Pair of showdowns in Houston County await
Central vs. Rutland, Thursday at Ed DeFore Sports Complex
Central, which had several players suspended from its loss to Jackson on Friday, will be without head coach Jesse Hicks following his ejection. With all three Bibb County schools in Region 4-3A sitting on one win in region play, is the door open wide enough for Rutland to score an upset?
Coffee at Northside
The Eagles will be No. 3 at worst, and Coffee might break back into the top 10. It’s a game of contrasting offensive styles, and the Trojans are off the win over Houston County. The Trojans have held only one opponent to less than 20 points.
Harris County at Veterans
The Warhawks all but seal a playoff bid with a win, and stay in the hunt for the top seed (if they win out and Bainbridge loses two, both possible). Harris County can’t afford to go 0-2, so both teams will be pretty amped.
Ola at Jones County
Ola edged Locust Grove, a minor upset, and is now a serious playoff contender. Jones County needs to win to make sure that the Oct. 28 game at Stockbridge retains region title implications.
Mary Persons at West Laurens
It has become the de facto region championship game the past few years, and it sets up that way again. The Raiders turned heads by thumping Spalding last week, and could easily be undefeated and ranked. The game features two of the area’s top running backs, Darius Bradford of West Laurens and Zach Harvey of Mary Persons.
Perry at Spalding
Spalding had the week off and is in a must-win situation to stay alive for the postseason. Perry finishes with Mary Persons and West Laurens and pretty much must win to avoid either of those final two games being must-win scenarios.
Westside at Pike County
Westside can help its bid for a playoff spot tremendously with a road win Friday. Lose, and it’s a three-way battle with Central and Rutland for the region’s final playoff spot.
Southwest at Washington County
The House of Pain will host Southwest’s first truly meaningful mid-October game since, well, a long time. A win clinches the Patriots’ first non-losing regular season since 2010. And Southwest, especially after beating Dublin, will have Washington County’s full attention.
Tattnall Square at FPD
Tattnall is still unbeaten and is now all alone in first place in Region 7A-1A. But the Trojans have to get past FPD and Stratford to punch its ticket to the region championship game.
Dooly County at Taylor County
The Vikings are No. 12 in Class A public’s power ratings, the Bobcats No. 24. Dooly County has won four straight, by an average score of 46-13. Taylor County has won three straight, by 49-11. Defenders, get your rest.
This story was originally published October 15, 2016 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Pair of showdowns in Houston County await."