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.
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