PREP FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Monroe finds themselves in familiar situation

ALBANY — For the second consecutive year, Monroe’s playoff fate will be decided by the final game of the subregion schedule. If the Tornadoes beat Crisp County Thursday night at Hugh Mills Stadium, they will finish no worse than second in the region and be at home in the first round of the state playoffs on Nov. 13.

Last year, Monroe also had a 5-3 overall record and 2-1 subregion record before playing Crisp with a chance to make the postseason. The Tornadoes lost 14-6 and missed out.

“I think it was a learning experience,” Monroe coach Charles Truitt said. “I’m hoping we have better results and a better turnout this upcoming week so we don’t have that same feeling that we had last year.”

Monroe kept their playoff hopes alive by beating Cairo 16-14 on a last-second field goal last Friday. It was the Tornadoes’ second subregion win in a row.

“It was a situation where the kids kept fighting and kept believing,” Truitt said. “My coaches also kept everything together and we were able to win at the end. It was a situation where we knew we needed to win and the kids just didn’t give up.”

Deerfield-Windsor plays for region championship

The winner of Friday’s matchup between Deerfield-Windsor and Valwood will be crowned the Georgia Independent Schools Association Region 3-AAA champion and earn home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Both teams enter the game with a 5-0 record in region play.

“We are excited about it,” Deerfield-Windsor coach Allen Lowe said. “It is a good test for us going into the playoffs. Valwood has a great football team. We will be excited to play and I know they will be. I think it is going to be a good battle for both of us leading into playoffs.”

Lowe said the atmosphere at this week’s practice has reflected the magnitude of the game.

“They know they’ve got a great football team coming in and they want to go out and play well,” Lowe said. “I think it is a great tune up for both teams.”

After dropping two of their first four games of the year, the Knights hit their stride in region play winning three of their five games by 20 or more points.

The last time the Knights finished undefeated in region play was in 2012. They eventually went on to become the state champions.

Patriots playoff hopes still alive

Westover has a chance to shake up the playoff picture on Friday night. With a win over Bainbridge, the Patriots could create a three-way tie in Region 1-AAAA Subregion B.

It will be no easy task for Westover as Bainbridge is 8-0 on the season and 3-0 in subregion play.

“To beat Bainbridge, we will probably have to play the best we have played in the history of this football program,” Westover coach Octavia Jones said. “Bainbridge is, I think, the best team in the region and their record shows that. We are going to have to be fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball and play a perfect game.”

The Patriots opened the season with four consecutive losses but have since turned things around. They have won two of their last three games including last week’s game against Dougherty.