If you’re having trouble still trying to figure out just which region your favorite high school team will be playing in over the next two years, you’re not alone.
The latest round of reclassification by the Georgia High School Association shook things up around the state more than a protein shake in a blender in the morning.
The GHSA implemented a 3.0 multiplier that applied to every member school in the state, which prompted more movement up, down, and sideways than in just about any other time in its 114-year history. It also initiated an exodus among many of its Class A Private schools to GISA, now known as the GIAA.
The sports staff at AccessWDUN and Friday Game Night, for the first time, reached out to other area and state media to see just who we, and they, think will win region titles in 2022.
Each day until opening night AccessWDUN and Friday Game Night will look at one of the seven GHSA regions in the Northeast Georgia area and share our thoughts on how we think things will shake out. We will work from the largest classification (7A) down to the smallest (Class A).
Voting was comprised by members of AccessWDUN, Athens Banner Herald, Blitz Sports Georgia, Forsyth County News, Friday Game Night, Jackson County Herald, North Georgia Sportslink, Potluck Football, WCON-FM, White County News, and WRWH AM/FM.
The teams with the lowest aggregate vote total were predicted to win region titles.
REGION: 8-6A
TEAMS: Apalachee, Gainesville, Habersham Central, Jackson County, Lanier, North Forsyth, Shiloh (In: Apalachee, Gainesville, Jackson County, North Forsyth; Out: Buford, Dacula)
Today we will examine Region 8-6A, which brings together teams from three different classifications. Buford and Dacula moved out, and up, Apalachee from Class 5A and Gainesville from Class 7A both return to the region after a two-year hiatus. Bring in another former Class 7A team in North Forsyth and Class 5A playoff team Jackson County and this region remains a tough haul for everyone involved.
Four of the group among three separate classifications made the playoffs in 2021 -- region holdovers Lanier and Shiloh and Apalachee and Jackson County from Region 8-5A -- with only Shiloh making it out of the first round.
However, virtually every team in the region is replacing key elements from their 2021 teams.
Jackson County coach Rich McWhorter said he’s expecting a step up in competition.
“Shiloh made a really good run last year. Apalachee made the playoffs last year as a No. 2 seed,” McWhorter said. “It’s going to be a brutal schedule. There are some really good teams.”
Habersham Central coach Benji Harrison said everyone should be in the mix, including his Raiders.
“Everybody in the region feels like they can win the region or compete for one of the playoff spots, and when you have that, you create excitement,” Harrison said. “Overall, there’s a lot of teams that are probably feeling the same way I am right now.”
In the AccessWDUN and Friday Game Night poll, moving down from Class 7A and the Josh Niblett effect played large. Gainesville was overwhelmingly picked to capture the region title with 11 first-place votes despite not making the playoffs in 2021 for the first time since 1999. Niblett and his staff have infused plenty of excitement off Elephant Trail but the Red Elephants also have not won a region title since 2014, the final season of the Deshaun Watson era.
North Forsyth, the other Class 7A school to move down, edged out Lanier for second. Habersham Central was a surprise pick for fourth to make the playoffs.
Based on the picks, the key game obviously will be on Oct. 28 when the Red Elephants play host to North Forsyth at City Park. But Gainesville’s three region road games all are against playoff teams from last season. North Forsyth will play host to Lanier on Oct. 7. Habersham Central’s playoff chances probably will come down to a three-game road stretch against Jackson County, Gainesville, and North Forsyth.
Next up is Region 8-5A on Monday.
