Here’s a look at five things we learned from Week 11 of the high school football season...
1. West Hall lost games but never lost heart
So many teams could -- and have given up -- during the situation the Spartans found themselves in just over three weeks ago. West Hall lost five straight games during the heart of its regular season schedule and opened its Region 7-AAA schedule 0-3. The 2014 7-AAA champs were on their way out with a whimper... or so it appeared. In reality, the Spartans were only getting started. West Hall’s players and coaches dug deep and pulled off a three-game win streak to close the campaign -- the finish, combined with key results elsewhere, put West Hall right back into the state playoffs for a third straight time (a mark that ties the best three seasons in program history, when the Spartans made three straight playoff appearances 2000-02). Frankly we believe this may be the most astounding turnaround we’ve ever seen. And West Hall also did it with a new starting quarterback, as starter Jacob Satterfield went down in the early stages of a 40-37 overtime win at Fannin County. Back-up Cameron Shirley helped spark the win in Blue Ridge and then again against Banks County and Lumpkin County to close out the regular season. West Hall is by no means happy with 5-5 after last year’s first ever region crown, but a dogged refusal to quit means the Spartans can now look at this campaign with pride.
2. Have fun in the first round, Region 5-AAA
We’ve said it all year, so it’s not something we’ve learned lately, but Region 8-AAA continued to show just how good it is on Friday. And by that we mean there are four exceptional teams from that region heading to the playoffs -- any one of whom would be worthy region champs. Yes, Oconee County did what it had to do to claim its first region crown since 2004, but Jefferson, Elbert County or Hart County could just as easily have finished with the No. 1 seed. As it is, the Dragons may enter the playoffs as the best No. 2 seed, Elbert No. 3 and Hart No. 4. We know that Callaway, Central (Carroll), Pepperell and the like are good programs too. But Region 5-AAA’s representatives will most definitely have their hands full in the first round of the playoffs come Friday.
3. North Hall’s turnaround is complete; still a chance for history
David Bishop knew his first season in charge would not tell the full story of his coaching staff and state of his program after taking over a squad almost bereft of varsity experience -- an equation that combined to make North Hall 2-8 in 2014. Instead, Bishop and his Trojans are writing a new chapter this season -- one they believe will be more the norm -- as North Hall went 6-4 and clinched the No. 3 playoff seed from Region 8-AAAA to end a one-year absence from the postseason. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of 2015 is how much growth the Trojans showed just in season. Bishop warned that his charges were still young entering the schedule -- and the results bore that out, as North Hall opened the season 1-3. But once North Hall got some more game experience it all started to pay off, as the Trojans closed the season 5-1, including a dominating 31-0 win at North Oconee, which ended up being the difference between being a 3 seed or 4 seed. That doesn’t mean the first round of the playoffs will be markedly easier, however, as North Hall travels to face perennial power Sandy Creek. But with the way the Trojans closed out the season, they will enter the postseason with plenty of optimism and looking to do so something North Hall has never accomplished -- win a road playoff game.
4. Good placekickers are worth their weight in gold come crunch time
Doubt it? Just ask Gainesville and Mill Creek. The Red Elephants and Hawks each picked up huge victories in their regular season finales -- wins they would never have accomplished without an acccomplished placekicker. Chandler Staton (GHS) and Brenton King (Mill Creek) each drilled huge field goals on Friday -- and not just important kicks but long kicks as well. King nailed a 51-yard effort in regulation and then split the uprights from 25 yards in overtime to make the difference on the scoreboard against Peachtree Ridge, as Mill Creek claimed its first ever region title and a 10-0 season. Meanwhile, Staton made kicks of 39, 32 and 48 yards in a nip-and-tuck battle with rival Flowery Branch that saw the Red Elephants win 29-26. Take away just one of those kicks and Gainesville is looking at overtime at best in a game that it needed to avoid some hairy tiebreaker scenarios. As it was, the win gave Gainesville a home playoff berth in the first round and a No. 2 seed. Expect to see plenty of both of these two for going forward, because each game will get tougher with each week from here on out -- and a good field goal kicker is something few opponents can boast.
5. Almost every area playoff-bound team heading into postseason on high note
Of the 14 area squads heading to the state playoffs, all but one came out victorious on the final night of the 2015 regular season. Does that bode well for those squads in the first round? Well, it’s tough to say. Of the 13 area teams that won in their final regular season games before reaching the 2014 state playoffs only five of them won in the first round, as northeast Georgia teams went 5-8. Two years ago, the 10 teams that went into the first round off a win went 6-4. We’re hopeful 2015 will turn that trend to a big positive, but it doesn’t ensure success.
WEEK 11 AREA PREP FOOTBALL SCORES, NOV. 6
Alpharetta 35, North Forsyth 21
Buford 42, Stephens County 0
Chattahoochee 55, Habersham Central 21
Commerce 38, Lakeview Academy 3
Dawson County 17, Johnson 14
East Hall 35, Banks County 27
Franklin County 28, Fannin County 24
Gainesville 29, Flowery Branch 26
Jefferson 43, Hart County 27
Lanier 56, Apalachee 7
Mill Creek 20, Peachtree Ridge 17 OT
Morgan County 13, Jackson County 6 OT
Monroe Area 44, Chestatee 17
North Gwinnett 16, Mountain View 14
North Hall 30, White County 13
Rabun County 34, Greene County 0
Social Circle 31, Riverside Military 7
Union County 43, Washington-Wilkes 21
West Hall 14, Lumpkin County 7
Winder-Barrow 37, Heritage, Conyers 23
FIRST ROUND STATE PLAYOFF MATCH-UPS FOR AREA TEAMS, NOV. 13
CLASS AAAAAA
Northview at Mill Creek
CLASS AAAAAA
East Paulding at Lanier
Alexander at Gainesville
Winder-Barrow at Allatoona
CLASS AAAA
Fayette County at Buford
Carrollton at Stephens County
North Hall at Sandy Creek
CLASS AAA
Ringgold at Dawson County
Sonoraville at East Hall
Franklin County at Adairsville
West Hall at Calhoun
Pepperell at Jefferson
CLASS AA
Bremen at Rabun County
Bowdon at Union County
CLASS A
Commerce vs.TBA
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