Sunday Morning Quarterback: What we learned
Seeding up next for Region 2-AAAAA: Well, almost. Northside, Houston County and Jones County have locked up playoff spots, and Warner Robins will do so with a win Friday over Grovetown, which is two games behind the Demons.
Double overtime, double heartbreak: Howard's players, coaching staff and fans felt the full range of emotions in a 41-40, double-overtime loss at Upson-Lee. The Huskies rallied from a 24-0 deficit, took a 27-24 lead and saw Upson-Lee make a late field goal to send the game to overtime. Both teams missed extra points in the first overtime, with Howard's attempt to win in the bottom of the first OT bouncing off the goalpost. Upson-Lee won on a two-point conversion in the bottom of the second OT after Howard posted seven points in the top of the second. The loss leaves Howard (5-3, 1-3) needing to win its final two games (Veterans, at Baldwin) and get outside help in order to reach the postseason for the first time in program history.
Golden Hawks still alive: The horrific start to the season seems like more than just a month ago for Washington County. The Golden Hawks started off 0-4, but are 3-1 in Region 3-AAA, good for second behind Laney (3-0) and ahead of Hephzibah (2-1). Washington County's region title hopes are pretty much done after the 36-29 loss to Laney, but the Golden Hawks officially lock up a postseason spot with a win this week over Hephizbah or with a loss by a team lower in the standings.
Picked off, finally: Two of the better quarterbacks in Middle Georgia saw interception-free streaks come to an end Friday. Central's Derrick Evans threw his first interception during the second half against Jackson, when Ny'j Smith picked off Evans at the Jackson 5 and went 95 yards the other way for a score that crushed a Chargers rally in the Red Devils' 34-20 win. Jones County's Bradley Hunnicutt, meanwhile, was picked off twice in a 17-10 win over Evans.
Region 2-AAAA is getting really warm: A half-game separates West Laurens, Veterans and Upson-Lee behind undefeated Mary Persons. With two games left, only Mary Persons is in and Baldwin and Perry are out. Still down the line is Mary Persons at West Laurens. The one-loss Raiders upended the undefeated Bulldogs a year ago to get the region's top seed.
Defense coming up big in Barnesville: Early in the season, Lamar County looked a little iffy. Then the Trojans got on a roll only to lose quarterback LJ Smith. But the defense is bowing up, allowing only 14 points in the past four games and throwing two straight shutouts. Region 4-AA is set up to be decided on Nov. 6 when Lamar County hosts Macon County.
The gust of win in Gray was ...: It was no doubt a few thousand Jones County fans breathing in sync a sigh of relief that the Greyhounds survived Evans with a fourth-quarter touchdown. A Knights upset -- and Jones County had won 10 straight at home -- would have been almost as big as the Greyhounds' win over Northside last year.
Not dead yet: Northeast is 0-8, but the Raiders can still qualify for the postseason for wins in their final two games. Northeast wraps up the season against a pair of 1-7 teams, Bleckley County and Monticello. Proof that Northeast hasn't checked out yet and has a legitimate chance to make the playoffs? The Raiders gave GHSA Region 4-AA co-leader Macon County (6-2) a good game Friday, losing 35-29 in Montezuma.
Book that title game: Stratford clinched a spot in the GHSA Region 7-A title game with Wilkinson County's 31-9 loss to FPD on Friday. The Eagles will host that game Nov. 6 against the winner of Friday's Lincoln County-Aquinas game.
Crawford County finishes in style: Head coach Greg Street bemoaned the number of highlights for North Cobb Christian in last year's meeting. He won't be doing that after the Eagles' 41-7 win on Friday, It was Crawford County's third straight game of 40-plus points en route to finishing 8-2.
History on tap in Eastman?: Dodge County got a huge win, holding off Cook to remain undefeated overall and in Region 1A-AAA. The dandy defensive-minded Indians have had only two one-loss seasons, going 12-1 in 1999 and 7-1-2 in 1967. They have won 10 games or more twice, 1999 and 11-2 in 1995. The Indians host Pierce County, second in the subregion, this week before the region crossovers are figured out.
-- Telegraph Staff
This story was originally published October 24, 2015 at 10:45 PM with the headline "Sunday Morning Quarterback: What we learned ."