Southwest Georgia Network

Posted on November 9, 2019 by walterljohnsonii@yahoo.com

By Walter L. Johnson II

The regular season has ended. The playoffs are just around the corner.

Instead of doing the usual scoreboard post, here’s a quick wrap-up of games involving multiple teams within the Southwest Georgia Network coverage area for Week 12. The following five games to be mentioned below either had region championships on the line or winner-take-all situations where the winners advanced to the playoffs while the losers season came to a close.

So, without further ado, here’s a summary of the following games:

Lee County clinches Region 1-6A championship: The Trojans from Leesburg beat Coffee 35-17 to clinch their third straight Region 1-6A title at Trojan Field. Lee County finished the regular season undefeated in Region 1-6A play at 4-0 while also finishing at 9-1 overall.

Bainbridge clinches playoff berth: The defending GHSA Class 5A state champion Bainbridge Bearcats will have a chance at winning back-to-back state championships after blowing out Thomas County Central 42-7. The Bearcats clinched the #3 seed in Region 1-5A with the convincing win over the Yellow Jackets. Bainbridge finished the regular season at 7-3 overall, and 2-2 in region play.

Westover misses playoffs again: For the fifth straight season, the Westover Patriots from Albany will sit out the GHSA state playoffs, losing to Hardaway 7-3 at Hugh Mills Stadium on Friday. Westover finished the 2019 season at 6-4 overall, and 4-4 in GHSA Region 1-4A with the loss. The Patriots’ last playoff appearance came in 2014, when they finished that campaign at 6-5 overall, losing to Mary Persons in a 14-0 shutout in the first round.

Mitchell County stuns Pelham for 1-1A title: The Mitchell County Eagles will head into the Class 1A public school playoffs with tremendous momentum after pulling off the upset over the previously undefeated Pelham Hornets 36-28. The Eagles clinched the Region 1-1A title with the stunning win over the Hornets. Both teams go into postseason play at 9-1 overall.

Deerfield-Windsor falls to Valwood: The Deerfield-Windsor Knights saw their opportunity to win one last GISA region title fall by the wayside on Friday night, falling to Valwood 10-7 at Webb Stadium in Albany. Valwood clinched the Region 3-3A crown at 4-0 and 8-2 with the win over DWS, while the Knights finished 5-5 overall, and 2-2 in region play. Deerfield-Windsor now waits to find out whom they’ll face in the first round of the GISA Class 3A playoffs. DWS joins the GHSA in the Class 1A private school ranks in 2020.

Honorable Mention: The Southwest Georgia Academy Warriors clinched the GISA Region 3-2A championship after defeating the Terrell Academy Eagles from 36-28. SGA enters the playoffs at 7-3 overall, and 2-0 in region play.

-Follow the Southwest Georgia Network at southwestgeorgianetwork.com.
-On Twitter @swganetwork.
-Also available at anchor.fm/swganetwork/.

Posted on November 9, 2019 by walterljohnsonii@yahoo.com

By Walter L. Johnson II

The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) announced the reclassification numbers for its member schools earlier this week (Tuesday). Expect tremendous changes for multiple schools within the Southwest Georgia Network coverage area for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years.

Here’s a quick recap on which schools are going where heading into 2020:

The Lee County Trojans will stay in Class 6A but will lose Coffee to Class 5A, while Northside (Columbus) moves up two spots from 4A to 6A. That means there could be two Northside’s in Region 1-6A next season, as the Columbus-based school could join their counterparts in Warner Robins, as well as Houston County, Lee County, and Valdosta.

The real shake-up starts within the Dougherty County School System, with the Westover Patriots moving up from Class 4A to Class 5A, while the Monroe Golden Tornadoes will move up from 3A to 4A. The Patriots could find themselves in a region that will likely include Coffee, Harris County, Veterans, and Warner Robins.

As for Monroe and Dougherty, both the Tornadoes and Trojans could end up in a new-look Region 1-4A that will likely include Bainbridge, Cairo, and Thomas County Central, as well as Columbus, Hardaway, and Shaw in the Columbus area. Dougherty gains Monroe as a region rival while losing Westover.

The now four-time Region 1-3A football champion Crisp County Cougars lose their other three region foes, as Cook and Worth County move down to Class 2A, while longtime archrival Americus-Sumter moves down from Class 3A. Both teams will probably play in a region that includes Columbus area schools Carver, Jordan, and Spencer.

After many years in Class 3A, the Worth County Rams will make the move down to Class 2A for 2020. The Rams could join Berrien, Cook, Early County, Fitzgerald, and Thomasville in a potentially loaded Region 1-2A, where many of those aforementioned teams have made deep postseason runs in the past.

Longtime Class 2A powerhouse Brooks County moves down to the Class 1A public school subdivision. The Trojans from Quitman, Ga. could either land in Region 1 with Mitchell County and Pelham or in Region 2 with Clinch County, Irwin County, and Turner County, among other schools.

Finally, the Deerfield-Windsor Knights from Albany will make history, as they’ll become the first Southwest Georgia school to join the Class 1A private school subdivision. DWS will join the GHSA in 2020 after many years in the GISA.

For a complete list of schools reclassifying, please click here.

-Follow the Southwest Georgia Network at southwestgeorgianetwork.com.
-On Twitter @swganetwork.
-Also available at anchor.fm/swganetwork/.