AAAA blog: Changes at the top in Region 7

Rome’s 16-0 victory against Lambert on Friday has made Region 7-AAAA full of possibilities  and no team stands to benefit more than defending state champion Chattahoochee.

The Cougars entered Friday’s games in a three-way tie for first place with Johns Creek and Lambert but looking at a possible No. 3 seed for the state playoffs because of the region tiebreakers (Chattahoochee, Johns Creek and Lambert are each 1-1 against the other two). However, Lambert’s loss left Chattahoochee tied with Johns Creek and holding the top spot because of its 19-16 victory in their head-to-head meeting on Sept. 30.

But Chattahoochee can’t celebrate yet. The Cougars conclude the regular season against Rome this Friday, and a loss could send them all the way to the No. 4 seed. Rome also clinched a playoff berth with its victory.

Other news of note:

• Region championship games set: Northgate claimed a spot in the 3-AAAA championship game against Alcovy with a 27-24 victory against Whitewater. Northgate (9-0 and ranked No. overcame a 17-0 third-quarter deficit to reach the title game, from which both teams are guaranteed a spot in the state playoffs. Whitewater will meet Griffin in a region play-in game, with the winner advancing to the playoffs. Upson-Lee will face Jones County in the other 3-AAAA play-in game. … The other region with a championship game is 2-AAAA, where fifth-ranked Ware County will face No. 4 Statesboro. Ware County clinched its subregion title with a 39-3 victory against Wayne County.
• Champions again: Northside-Warner Robins (1-AAAA), Lovejoy (4-AAAA) and Tucker (6-AAAA) all successfully defended their 2010 region titles with victories. Northside beat Northside-Columbus 38-12 to win its third consecutive title and 12th overall. Lovejoy recorded its fourth consecutive shutout, and seventh overall, to lock down its second title in a row. And Tucker’s 50-7 victory against Lithonia gave the Tigers their 14th region title.
• Showdown looms in 8-AAAA: Flowery Branch has won 66 percent of its games since starting the program in 2002. It has advanced to the state championship game (2008) and the semifinals (2009), and it has won 10 or more games in five of the past six seasons. But what it has never done is win a region championship. The third-ranked Falcons (9-0) can change that  if they can go to Athens and beat defending region champ Clarke Central (8-1). A victory by Clarke Central probably creates a three-way tie for first with Heritage-Conyers.
• Big numbers: Habersham Central has been involved in its share of high-scoring games this season, but none has matched the Raiders’ 47-45 victory against Loganville on Friday. In addition to the 92 points, the teams combined for 1,096 yards of total offense (644 for Loganville, 452 for Habersham), according to the Walton Tribune. Garrett Ford rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns for Loganville, and Juwann Saffold (177 yards) and Bernard Merriweather (116) both topped the 100-yard mark. Habersham’s Kevin Ellison had 230 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. … Carver-Atlanta (2-7), which is having its worst season since 2004, took out its frustrations on winless Lakeside-DeKalb with a 74-13 victory. The 74 points were the most ever scored against Lakeside, which has allowed 53 or more points in six of its nine games this season.