There no Class A in GISA football, but there is a Class A championship game, but ...

          And then there’s the championship game that’s not really a championship game, but is.

          Welcome to the GISA Class A football championship, composed of Class AA teams.

          Because it appears there is no Class A.

          Yet Mercer is hosting a Class A championship Friday at 2 p.m. between two Class AA programs.

          The GISA website lists 17 Class AAA football programs and 14 Class AA programs, with 12 teams making the playoffs in both classes, according to a sheet on the site before the season.

          But 10 teams, in fact, made the AA playoffs, byes going to six teams, and one team with a first-round forfeit.

          The website, which had no public announcement of the change, lists four Class A programs: Flint River, Monsignor Donovan, Thomas Jefferson, and Piedmont.

          Each is also listed in a Class AA region, with Piedmont and Flint River in Region 1 with AA power – and finalist – Gatewood. Thomas Jefferson and Monsignor Donovan are both in Region 4, with finalist Briarwood and semifinalist Brentwood.

          Class AA finalist and semifinalist.

          That would mean there has been no Class A football all season, but there were Class A playoff brackets, consisting of one round before the final. Thomas Jefferson (8-3) beat Flint River 43-7 and Piedmont (4-6) beating Monsignor Donovan 28-24.

          Eight teams in GISA, as per the website, play 8-man football, including Twiggs Academy and Windsor.

          Here’s the explanation from Piedmont head coach Will Johnson, as per the Monticello News:

          “The GISA made a Class A bracket for those schools who are on the smaller side of AA,” Johnson said. “There is a big different in enrollment in AA for the largest schools and those who just have enough to be in the classification.”

          A Friday morning email to two GISA officials has yet to be answered.