There is one team in Class AAAAA that was ranked as high as No. 4 in the state at the beginning of the season, but are now on the verge of missing the playoffs if they don't win their final game of the season Friday night. The softball and volleyball state championships took place this past Saturday and the usual suspects came out on top. And with this week being the last week of the regular season for football, there are a few games to watch for as teams will be looking to either claim a playoff spot or try to better their playoff seeding with a win. Theses stories and more make up the top five Georgia high school sports stories for the week.
5. Lowndes loses to Tift County.
In the grand scheme of things, this is not a huge deal because Lowndes has already clinched the Region 1-AAAAA title. But the fact they loss to Tift County, the only team in Region 1 who won't make the playoffs, is something that has to be somewhat alarming to the fans of the Vikings. Lowndes' only score in the game came off a Tift County turnover and on their first six possessions the Vikings failed to get a first down. They end the regular season with a 8-2 mark, but they will have to play better one the playoffs because opposing teams know Lowndes is one the favorites to win the state title and they are going to give everything they have to take down the Vikings.
4. Peachtree Ridge's season slipping away
At the beginning of the season, many thought Peachtree Ridge would be one of the top teams in the state and a favorite to win the Class AAAAA title. Now with one more week left in the season they have to defeat North Gwinnett and Mill Creek has to lose to Duluth in order for the Lions to even reach the playoffs. It has been a year where injuries have plagued Peachtree Ridge, but who would have though a team that won the state title and 2006 and was runner-up in 2008 would be one the verge of not reaching the playoffs?
3. Softball and volleyball took center stage on Saturday.
The end of October usually marks the end of the softball and volleyball season, as the state finals kickoff the last Saturday of the month. The softball state finals took place in Columbus and the winner of each Class were Collins Hill (AAAAA), Jones County (AAAA), White County (AAA), Buford (AA) and Gordon Lee (A). The volleyball state finals took place at Marietta High School and winners from each class were Walton (AAAAA), Pope (AAAA), Woodward Academy (AAA) and Blessed Trinity (AA/A). Congratulations to all the teams that won state titles.
2. Battle in Northeast Georgia
One of the best games in the Northeast metro Atlanta area has to be Clarke Central traveling to Flowery Branch to face the Falcons for the Region 8 AAAA title. Both teams can score points at will with Clarke Central averaging 44 points per game while Flowery Branch averages 39 point per game. Clarke Central is trying to get back to the state title game for the second consecutive year while Flowery Branch is trying to have their first perfect regular season since the program started playing football in 2002.
1. Griffin and Starr's Mill go to war.
Another game in Class AAAA to watch for is Griffin taking on Starr's Mill for the Region 3 title. The Griffin Bears have had a lot of success over the years and they are a favorite to win the the AAAA title due to the talent they have such are Corey Moore. Starr's Mill is a program that knows how to win football games, but under new head coach Chad Phillips they are having their best season to date with a 9-0 record. One player to watch for is Starr's Mill quarterback Adam Holley who rushed for 145 yards and three touchdowns in the win against Harris County last week.