It’s time to do a little prognosticating.
The first round of the Class 3A playoffs begin this weekend with 32 teams trying to begin a long march toward Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Class 3A championship game Dec. 18.
All of the ranked teams advanced to the playoffs. Defending champion Cedar Grove is 3-6 and enters the postseason for the first time in years without any conversation about a deep playoff run. Since 2016, Cedar Grove has won five titles and advanced to the state championship game, the quarterfinals or the semifinals every season since 2015.
The field appears to be a little more balanced this season. The envelope, please ...
The favorite: Top-ranked Peach County is 9-1 and trying to begin another storied run. The Trojans won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 under Rance Gillespie and another in 2009 under Chad Campbell. Peach lost in championship games in 2011, 2017 and 2018 under Campbell. Now, it is Marquis Westbrook’s turn. Westbrook coached Warner Robins to two state championships and four finals appearances during his four-year tenure with the Demons. He coached Peach last season to a first-round exit after a four-overtime thriller against then No. 4 Savannah Christian, capping a disappointing 4-7 season. The Trojans are in the top-right quadrant with No. 8 Calhoun (7-3) and No. 9 Douglass (7-3). The first-round opponent is Chestatee (5-5).
The darkhorse: No. 6 Westover. If there was a team that is capable of busting a few brackets, it would be Westover. The Patriots are grouped in the top-left quadrant with No. 3 Jefferson, No. 4 Oconee County and No. 5 Cherokee Bluff. Westover is 9-1, with a 55-36 loss at Peach County on Sept. 28. Westover was ranked No. 10 until beating then-No. 8 Cairo 29-10 in the regular-season finale. Sophomore back Dominique Ball has 278 carries for 1,793 and a team-leading 26 touchdowns. Junior quarterback Keyon Thomas is 73-of-137 passing for 1,122 yards and 13 touchdowns to six different receivers. Westover plays Luella in the first round, then the Monroe Area/Cherokee Bluff winner.
Road trip: Northwest Whitfield (8-2) will travel 5-plus hours and 347 miles from Tunnel Hill, several miles from the Tennessee border, to Jenkins, a school in Savannah mere miles from the sea. If the team wants to write history with the school’s deepest playoff run, it needs two victories. Jenkins is also 8-2 and coming off a quarterfinal berth in Class 5A last season. ... Another traveler, in the opposite direction, sends Southeast Bulloch to Heritage-Catoosa on a 321-mile, 5-hour trip. Southeast Bulloch is 8-2 with memories of distant championships faded. The Yellow Jackets lost in the 1971 championship game and then won back-to-back titles in 1972 and 1973. Since 1974′s quarterfinal berth, Southeast Bulloch has not advanced past the first round, other than 2021′s second-round exit. Heritage is 6-4 and has lost in the first round every season since 2017.
Class 3A first-round schedule
Top-left
Monroe at No. 3 Jefferson
No. 4 Oconee County at Westside-Augusta
Luella at No. 6 Westover
Monroe Area at No. 5 Cherokee Bluff
Bottom-left
Gilmer at North Hall
Long County at Upson-Lee
LaGrange at Lumpkin County
Adairsville at No. 2 Sandy Creek
Top-right
Chestatee at No. 1 Peach County
West Laurens at Baldwin
No. 10 Cairo at No. 9 Douglass (5:30 p.m., Sat.,)
Spalding at No. 7 Calhoun
Bottom-right
Whitewater at No. 8 Stephenson
Northwest Whitfield at Jenkins
Southeast Bulloch at Heritage-Catoosa
Cedar Grove at Harlem
