
East Hall at Walnut Grove*
Fellowship Christian at East Jackson*
Flowery Branch at Winder-Barrow*
Lanier at North Forsyth*
Lanier Christian at King's Academy*
Lumpkin County at Gilmer*
Madison County at North Hall*
North Ga. Christian at Lakeview Academy
Pickens at Dawson County*
Rabun County at St. Francis
Riverside Military at George Walton*
Towns County at Aquinas*
Union County at Banks County*
Wesleyan at White County*
(* -- denotes region contest)
(Buford, Chestatee, Gainesville, Habersham Central, Jefferson, Johnson, and West Hall all are off this week.)
