Many northwest Georgia teams still have playoff chances

photo Ridgeland High School's Ivy Boehm (10) hands the ball off to Ridgeland High School's Chris Henderson (45) in this file photo.

Some of their situations may seem dire, but the great majority of football teams in the northwest Georgia area still have postseason lives to play for with three Friday nights to go in the regular season.

In Region 7-AAAA only Cartersville has clinched a playoff berth and only LaFayette is officially out. In fact, six teams can still decide their own fate, including a pair of teams sitting at 1-3 in league play, Ridgeland and Northwest Whitfield, that square off tonight in Rossville.

"I think Northwest and us are in the same boat in that we have to win out, but right now we're just worried about surviving Friday night," Ridgeland coach Mark Mariakis said.

Added Northwest coach Josh Robinson, whose team has played in recent weeks with seven starters sidelined with injury, "Us, Ridgeland, Heritage and Southeast all control our own destinies, and after the injuries we've been hit with I guess that's all you can ask."

Gilmer County and Pickens County each sits at 3-1, with Southeast Whitfield and Heritage at 2-2 in a league that will take at least four wins to advance. Of note is that Ridgeland's one win was over Pickens, while Heritage defeated Ridgeland and Southeast beat Heritage. Heritage's Generals face both Pickens and Gilmer, so second place is still within reach.

In Region 6-AAA, Calhoun has taken control and Adairsville, at 4-1, is in good shape. The next four teams -- Ringgold, Sonoraville, North Murray and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe -- each has three league wins. Ringgold's second-half rally to down Sonoraville last week looms large for the No. 3 seed, while Sonoraville owns a win over North Murray.

The Mountaineers, however, are still very much alive with games remaining against contenders Adairsville and Ringgold.

"If we win out we finish second," North Murray coach David Gann said. "We have to beat Adairsville head to head Friday, and they're a very quality football team. If we lose to Adairsville and beat Gordon Central and Ringgold we would be fourth. Obviously we're very excited about that, but I don't want the kids to think if we lose Friday we're out."

The Ringgold at North Murray game in week 10 could well be for a playoff spot, while an LFO upset of Sonoraville tonight would further shake things up.

In 7-AA, two teams left for dead are still in the hunt. Chattooga is quietly 2-1 in league play and could solidify its position with a win over 2-2 Model tonight. Likewise, Dade County is alive, though the 1-2 Wolverines need an upset at 3-0 Coosa tonight or a lot of help to advance. Dade and Chattooga face off next week in what could be a crucial game.

"We're in the hunt and that's what we told the kids all week," Chattooga coach Charles Hammon said. "If we play with the chip we had on our shoulders last week against Gordon Lee, we can make a lot of things happen."

The area's two Class A teams, Christian Heritage and Trion, each needs help to make the playoffs in the GHSA's power ranking system. The Dalton-based Lions are 17th in the private school rankings and only the top 16 make it, while Trion's Bulldogs, after a strong start, are 21st on the public side.

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.

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