By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          There will be at least nearly two dozen Central Georgia teams in the GHSA playoffs starting on Friday, officially and unofficially.

Come back tonight after the GHSA finalizes all the playoff brackets

          The official berths are in Class 5A, 4A, and A/Division II, which retained the longstanding top-four-in-each-region format. They know their seed and opponent.

          The others are part of a new playoff power ratings system, because of changes regarding private schools leaving the equation for their own playoff with Class 3A, 2A, and A/Division I.

CENTRAL GEORGIA’S BEST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COVERAGE
This Week

* Roundup: FPD lone Macon GIAA survivor, road heartbreakers for Tattnall, Stratford; Milestone win for Gatewood’s Ratliff; Southwest stays in playoff hunt; Jasper County, Brentwood roll
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games, coming Friday
* Maxwell Predictions
* Who’s going to win this week’s games

          More teams than not from the area are waiting the day out to find out their immediate futures as the GHSA wait out Saturday’s games to input info into a computer and determine seeds and rankings for those three groups.

          The GHSA on Friday updated the brackets as much as could be done, with most regions settled last week, and a few more on Tuesday.

          There are about a half-dozen games early Saturday afternoon, including involving Howard and Baldwin in region 4-AAA, and the GHSA hopes to have the all classes finalized by 8 p.m. The GHSA has to wait until all are done, because the computer program includes opponents’ winning percentage and the opponents’ opponents winning percentage.

          So all games must be completed.

          Apparently, Class A/Division II will open the playoffs on Saturday with all others on Friday, but it doesn’t appear to have made that public just yet. The GHSA has split the first round for several years.

          That means Hawkinsville, Wilkinson County, Hancock Central, Macon County, and Taylor County get an extra day of work. Macon County and Wilkinson County will be at home.

Pairings set
Class 5A
2/4 Houston County, 6-4, at 8/1 Clarke Central, 8-2
Class 4A
5/4 St. Pius X, 7-3, at 1/1 Perry, 7-3
1/4 Warner Robins, 7-3, at 5/1 Marist, 10-0
8/3 East Forsyth, 8-2, at 2/2 Jones County, 8-2
Class A/Division II
4/4 Hawkinsville,7-3, at 3/1 Metter, 8-1
1/3 Miller County, 7-3, at 5/2 Wilkinson County, 6-4
5/3 Hancock Central, 5-5, at 1/2 Mitchell County, 8-2
7/4 Greenville, 3-6, at 6/1 Macon County, 6-4
6/3 Taylor County at 7/2 Bowdon, 8-2
Awaiting ratings
Class AAA
TBA at No. 2/1/1 Peach County, 9-1
Baldwin, West Laurens TBA
TBA at No TBA 2/2 Upson-Lee 7-3
Class AA
No. TBA vs. 2/4 Westside, 5-5
Class A/Division I
TBA at No. 2 2/1 Dublin, 10-0
TBA at At No. TBA  2/2 Northeast, 8-2
TBA at At No TBA 2/3 Dodge County, 8-2
TBA at At No. TBA 4/2 Lamar County, 8-2
TBA vs. No. TBA 2/4 Washington County, 6-4
TBA vs.No. TBA 2/5 ACE Charter, 6-4
No. TBA 2/6 Southwest, 4-6, at TBA
No. TBA 2/7 Bleckley County, 4-6, at TBA
No. TBA 2/8 East Laurens, 3-7, at TBA
No. TBA 4/3 Putnam County, 5-5 at TBA
TBA at No. TBA 4/4 Jasper County, 7-3
Class A/Division II
4/4 Hawkinsville,7-3, at 3/1 Metter, 8-1
1/3 Miller County, 7-3, at 5/2 Wilkinson County, 6-4
5/3 Hancock Central, 5-5, at 1/2 Mitchell County, 8-2
7/4 Greenville, 3-6, at 6/1 Macon County, 6-4
6/3 Taylor County at 7/2 Bowdon, 8-2

          Peach County, Upson-Lee, Westside, Dublin, Northeast, Dodge County, Lamar County, Washington County, Putnam County, and Jasper County all earned automatic bids in their respective classifications by finishing in the top four.

          ACE Charter in Class A/Division is the only area team that’s unofficially in with an at-large bid. The Gryphons have been inside the top 32 in  that class all season.

          Class A/Division I loses 18 teams to the private-school playoff, giving many more teams a shot at an at-large.

          Bleckley County, East Laurens, and Southwest are sweating out the final rankings in Class A/Division I.

          The Georgia High School Football Daily projected before Friday’s games that East Laurens and Bleckley County would make the field at No. 26 and No. 28.

          Southwest was on the outside looking in, but beat East Laurens 20-7 on Friday and may have swapped roles with the Falcons.

          The GHSA’s page on the rankings has been down since Friday night.

          Seeds will determine first-round home games after the top two in each region, meaning third and fourth seeds will have a shot at hosting.

          Peach County, Upson-Lee, Dublin, Northeast, Dodge County, and Lamar County will host in their respective regions. Baldwin in 4-AAA – even before Saturday’s games, regardless of its finish – as well as Westside in 2-AA appear to have a decent shot at hosting as a No. 3 seed from 2-AA, as does A/II fourth-places Jasper County and Washington County, with fifth-place ACE having an outside chance.