Who’s in? Who’s out? Playoff possibilities for Columbus-area high school football teams
With the 2020 high school football regular season nearing its end in Georgia and concluded in Alabama, here’s where each Columbus area team stands in their quest for the playoffs.
All GHSA region standings via Georgia High School Association’s football standings page.
Alabama Class 7A
Central: The Red Devils are the No. 2 seed for Region 2 in the 7A playoffs. They beat Fairhope in the opening round, and face Theodore Nov. 13.
Playoff status: In
Smiths Station: The Panthers finished their season 4-6 and 1-5 in the region.
Playoff status: Out
Alabama Class 6A
Russell County: The Warriors finished winless in 2020.
Playoff status: Out
Georgia Class 5A
Per GHSA rules, the top four spots in the region advance to the playoffs.
Harris County: The Tigers are 3-1 in Region 2-5A after beating Northside and, with Whitewater’s loss to Starr’s Mill, moved to third in the region.
If the Tigers win out, they’ll finish no worse than second in the region behind Starr’s Mill. The Tigers face second-place Griffin next, and finish the regular season at home against Whitewater.
Playoff status: TBD but likely in.
Northside: Northside is sixth in Region 2-5A, behind Northgate, Harris County, Whitewater, Griffin and Starr’s Mill. The Patriots lost last week against Harris County, dropping to 1-4 in the region.
Playoff status: Out
Georgia Class 4A
Region 2-4A
Carver: The Tigers are tied for first place with Hardaway in Region 2-4A entering this week’s massive game against the Hawks, but much is still to be determined in the region.
Carver and Hardaway are 6-0 in the region. Carver then faces Troup, which is tied for second place with LaGrange, to close the regular season.
Playoff status: In
Hardaway: The Hawks are undefeated in the region and 7-1 overall. They face Carver this week in a game that could decide the region title. And the Hawks face a good LaGrange team, on the road, to end the regular season.
Playoff status: In
Troup: After opening the season with three straight losses, the Tigers have won four consecutive games and are in a great position.
The Tigers, third in the region since LaGrange has played (and won) one more game, face the Grangers this week before ending the season with games against Jordan and Carver, the latter of which was rescheduled.
Playoff status: In
LaGrange: At 4-1 in the region, LaGrange, like Troup, finds itself in a solid position.
The Grangers face Troup and Hardaway in back-to-back weeks to finish the regular season.
Playoff status: In.
Columbus: The Blue Devils fell to 2-4 in the region with last week’s loss to Carver.
Playoff status: Out
Jordan: At 2-5 in the region with just one game to play, Jordan is eliminated from playoff contention.
Playoff status: Out
Shaw: Shaw is eliminated from postseason contention at 2-4 in the region.
Playoff status: Out
Spencer: The Greenwave is 1-6 in the region.
Playoff status: Out
Kendrick: The Cherokees are 0-7 in the region.
Playoff status: Out
Georgia Class 2A
Callaway: Callaway is 5-0 overall but has played just one region game, so while the Cavaliers are expected to be a playoff lock — and one of the top teams in GHSA class 2A — their status is technically to be determined.
Playoff status: TBD
Georgia Class 1A
GHSA no longer uses the power rating system to determine playoff teams.
Region 5-1A Public
Chattahoochee County: ChattCo is 5-0 in Region 5-1A public and 7-0 overall with games against Greenville and Macon County on deck.
The only other unbeaten team in the region is Macon County, which the Panthers face to end the season. With two region games to play, ChattCo is officially in, but their playoff seeding is still up in the air.
Playoff status: In
Manchester: At No. 5 in the region with a 2-4 record, Manchester is on the outside looking in. The Blue Devils have one region games remaining: a trip to Schley County.
Playoff status: Out
Marion County: One spot ahead of Manchester in the standings is Marion, with a 3-2 region record. If the Eagles win out, they’re in.
Playoff status: TBD
Region 4-1A Private
Brookstone, Pacelli: Brookstone lost its region opener to Trinity Christian, while Pacelli beat Heritage.
The teams play each other for the Broocelli Jug on Nov. 13.
Playoff status: TBD
Georgia/Alabama Private
Calvary Christian: The Knights clinched the region title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a 40-14 drubbing of Community Oct. 30.
Playoff status: In
Glenwood: The Gators won their region and beat Clarke prep in the first round of the AISA state football playoffs. They face Morgan Academy this week.
Playoff status: In.
This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
