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: 8-2A
TEAMS: Athens Academy, Banks County, East Jackson, Fellowship Christian, Providence Christian, Union County (In: Athens Academy, East Jackson, Fellowship Christian, Providence Christian; Out: Elbert County, Rabun County, Riverside Military Academy)
With reclassification resulting in dozens of small private schools exiting the GHSA, and perennial region stalwarts Elbert County and Rabun County moving down to Class A, this region was thrown into turmoil. Banks County and Union County are the only holdovers.
East Jackson moved down from Class 3A and the three Class A Private schools were moved up because of the multiplier making this an even split between public and private schools.
What we do know is that for the first time since 2013 the region will have a new champion after being dominated by eight-time region champ Rabun County. The Wildcats’ drop also ended, for now, one of the area’s longest running rivalries as they and Union County will not play each other for the first time since 1999.
Athens Academy and Fellowship Christian are by far the most seasoned programs in the new alignment.
The Spartans have advanced to the playoffs each of the past seven seasons, making at least the second round each of the past six years, including a pair of Class A Private championship game appearances (2017, 2018).
The Paladins have turned into a recent powerhouse winning 64 games since 2016 with six straight playoff appearances, five trips to the quarterfinals or better, three semifinals, and one title game appearance (2016).
Union County has made the playoffs eight of the last nine seasons but has just one playoff win in its history. East Jackson has not made the playoffs since 2009 and also has just one playoff win in its history. Banks County also has just one playoff win in its history.
Providence Christian is on to its third coach in four years and has won just four total games over the past three seasons.
With that, the tough call was between Athens Academy and Fellowship Christian. The AccessWDUN and Friday Game Night voters took the Spartans with Fellowship a close second. Union County was picked third with East Jackson edging out Banks County for fourth.
The key game should be the Spartans traveling to Fellowship on Oct. 14. Union County does not face either Athens Academy or Fellowship until the final two weeks of the season and gets both East Jackson and Providence at home.
East Jackson coach Cameron Pettus was excited for his group to be out the brutal 8-3A where they were playing bigger schools as one of the smaller Class 3A programs.
"it’s not Oconee County, it’s not Hart County, it’s not Monroe Area, the bigger schools that we were playing being in 3A," Pettus said "I think that we’ve got everything we need to do exactly what we want to do. It’s a real simple equation: we’ve got to work hard every day, and I feel like all these kids now know that coming in.”
Banks County coach Jay Reid isn't discounting his group, either.
“We played much better than our record last year, I thought," Reid said. “I definitely feel like we can be competitive all season with this group. We have talent in a lot of key spots. If we can get the ball rolling early, that could carry us into the second half of the season."
Next up is Region 8-A.
