High School Football: Region Titles, Playoff Berths on the Line

By Mike Blum

Four North Fulton high school football teams compete for region championships Friday, Nov. 4, with several other local teams needing victories in their regular season finales to qualify for the state playoffs.

Roswell, Johns Creek, Blessed Trinity and Fellowship Christian are all one win away from region titles, while Milton, Alpharetta, Cambridge and Chattahoochee all have opportunities to lock up playoff berths with victories Friday.

Here’s a look at Friday’s local games with playoff implications:

Cherokee at Roswell

Both teams come into Friday’s game 4-0 in 4-AAAAAAA, with the winner taking the region title and the loser finishing second and getting a home game in the first round of the state playoffs.

The Hornets (9-0 overall) are the top-ranked team in AAAAAAA and are coming off wildly different games the last two weeks against the other two Cherokee County teams in the region. Roswell scored five touchdowns in the first quarter last week in a 59-7 rout of Woodstock, one week after needing a late touchdown to get past Etowah 20-17.

Cherokee (6-3) has had several close calls among its four region victories, including a 3-overtime win against Woodstock and a 3-point win last week against Lassiter. The Hornets should be able to score against a Cherokee defense that has held only one opponent below 21 points, but the outstanding Roswell defense will be tested by a talented Cherokee offense that averages 35 points a game.

Dunwoody at Johns Creek

The Gladiators need a win to tie Centennial for first in 7-AAAAAA and earn the region’s top seed in the playoffs thanks to a win over the Knights during the regular season.

Johns Creek (6-1 in the region, 7-2 overall) faces a Dunwoody team that has lost its last six games and allowed 49 points a game in the six losses, including 52 last week against Alpharetta. The Gladiators won 59-7 last week against North Atlanta, amassing 528 yards on offense and scoring two touchdowns on defense.

West Hall at Blessed Trinity

The Titans (3-0, 7-2) put themselves into position to win the region with a 28-26 win over Marist two weeks ago, and can wrap up the title with a victory Friday over West Hall (2-1, 6-3), which lost to Marist 43-3 earlier in the season.

If West Hall wins, there will be a 3-way tie for first, but BT is unbeaten this season against teams from Georgia, including wins against opponents from larger classifications, while West Hall has played a much weaker schedule.

Fellowship Christian at Mt. Zion (Carrollton)

The two teams won their respective sub-regions in 6-A and play Friday in Carrollton for the region title in a battle of the unbeaten. Fellowship (9-0) is fourth in the private school power rankings while Mt. Zion (9-0) is the No. 1 team in the public school rankings.

Win or lose, Fellowship should get a home game in the first round of the state playoffs in two weeks after the Paladins’ first winning season since they went 11-2 and reached the state quarterfinals in 2007.

Milton at North Forsyth

The Eagles rallied from a 17-0 halftime deficit last week to defeat likely 5-AAAAAAA champion Lambert 20-17, but still need a win Friday to get the region’s No. 4 seed in the playoffs.

Milton (2-2, 4-5) will tie for third in the region with a win Friday, but lost to both of the teams it could end up tied with. North Forsyth (1-3, 4-5) has given up 145 points the last three weeks in losses against the region’s top three teams.

North Atlanta at Cambridge

The Bears will clinch at least a tie for third in 7-AAAAAA with a victory against an opponent that is winless in seven region games and has been routed on several occasions in region play. This will be the first state playoff appearance for Cambridge (5-2, 5-4), which would be tied for first in the region except for a 21-19 loss to Alpharetta two weeks ago.

Chattahoochee at Alpharetta

The Raiders could have already wrapped up a region title, but lost 31-30 in overtime to Centennial and 20-14 against John Creek when they were stopped inside the Gladiators' 5-yard line on the last play of the game.

Alpharetta (5-2, 6-3) will get the No. 3 seed in the region with a win Friday, with Cambridge the No. 4 seed. Chattahoochee (4-3, 5-4) needs an upset to tie the Raiders in the standings and get the No. 4 seed, and will need its best defensive effort of the season to have a shot. The Cougars have yet to slow down the offense of a quality opponent, but the Raiders have had occasional offensive struggles.

Mount Pisgah at Trion

The two 6-A opponents play in a region cross-over game, with both needing wins to have any chance of qualifying for the state playoffs. The Patriots (5-3) are 18th in the private school power rankings, and can move into the top 16 and make the playoffs with a victory. Trion (5-4) is 25th among the public schools and must win Friday if it has any chance to move into the top 16.

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