These are last night’s key results and the impact they had on region standings, as well as a look forward to next Friday’s key games

After scoring 3 touchdowns last night Burke County's Leon Mcgee will look ahead to Richmond's visit Friday.

Last night, the first Friday night when ALL teams had finally begun region play, brought results that make me look forward to next Friday when the race for a region championship will continue to unfold before wrapping up in less than a month. Home games in the state playoffs are awarded to the top two finishers in each region. So a 1-0 or 2-0 start to a region schedule with 4 or 5 games on it can be just the kind of beginning a team needs to eventually achieve its regular season goals. Here are some of results of interest from Friday night, whether it be because of the outcomes themselves, or what those results means for next Friday’s region matchup:

Wins by South Aiken, North Augusta, and Aiken set up a possible log jam near the top of SC region

The most interesting results from Friday night, because they put in place the dynamics for what will be next Friday’s most anticipated matchup, came from South Carolina’s class 4A, region 5. South Aiken’s 40-35 home win over Brookland-Cayce extended the Thoroughbreds’ winning streak to 4 games for the region’s leader after two weeks of league play.

To stay on top, South Aiken will have to defeat North Augusta at home next Friday. The Yellow Jackets topped Airport 28-10 last night, doing their part to make next Friday’s game matter even more than the matchup between fierce rivals would mean if the top spot in the standings weren’t on the line.

A South Aiken win would mean a 3-0 start in a 5 game region race and it would put the Thoroughbreds firmly in front of the pack with two games remaining. That’s one scenario. On the other end of the spectrum of possibilities for next Friday is the chance that a North Augusta win over South Aiken, a Brookland-Cayce victory over Midland Valley, and an Aiken win at Airport would be the path to a four way tie for first place with 2 weeks remaining.

Not many people would have expected Aiken to have the chance to compete for a top 2 spot in this region. Last night’s 41-14 win over Midland Valley was the first win in 2 years for the Hornets. But the 2018 region records are all that matter now. And the Hornets, which have one of the area’s most exciting offensive attacks behind the brilliant quarterback play of Korey Wallace, have gained solid momentum. Last night’s win was preceded by a 35-34 loss at South Aiken the prior week, providing proof during the last 10 days that Aiken will be a factor during the league’s final three weeks of competition.

Baldwin and Burke County have sprinted ahead; Richmond and Thomson will try to catch up

Georgia’s class 4A, region 3 race broke into a sprint immediately out of the starting block last night when Baldwin ended Richmond’s undefeated start to the season with a 28-21 come from behind overtime road win.



Now Baldwin gets the chance to earn its way to a 2-0 start if the Braves are able to grab a second road win in two weeks when they invade Thomson. The Bulldogs, who were off Friday, will try to do what Baldwin appears to have done, which is to benefit from the experience of playing a pre-region schedule against state wide powers, and to round into shape and play at a high level now that league play has arrived.

Meanwhile, Richmond will find itself in the unenviable position of needing a win in Waynesboro against our wide area’s best team in order to not fall to 0-2 in the region standings. #9 Burke County won its fifth straight game last night, a 41-7 decision over Cross Creek to open region play.

Lakeside, Grovetown, and Greenbrier all start region play with wins

Three of our area’s four representatives in the six team class 6A, region 3 mix opened league play with a win Friday. Grovetown shut out Alcovy 18-0, and Greenbrier went on the road to top Heritage 21-10. Those results set up an intriguing Warriors-Wolfpack showdown at Greenbrier next Friday, a game that will be televised on WJBF.

The winner of that game will have made a 2-0 beginning to a 5 game region schedule. Lakeside will try to do the same in a road game at Alcovy after the Panthers knocked off bitter rival Evans 28-20 at home last night.

Hephzibah's in the driver's seat for a top 2 spot after a key win, and Aquinas, although undefeated, still has plenty of work ahead

Hephzibah made a huge stride in its bid to lock up a top two spot in class 2A, region 4 with a 20-14 win over Harlem last night. The Rebels will control their own destiny if they are able to defeat their three remaining opponents, Westside, Laney, and Josey, which between them have only managed 3 wins in 12 tries. Jefferson County continued its sprint away from the region pack last night with a 45-12 win over Laney.



Even Aquinas (class 1A, region 7), which extended its undefeated start to the season to 6 games with a dominant 47-7 pounding of Washington-Wilkes (see highlights above), has plenty of work yet to do if the Irish are to be crowned the region champion. The fun will continue for Aquinas next Friday when Hancock Central, which has only lost once in region play, visits Augusta. And two weeks from now, Aquinas will visit Greene County, which has let to lose in the league.