WEEK 11: History made, emotions flow on wild final night of regular season

Emotions and celebrations flowed freely on a few northeast Georgia gridirons on Friday night, as area teams claimed titles and notched playoff spots on the final night of the 2014 high school football regular season.<br /> <br /> <i>(NOTE: First round state playoff match-ups for area teams are listed in the box to the right.)</i><br /> <br /> West Hall made history by claiming its first ever region championship, blanking Lumpkin County 35-0 to end a 27-year drought. The Spartans did it in typical fashion, exploding for a number of big plays on offense and playing stifling defense to keep the Indians from their first region crown. Following the win players, coaches and fans showed just how much the victory meant, exchanging tearful hugs and shouts of joy at midfield.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, Jefferson claimed the Region 8-AAA crown in its own thrilling fashion, stuffing Hart County on a goal-line stand inside the final minute to seal a 21-14 victory in Hartwell. The outcome clinched the Dragons' second region crown in three years and a No. 1 seed in the state playoffs -- which kick off next week.<br /> <br /> Buford will enter the postseason in familiar territory after clinching its 25th region title -- and 12th in 14 seasons -- with a dominating 56-0 defeat of Stephens County in Region 8-AAAA. The outcome also sent the Indians to the No. 3 seed from 8-AAAA. Also in 8-AAAA, White County sealed its third straight state playoff bid, taking the fourth seed after a 40-14 win at North Hall.<br /> <br /> Rabun County also got in on the championship celebrations on Friday following a 30-7 defeat of Greene County in Region 8-AA play in Tiger. The win yielded the Wildcats first region crown since 1998 and first outright title (the 1998 crown was split between three teams). Union County finished as the No. 2 seed in 8-AA, fending off Washington-Wilkes in a 35-34 thriller in Blairsville. <br /> <br /> And while North Gwinnett easily clinched the Region 7-AAAAAA title, defeating Mountain View 35-14, Mill Creek showed it may be the team that no one wants to face, as it ripped off a 34-7 win over Peachtree Ridge to clinch the No. 2 spot from 7-AAAAAA. It was the Hawks' fifth straight win.<br /> <br /> Commerce could not snare the Region 8-A title -- despite defeating Lakeview Academy 55-28 on Friday -- as Prince Avenue claimed the crown by virtue of region tiebreakers. Yet the Tigers will enter the playoffs at 8-2 -- its best regular season mark since 2006.<br /> <br /> In Region 8-AAAAA, Gainesville -- which had already wrapped up the No. 2 seed from 8-AAAAA -- will enter the postseason red hot thanks to a 49-7 defeat of rival Flowery Branch. Meanwhile, Winder-Barrow pulled off a 43-26 comeback over Heritage, Conyers to clinch the fourth seed from 8-AAAAA -- the Bulldoggs first state berth since 2003.<br /> <br /> East Hall also clinched its first postseason spot since 2006 courtesy a 35-21 win over Banks County. The Vikings will be the No. 3 seed from Region 7-AAA.<br /> <br /> It was a huge night of action, and it set up a very intriguing first round of the state playoffs next week. To look in-depth at all of the area's contests, go inside our <b><a href="http://www.accessnorthga.com/fridaygamenight">Friday Game Night page</a></b> where you can find game stories, video highlights and state round-up scores.<br /> <br /> <b>WEEK 11 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCORES, NOV. 7</b><br /> <br /> Alpharetta 34, North Forsyth 14 <br /> <br /> Buford 56, Stephens County 0 <br /> <br /> Chattahoochee 35, Habersham Central 27 <br /> <br /> Commerce 55, Lakeview 28<br /> <br /> Dawson County 28, Johnson 0 <br /> <br /> East Hall 35, Banks County 21<br /> <br /> Franklin County 21, Fannin County 14 <br /> <br /> Gainesville 49 Flowery Branch 7 <br /> <br /> Jefferson 21, Hart County 14 <br /> <br /> Lanier 55, Apalachee 17 <br /> <br /> Mill Creek 34, Peachtree Ridge 7<br /> <br /> Monroe Area 41, Chestatee 28<br /> <br /> Morgan County 45, Jackson County 42<br /> <br /> North Gwinnett 35, Mountain View 14<br /> <br /> Rabun County 30, Greene County 7 <br /> <br /> Riverside 34, Social Circle 13 <br /> <br /> Union County 35, Washington-Wilkes 34<br /> <br /> West Hall 35, Lumpkin County 0<br /> <br /> White County 40, North Hall 14 <br /> <br /> Winder-Barrow 43, Heritage 26

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