Friday March 29th, 2024 3:10AM

'Wide-open' Region 8-6A begins roller coaster ride on Friday

By Jeff Hart Sports Reporter

Region 8-6A, on paper, was intriguing well before any games were scheduled and scrimmages played.

Gainesville and North Forsyth moved down from Class 7A, Jackson County and Apalachee moved up from Class 5A, and Buford and Dacula moved out and up. Habersham Central, Lanier, and Shiloh stayed put.

Those changes quickly made this a region that looked, again, on paper, more balanced and wide open than the past two seasons where Buford and Dacula went a combined 22-2 and 19-0 against everyone else. Before that, Dacula and Lanier finished 1 and 2 in four consecutive seasons, with the Falcons winning four straight region titles.

But, in the AccessWDUN and Friday Game Night poll leading up to the season, Gainesville was an overwhelming pick with 11 first-place votes to capture its first region crown since 2014, the final season of the Deshaun Watson era. The Josh Niblett effect was on full display by the media even then.

North Forsyth edged out Lanier for second. Habersham Central was a surprise pick for fourth to make the playoffs.

After the first month of the season, the wide-open aspect is even more prevalent. So is the fact that Gainesville, to this point, looks like not only the team to beat but a strong contender for perhaps a state title.

Gainesville is 4-0, its best start since 2009. The rest of the region is just 6-15. North Forsyth at 2-2 is the only other team with a non-losing record after the opening month, but the Raiders have been more up-and-down than The Scream Machine at Six Flags. Habersham Central, Shiloh, and Lanier all are 1-2, Jackson County is 1-3, and Apalachee is winless.

However, nine of those losses were to Class 7A teams as nearly everyone had brutal non-region schedules.

Habersham Central has led in the fourth quarter in every game. Shiloh dropped two close games to Class 7A teams Mountain View and Parkview. Jackson County has led at halftime in every game this season but has had trouble closing out games. North Forsyth has looked great at times but also has 11 turnovers on the season.

The drive for the playoffs in Region 8-6A will begin Friday. The Red Elephants open on the road at Apalachee, a playoff team from 2021, while North Forsyth and Jackson County will meet in Hoschton.

Habersham Central, Lanier, and Shiloh will get underway next week.

The North Forsyth-Jackson County showdown on Friday to open things up for both teams already looms large as far as playoff implications go. Jackson County coach Rich McWhorter said the roller coaster effect definitely applies to his group.

“Offensively, we’ll do some great things and then make a catastrophic mistake. It’s definitely been a roller coaster ride for us so far,” McWhorter said. “But we’re very excited about how well the defense has played. They’ve played well enough for us to be 4-0.”

McWhorter felt playoff spots are there for anyone who wants to go grab one.

“I do think as you look at things right now that the region is wide open. It will be a shootout every week, I think, and other than Gainesville, I don’t see any team clearly above the others,” he said. “We just need to keep playing good defense and fix the mistakes on offense. If we can do that, I think we’ll be right there at the end.”

North Forsyth coach Robert Craft echoed that sentiment.

“I think all of the teams in the region are very close,” Craft said. “It’s going to be wide-open the entire way. (Region 8-6A) is going to be fun to watch all season.

“We’ve played some good teams. Are there some things we’d like to do over? Absolutely. But I don’t think we’ve come close to playing our best game yet. Hopefully, we can do that this week.”

Gainesville and Apalachee appear headed in opposite directions. But the Wildcats were in the same spot in 2021 and won five of their last six games to get into the playoffs.

“We’ve been battling some injuries early, but we feel like we can be in the mix (for the playoffs),” Apalachee coach Tony Lotti said. “It’s going to be a very competitive region, and I think anyone can get in. It could go down to the final game.”

  • Associated Categories: Sports, High School Sports, Friday Game Night
  • Associated Tags: High school football, Gainesville football, North Forsyth football, Jackson County football, Habersham Central football
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