GHSA sets tongues a-wagging by unveiling new regions - first draft - for 2024-26, Central Georgia undergoing some shuffling

 By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          When it was apparent who was appealing the initial GHSA reclassification numbers, the potential for some head-shaking was clearly there.

          And the GHSA, thanks to some schools’ decision, sent the heads shaking Thursday afternoon with the first release of the new regions for 2024-26.

          Note that it’s the first release. Appeals are still part of the process, with schools having until Wednesday to see about changing regions within the classification. The next round of region movement will be debated and released a day later.

          The minutes of Thursday’s meeting and all new regions – for now – are here.

          On Thursday, the reclassification committee approved Houston County’s appeal to go from 6A to 5A 16-0-1, and it barely approved Warner Robins’ plan to drop from 5A to 4A, 9-8. Central’s proposal to go from 3A to A passed 17-0.

          Warner Robins’ decision blew up a Central Georgia-heavy 6A region that now how Houston County, Northside, and Veterans as well as Coffee, Lee County, and Thomas County Central, all familiar opponents to the Demons in recent years.

          Instead, Warner Robins is now in Region 1-4A with Perry and some road trips: Benedictine, New Hampstead, Ware County, and Wayne County.

          Jones County finds itself in familiar territory in 4A with a bunch of teams around the traffic jams on I-75 North: Eagle’s Landing, Eagle’s Landing Christian, Hampton, Locust Grove, McDonough, Ola, Stockbridge, Union Grove, and Woodland-Stockbridge.

          Yes, that’s a packed 10-team region.

          Class 3A with Central Georgia teams is fairly askew.

          Peach County’s closest game in Region 1-AAA is around Albany, the Trojans in with Bainbridge, Cairo, Dougherty, Monroe, and Westover.

          Mary Persons and Upson-Lee remain region rivals in Region 2, with opponents not too far away: Fayette County, LaGrange, Sandy Creek, Spalding, Trinity Chritsian, Troup County, and Whitewater.

          Howard, West Laurens, and Baldwin remain in the same region, now in 3A, but they better make sure the buses are comfy and tuned up, since the rest of the region is in the Augusta area: Cross Creek, Harlem, Hephzibah, Richmond Academy, and Westside-Augusta.

          Westside chose to stay with its initial assignment and drop from 4A to 2A, joining Rutland in a region basically located to the north and west: Callaway, Jackson, Morgan County, and Pike County.

          Another 10-team is in Class A Division I and has a major Central Georgia flavor: ACE is back in A after two years in AA, and drops down with current AA region foes Central, Northeast, and Southwest, along with Bleckley County, Dublin, East Laurens, and Washington County (dropping from AA).

          They’re joined by Aquinas, and Jefferson County.

          Dodge County drops to Class A, and is in Region 1-A/I with Bacon County, Berrien, Brantley County, Fitzgerald, Jeff Davis, Thomasville, and Worth County.

          Jasper County, Lamar County, and Putnam County are in Region 4-A/I, along with Landmark Christian, McNair, Social Circle, Towers, Utopian Academy, as well as basketball powers Greenforest Christian and Southwest Atlanta Christian.

          Eight teams are in Class A/Division II, spread out among three regions.

          Crawford County and Hawkinsville are joined by Dooly County, Montgomery County, Telfair County, Treutlen, Wheeler County, and Wilcox County.

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          GMC, Wilkinson County, Hancock Central, and Twiggs County remain together, with Glascock County, and Johnson County, and four non-football schools.

          Macon County and Taylor County have familiar region foes: Central-Talbotton, Chattahoochee County, Marion County, and Schley County (losing Manchester and Greenville), along with three non-football schools.

          The GHSA has long been locked in to an eight-region format for all classifications, regardless of the size – large or small – of the region. In this draft, of 56 regions, almost half – 26 – have at least eight teams, with three 10-team regions and six nine-team regions.

          Central Georgia again has 13 regions, but only one in AA and three in AAA.

          One 16-team region  in metro Atlanta has nine football-playing schools. There are several regions of more than 10 schools overall, with a number of non-football schools in those regions.

          Overall, 23 schools presented appeals on Thursday, with 14 approvals and nine denials.