Region 7
No. 1 ranked Milton, No. 6 Gainesville and No. 7 Roswell all won by a combined score of 139-24 last week, but all three of those wins came against teams ranked No. 2 or lower. If they play as expected in their remaining games, they’re all but guaranteed to secure a top-three spot in the region in the playoffs.
The battle for fourth place should be fierce. Chattahoochee and Seckinger, both projected in the preseason to finish in the bottom two of the standings in the Maxwell computer ratings, were undefeated in district play but struggled last week. Chattahoochee lost 47-0 to Milton, ranked as high as No. 3 in some national polls. Seckinger, a junior from Gwinnett County and making his first district appearance, lost 42-10 to Roswell. Things won’t get any easier for the Jaguars anytime soon, as their next two games are against Milton and Gainesville. Seckinger’s game at Chattahoochee on Oct. 25 could have a big impact on their playoff prospects.
Not to be overlooked is Lanier, who Maxwell projected to finish fourth in the region in the preseason. The Longhorns are 2-2 in non-region games, all against Class 6A schools. Lanier lost 50-14 to Gainesville last week, but its playoff fate is still to be determined. The Longhorns host Chattahoochee this week and will open the regular season at Seckinger, with games against Milton, Johns Creek and Roswell in between.
Johns Creek is 0-4 in non-region play and was off last week, but the Gladiators have tough competition over the next two weeks with matches against Gainesville and Roswell. Johns Creek reached the state quarterfinals in 2021 but has struggled since the departure of coach Matt Helmerich, going 3-21 since the start of the 2022 season.
Region 8
Habersham Central and Loganville played each other on Sept. 13, ahead of other teams in the area. Habersham Central won 56-21 to take an early lead in the seven-team league. Clarke Central and Winder-Barrow, preseason favorites to win, followed the Raiders into the lead with wins last week.
Clark Central entered regional play with a 2-2 record after a tough schedule, defeating Cedar Shoals and Oconee County before losing to Jefferson and North Oconee. Last week, the Gladiators opened regional play with a 27-11 win over Jackson County, which entered regional play with a 3-1 record.
Maxwell’s current projections have Clarke Central, Winder-Barrow, Habersham Central and Jackson County as the overwhelming favorites for the region’s four playoff spots. Alcovy, Apalachee and Loganville look like longshots with a combined record of 1-12. The only win from this group came from Alcovy, a 12-9 win over Class 6A Rockdale County on Sept. 6.
Apalachee canceled its non-region game against Monroe Area and region games against Winder-Barrow and Loganville following the school shooting on Sept. 4. The Wildcats returned to the practice field last week and this week’s game against Clark Central is still listed on the GHSA schedule, but the status of that game remains uncertain.
