HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Americus-Sumter wraps up first region title

For the first time since consolidation, Americus-Sumter has itself a region football championship.

The Panthers (7-2, 6-0 region) wrapped up the GHSA Region 1-4A title Thursday with a 33-9 win at Columbus. They close the regular season this Friday at home against Carver-Columbus.

Since Americus and Sumter County consolidated in 2004, the program recorded three second-place finishes but no region titles. Americus won three straight region titles from 2000-02, winning state titles in 2000 and 2001.

Americus-Sumter hosts the No. 4 seed from Region 2-4A in the first round of the playoffs. Potential opponents include Howard, Spalding, Upson-Lee and West Laurens.

In the playoffs

Lee County didn’t play in Week 11 but the Trojans wrapped up a playoff spot, thanks to someone who gave them a bit of heartburn two weeks ago.

Cory Munson, whose 59-yard field goal sent Lee County’s game with Northside-Warner Robins to overtime before the Trojans pulled out the victory, gave the Eagles a 17-14 win over Houston County on Friday with a 33-yard field goal as time expired.

Houston County’s loss ensures Lee County will head to the playoffs. And, thanks to Coffee’s 37-14 win over Valdosta, this Friday’s Coffee-Lee County game in Leesburg will be for the GHSA Region 1-6A title.

More title action

Week 12 also will bring a region championship game in GHSA Region 1-1A, with teams with identical records meeting in Camilla.

Pelham (7-1, 7-0) survived a test from Seminole County on Friday, winning 26-18. Mitchell County, meanwhile, rolled to a 43-0 win over Baconton Charter to match Pelham’s record.

GISA Playoffs

Southland earned a 35-24 victory at Trinity Christian-Dublin on Friday in the first round of the GISA Class 3A playoffs.

Clay Owens ran for 134 yards and three touchdowns in the win, a game in which the Raiders led 7-3 at halftime. Southland travels to Trinity Christian-Sharpsburg next Friday for a quarterfinal matchup.

Also in Class 3A, Valwood beat Edmund Burke 49-7 to set up a quarterfinal home game with John Milledge, while Tiftarea ended its season with a 49-36 loss at Frederica.

In Class 2A, Terrell Academy won its first-round game over First Presbyterian Christian by forfeit, sending Terrell to a quarterfinal meeting this Friday at Briarwood. Westwood ended its season with a 46-0 loss at Memorial Day, while Brentwood beat Piedmont 43-7 to set up a quarterfinal meeting this Friday at Southwest Georgia.

The GISA championship games will take place Nov. 17 at Five Star Stadium in Macon.

GICAA Playoffs

Sherwood Christian wrapped up a winless regular season with a 42-10 loss to Georgia Christian, but the Eagles will head to the playoffs with a first-round game next Friday at Fullington.

In other first-round action, Creekside Christian will host Covenant Academy, Life Christian will travel to Horizon Christian and Griffin Christian will host King’s Academy. Skipstone, Calvary Christian, Georgia Christian and Community Christian drew first-round byes.

The GICAA championship game will be played Nov. 24 at the site of one of the participating teams.

Around the Albany Area

Westover beat Shaw 26-0 on Thursday to keep alive the possibility of a fourth-place tie in GHSA Region 1-4A … Crisp County, ranked seventh in GHSA Class 3A, beat Dougherty 44-6 to clinch the Region 1-3A title and to lock the Trojans into the No. 4 playoff seed from that region … Calhoun County snapped a four-game losing streak with a 21-16 win over Terrell County … Pataula Charter completed a season sweep of Cross Keys, winning 47-19 to guarantee at least a two-win season for the second-year program.

Around Southwest Georgia

GHSA Region 1-7A: Lowndes wrapped up a 10-0 regular season and a region title in dramatic fashion, rallying from a two-touchdown deficit to beat Colquitt County 51-45 in double-overtime.

GHSA Region 1-5A: Warner Robins rolled past Veterans 56-17 to improve to 9-0 and set up a region championship game next Friday at McConnell-Talbert Stadium against Bainbridge … Bainbridge recorded 510 yards of total offense in a 40-13 win over Harris County, with Dameon Pierce running for 169 yards and a score.

GHSA Region 1-4A: Cairo beat Northside-Columbus 35-31 to wrap up the No. 2 playoff spot … Hardaway played Carver-Columbus on Saturday.

GHSA Region 1-3A: Cook topped Berrien 35-18.

GHSA Region 1-2A: Thomasville trailed by three touchdowns at halftime but rallied to beat Brooks County 23-20 in Quitman to improve to 9-0 heading into a game this Friday against Fitzgerald that will determine the region title … Fitzgerald beat Early County 44-0.

GHSA Region 1-1A: Chattahoochee County beat Randolph-Clay 49-26 to improve to 6-3 overall … Miller County is also 6-3 overall following a 47-0 win over Stewart County.