Week 10 provided some of the best games we have seen all year of high school football.
Flowery Branch was somewhat forgotten about after a rocky start to the season, but with a couple wins in a row, including a thriller Friday against Walnut Grove, the Falcons are in prime position to make the playoffs. They have tiebreakers over the Warriors and Madison County with games against first-place North Oconee and last-place Cedar Shoals left on the schedule. Just one win in the final two games puts the Falcons in the playoffs. We like their chances of doing just that.
2. REGION 6-3A PLAYOFF PICTURE CLEARS UP...SLIGHTLY
North Hall all but claimed the Region 6-3A title Friday night with a win over Lumpkin County in Dahlonega. Outside of that, we still don't know a lot. GAC is the favorite for the second seed, but their remaining schedule (vs. Pickens and at Chestatee) isn't exactly a cake walk the way they have squeaked by almost everyone in the region. Lumpkin and Dawson play this week for playoff positioning where the loser is on the ropes, needing to win their last game of the season to ensure a playoff berth. Chestatee still has a chance to get in with some help. Things are going to clear up this week, so stay tuned.
3. REGION 8-3A TITLE ON THE LINE THIS WEEK
Well, kind of. If Jefferson wins Friday night against Cherokee Bluff, they still need to win over Oconee County next week to officially claim the region title, or we could have a three-way tie atop the leaderboard if the Warriors beat Monroe Area this week. If Cherokee Bluff wins over the Dragons, the trophy heads to Yonah Field. The Bluff has played really good and complete football the last two weeks. They need to do it one more time this week to finish the gauntlet, but Jefferson will not make it easy at Memorial Stadium. This one will be fun.
4. GAINESVILLE SHOWS EXPLOSIVENESS
Big Red found themselves down 23-22 at halftime after Chattahoochee rattled off a pair of touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half. That made Gainesville mad, it seemed. Next time you look up, Carmelo Byrd has scored three touchdowns in five minutes to start the second half to quickly put the Red Elephants well out in front. Byrd scored four touchdowns on the night, solidifying the running game to balance out the passing attack that has worked a lot of the season. Now, they will be put to the test in the final game of the regular season at Roswell, a must-win for Gainesville to get a home playoff game.
5. A COUPLE MILESTONES TO SHOUT OUT
Banks County was dominant Friday night as they got their first win of the Todd Winter era, beating Providence Christian, 34-20, behind a very physical running attack. Lakeview Academy set a new school record for wins in a single season, a mark we think will be broken a couple more times this season. Jackson County claimed their first winning season in over a decade. Congratulations to all three of these teams. With just two weeks left in the regular season, what other milestones will we see hit? Week 11 might provide more, and we can't wait to see what teams are next.