Sole possession, or at least a share, of first place will be on the line in six of the eight Class 6A regions Friday night in Week 9 of the high school football season.
Here are the six Class 6A games this week that will help determine the region front-runners. All games are Friday unless noted, and all are subject to change:
*Cambridge at Johns Creek: These north Fulton rivals are the only remaining unbeaten teams in Region 7, so the winner will claim sole possession of first place. Johns Creek is trying to win its fourth region title in six years, while Cambridge (5-0 for the first time) is seeking its first region title in the school’s 10 seasons. The loser will fall into a tie for second with the Riverwood-Creekview winner.
*Pope at Kennesaw Mountain: Pope is the only remaining unbeaten team in Region 6 after Kennesaw Mountain’s stunning loss to South Cobb last week. Either team can win the region championship by running the table, especially Kennesaw Mountain, which has two winnable games remaining. Pope would still need to beat Allatoona, which would have a path to the title if Pope wins this week.
*Lee County at Houston County: Second-ranked Lee County will begin defense of its four consecutive Region 1 titles when it meets Houston County in the teams’ region opener. Lee County has won 12 straight region games since a 2017 loss to Valdosta. Houston County has not had a winning record in region play since 2015, when quarterback Jake Fromm led the Bears to their only region title.
*Richmond Hill at Brunswick: Brunswick’s loss to Richmond Hill last year prevented the Pirates from winning their first region title since 2009. This year, a Brunswick victory would all but wrap up the undefeated Pirates’ title, especially if Effingham County loses to Glynn Academy this week. Richmond Hill, Glynn Academy, Effingham County and Statesboro have one loss each in region play.
*Shiloh at Buford: Shiloh is 2-0 in Region 8 games since starting the year 0-4, but the Generals will have a tough time keeping that perfect region record intact when they meet No. 1 Buford. The Wolves are 8-0 in region games since moving into 6A last year and 126-4 in all region games since 2001. The winner will move into a tie for first place in the region with Dacula, which has the week off.
*Lakeside-Evans at Evans: Evans is 21-3 in its last 24 region games and won three of the past four Region 3 titles, and the Knights are the region favorites again this year. Lakeside and Alcovy, both 1-0 in region play, represent Evans’ biggest hurdles. Lakeside is the only other team in the region with more than one win overall, and the Panthers have won six of their past 12 games against Evans.
