By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Central Georgia teams went 3 for 4 Tuesday on appeals to the GHSA to have something changed in their region alignment from last week’s first full major reclassification release.

          Westside and Rutland were approved unanimously to move up from Class 3A to 4A, and Twiggs County to go from Region 4 to 7 in Class A public. The GHSA spent all Tuesday hearing more than 40 appeals.

          Washington County’s attempt to move from Region 3-AA to Region 4 was denied unanimously. But the GHSA did move Oglethorpe County into Region 4.

          Region 1-A Private was a potential location for powerhouse Eagle’s Landing Christian, which was also trying to get into Region 5, but it was denied, and ELCA remains in Region.

          And other appeals by schools to move to regions including Central Georgia teams were mostly approved.

          Overall, 24 appeals were approved and 18 were denied. Most were unanimous, or very close to it. Dalton was denied 8-7-1 to go from Region 5-7A to Region 6, and Hebron Christian was denied 9-7 a lateral region move in Class A Private.

          Many schools were appealing to move up to AA from A, and those were close to a 50-50 split.

  The new affected Central Georgia regions

Region 4-4A
Baldwin
Howard
Perry
Rutland
Spalding
West Laurens
Westside

Region 2-3A
Americus-Sumter
Central
Crisp County
Jackson
Mary Persons
Peach County
Pike County
Upson-Lee

Region 2-AA
Bacon County
East Laurens
Jeff Davis
Swainsboro
Toombs County
Vidalia
No football: Woodville-Tompkins

Region 4-AA
Butler
Glenn Hills
Jefferson County
Josey
Laney
Oglethorpe County
Putnam County
Westside-Augusta
NF: Davidson Fine Arts, Johnson-Aug., Technical Career Magnet

Region 4-A Public
Dooly County
Dublin
Hawkinsville
Johnson County
Montgomery County
Telfair County
Treutlen
Wheeler County
Wilcox County

Region 7-A Public
ACE
Crawford County
GMC
Glascock County
Hancock Central
Twiggs County
Warren County
Wilkinson County
NF: Georgia Acad. for the Blind, GSIC, Taliaferro County

Earlier Tuesday

The GHSA reclassification and regions released last week that had folks talking, and thinking things were pretty much done, save for some expected appeals that had nothing to do with Central Georgia

          Not so fast.

          The GHSA Reclassification Committee is meeting in Thomaston all day to hear appeals from scores of schools mostly interest in lateral moves from one region to another in a classification.

          But there are also many appeals to move up a classification.

          Central Georgia schools are involved in both.

          Washington County is asking to be moved from Region 3-AA to Region 4, which was a topic pretty soon after last week’s region assignments were announced.

          And Twiggs County has petitioned to move from Region 4-A Public to Region 7.

          Two surprises on the agenda: Rutland and Westside asking to move up from 3A to 4A.

          Initially, Rutland had appealed to drop down from 3A to AA, and that was denied during last week’s appeal before the regions were announced.

          Both are in the new Region 2-3A, which added Americus-Sumter, Crisp County, Mary Persons, and Upson-Lee while losing Kendrick, for a 10-team region.

          Mary Persons and Upson-Lee left Region 2-4A, which was left with five teams: Baldwin, Howard, Perry, Spalding, and West Laurens, Baldwin joining the region from Region 3, an Augusta-area region.

          Westside athletics director and head football coach Spoon Risper said the school decided Monday to appeal, and the deadline was Monday.

          “It was several reasons,” Risper said before lunch Tuesday. “The number one reason is money, finances. The region we’re in now, it looks like we’re going to be playing a full region schedule, which leaves only one non-region game.”

          And the Seminoles lose games against Southwest, Howard, and Perry from this year’s schedule, plus much chance to play Northeast, among other teams.

          “We make our largest gates off of Southwest, Howard,” Risper said. “We did pretty good financially against Perry this year.

          “It’s more of a financial thing.”

          Rutland athletics director and head football coach Rusty Easom confirmed via text that the school was appealing for the same reason.

          If those two appeals are approved, Westside and Rutland would join Baldwin, Howard, Perry, Spalding, and West Laurens in Region 4-4A, while Region 2-AAA would drop to eight teams, including Central, Mary Persons, Peach County, and Upson-Lee.

          The move would give all the schools in 2-3A some scheduling flexibility.

          Washington County hopes to join Butler, Glenn Hills, Jefferson County, Josey, Laney, and Putnam County. The Golden Hawks were with Butler, Laney, Josey, and Glenn Hills along with Hephzibah and Westside-Augusta in 3-3A for a few years, and competed with mostly-Augusta schools for years before moving to the Central Georgia AA region.

          If approved, that would mean 3-AA lost Dublin (to Class A) and Washington County, and leave it with Bleckley County, Dodge County, newcomers Lamar County and Monticello, Northeast, and Southwest. East Laurens was moved to Region 2.

          Region 4-A Public currently has Dooly County, Dublin, Hawkinsville, Telfair County, Twiggs County, Wheeler County, and Wilcox County. Region 7: ACE, Crawford County, GMC, Glascock County, Hancock Central, and Wilkinson County.

          None of the Central Georgia appeals will be heard until after lunch, with Twiggs County at 12:50 p.m., Washington County at 3:40 p.m. and the two locals last on the list, at 4:50 p.m. and 5 p.m.

          Several schools appealed to move into a Central Georgia region.

          In Class AA: Oglethorpe County from 8 to 4;

          In Class A Public: Treutlen from 3 to 4, Central Talbotton from 5 to 7, Warren County from 8 to 7, Montgomery County from 3 to 4; Johnson County from 3 to 4 or 7; Turner County from 2 to 4

          In Class A Private: Eagle’s Landing Christian from 2 to 1 or 5.