Monday Afternoon QB: Polls, playoff look, how Central Georgia ranks statewide
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
MMQB: The polls
Top 5
Division I
1. Jones County
Well, here’s a week that can shake things up. The Greyhounds certainly weren’t rusty after a week off, and now host also-undefeated Dutchtown. Oh, the Barking Lot will be in a choice frame of mind. And voice.
2. Warner Robins
The Demons handled Houston County and are unlikely to be tested as much by Harris County.
3. Mary Persons
The Bulldogs left as many points on the field last week as they put on the scoreboard, thanks to – hold on to your stat sheet – J.T Hartage’s first interception of the year and some other mistakes. This means a week of perhaps tigher practice, which the Bulldogs will need against a surprise Upson-Lee team that can pitch and catch, too.
4. Northside
The 3-3 Eagles now start playing for third in 1-6A with Valdosta and Houston County, unless they pull off some Mac magic against undefeated and second-ranked Coffee.
5. Veterans
A week off to get healthier and enjoy the world of the undefeated is over. Back to work. The Warhawks still have an edge over Upson-Lee for the final poll spot, which could change it the Warhawks struggle to handle success during a visit to Bainbridge.
Top 10
Division II (3A-2A-A-other)
1. Peach County
The Trojans were again in running-clock mode last week at Pike County before tragedy struck. They’re practicing a little better, which isn’t really good news for the rest of the region.
2. Dodge County
Northeast gave Dodge County a quality game, the Indians gaining control. Now? A visit to Dublin in the first battle of the region heavyweights.
3. Washington County
The game against East Laurens went as expected, and things will be more competitive this week.
4. Dublin
The Irish put the hammer down in the second half and eliminated any late-game suspense at Bleckley County, Dublin getting it done in all three phases, and close the gap with Washington County for third.
5. Westside
The defense came up big with a second-half shutout against Central, which was working on its first win against Westside.
6. Mount de Sales
The timing for a week off can’t come at a better time for perhaps the area’s most grinding team, the one that has to battle for 48 minutes – and Friday, more – and is still undefeated. All they do is win, win, win, win, win. And opponents’ hands go UP.
7. Hancock Central
No movement after a week off. It’ll be interesting to see how Hancock Central handles this success, and now wearing a target.
8. Dooly County
The up-and-down Bobcats won a shootout with Macon County, Bo Lawson back as his game-changing self with 461 yards total offense.
9. John Milledge
Right now, there’s a fair chance that John Milledge could beat about half of the Class A teams in Central Georgia, and a fewer in larger classifications.
10. (Tie) Lamar County, Tattnall
It’s getting harder to find 10.
MMQB: Around Central Georgia
The playing for seeding begins
There are a variety of things you can bet on, and one regard who can win region titles, who won’t win region titles but can play for second, the regions with more than two teams battling for first, and the regions where teams are playing for playoff spots or seeding.
Northside is playing for seeding in 1-6A while Houston County enters that conversation after an upset.
Warner Robins and Veterans can play for the 1-5A title on Nov. 2 at The Mac.
Mary Persons will probably get tested in 2-4A more than people expect, starting this week, but the Bulldogs are the only team in the region that will lose only one game.
After them, it’s a competitive bloodbath with four teams at 4-2 overall and nobody has given up more points than they’ve scored.
The race for 2-3-4 won’t be decided until the end, unless somebody suddenly loses three in a row. So another week or two, it’ll get really fascinating to watch.
Peach County will win 4-3A, and it’s a nice battle with Westside, Jackson and Pike County for second. This week, Westside travels to Jackson, a tough place for the visitors.
Goodness, the suspense in 3-AA may be the best, because the top three teams are 16-1 and all even, and then Northeast, Southwest, and Bleckley County will fight it out for the fourth spot. And those three are even, and tough to figure out.
Lamar County is in the hunt in 5-AA for the fourth spot, but the Trojans have to rebound fro a 28-0 humbling by Spencer, which was winless going into the game.
Class A is a hot mess as far as Central Georgia teams go. Note that Class A’s postseason is based on ratings, with region champs getting an automatic spot.
Naturally, Central Georgia’s two regions are subdivided, so nothing as far as winning a region title is remotely decipherable until the crossover and play-ins.
So rankings-wise, Mount de Sales is in barring a severe collapse, and Hancock Central is probably a win or two away from all but sealing its postseason plans.
Dooly County is in decent shape in A Public, and will be in at least decent shape as long as QB Bo Lawson is on the field.
Barring a region championship or unexpected winning streak, Dooly County is a fair bet to join Hancock Central as the only A Public playoff teams from the area.
Stratford is near the fence in A Private, and FPD and Tattnall need to almost win out to have just a chance on the private side. The Eagles can just about eliminate the Trojans with a win this week.
Throw in the upsets – and there’ll be upsets, just can’t guess who – and every week is a version of elimination and seeding. And it’ll soon enough mean almost nothing.
Still undefeated
Veterans, Mary Persons, Dodge County, Washington County, Mount de Sales, and John Milledge are Central Georgia’s lone remaining GHSA and GISA teams.
Still looking
Twiggs County, Wilkinson County, and Rutland are battling for the first win.
How does Central Georgia fare statewide?
The Maxwell Ratings uses pretty much only a computer program for its rankings and predictions each week. It doesn’t know about injuries, players, coaches, certain home-field advantages, etc.
So, what was Central Georgia’s top 20 last week based on those rankings?
(422 schools listed, overall ranking and rating included)
15. Warner Robins 74.83
19. Mary Persons 72.93
26. Jones County 71.69
43. Peach County 64.79
44. Northside 64.16
64. Dodge County 58.89
68. Veterans 57.77
90. Upson- Lee 52.75
96. Washington Co. 51.88
106. West Laurens 50.68
116. Howard 48.74
127. Dublin 47.16
138. Perry 45.55
147. Westside 44.23
150. Houston Co. 43.34
186. Baldwin 38.59
197. Southwest 37.30
231. Central 31.58
238. Dooly County 30.73
255. Macon County 28.73