GA Power 25: April 15

April 15, 2019
By Andy Sroka
Staff Writer

The seventh edition of the GA Power 25 update is live.

Four teams were booted from the rankings which means we have four teams earning spots back on the rankings, three of which have been on the board already at some point this spring. This is the last week of action before the playoffs get going, so there’s a lot riding on this week’s slate of game – regional titles are on the line, and so are No. 1 seeds.

Let’s break it down.

TOP DOGS

Maybe it’s time we expand this section? Typically, there have two or three so-called “top dogs” on the GA Power 25, led by Blessed Trinity and Parkview most notably. But North Gwinnett has really earned a mention among this group and Pope is banging on the door again, too, playing great baseball down the stretch in an effort to secure a third straight state championship. And then there’s Winder-Barrow and Cartersville. Both programs have comfortably cruised over the past two or three weeks and deserve to be recognized as forces come playoff time. Let’s break down a few of these teams to provide a snapshot at the top of the GA Power 25.

+ No. 1 Blessed Trinity (22-5): Three more games, three more wins for the Titans. They won a pair of games against West Hall, both by 15-0 scores, and downed Chestatee, 4-2, on Friday. Blessed Trinity can wrap up the 4A Region 7 title this week in a pivotal two-game series with ranked and rising Marist. They'll play Chestatee this evening before meeting the other War Eagles on Wednesday and Thursday.

+ No. 2 Parkview (22-4): The Panthers earned the two-game sweep of Lakeside last week, a quality opponent. They have a quick doubleheader this evening against Central Gwinnett before meeting Brookwood for two games to close out regional play. It's very likely their two games with the Broncos will be a battle for the 7A Region 7 title, where both teams are undefeated. Obviously, they'll put that spotless mark on the line in the final series of the regular season.

+ No. 3 North Gwinnett (22-5): The Bulldogs won't budge from the No. 3 spot on the rankings despite dropping the final game of their series with ranked Mill Creek, 14-7. After handling the Hawks in the first two games, North Gwinnett has a firm grip on their region and they can neatly put the region away with just one win in their upcoming three-game series with Duluth.

+ No. 4 Pope (21-5): Pope is getting hot at the right, as per usual. They've won nine of their last 10 games, including five straight and three last week over North Atlanta, Northview, and Dunwoody. They have two games left on the regular season schedule, starting tonight against Centennial and Friday against Cambridge, two solid tests that should properly prepare them for the rigors of the postseason – not that the Greyhounds need the added experience.

+ No. 5 Winder-Barrow (21-3): Habersham Central provided Winder with a real test in their climb to the playoffs, and the Bulldoggs came away with a three-game sweep of the Raiders. They haven't lost since taking their trip to Hoover, Ala., back at the start of March, so that makes 13 straight wins. Winder-Barrow is really simmering down the stretch here and now that they've clinched the Region 8 title, their eyes are set on a deep postseason run.

+ No. 6 Cartersville (21-4): With three more regional games left on the Canes' schedule, Cartersville has half-game lead on Troup County. Cartersville is fresh off a two-game sweep of Sandy Creek and welcomes a tough Cedartown team to their home complex this evening. They'll wrap up the series with the Bulldogs on Wednesday before visiting Chapel Hill on Thursday, capping off their season with a non-regional game against River Ridge on Saturday.

RISING

+ No. 7 Hillgrove (22-5): Despite seeing the end of their lengthy win streak, Hillgrove's up a spot on the rankings after bouncing back from a series opening loss to North Paulding to take the final two games of the series, handing them the Region 3 steering wheel. One win in three tries this week over North Cobb clinches their regional title and a No. 1 seed in the state tournament, but the Warriors won't make it easy on them.

+ No. 8 Loganville (19-6): Tally four more big wins for the Red Devils last week, including a big 9-7 win over a red-hot ranked 7A Brookwood squad. They currently trail Walnut Grove on the Region 8 standings, but they've played three fewer regional games and they'll meet Walnut Grove to decide the region's winner on Wednesday and Friday.

+ No. 9 Walton (17-8-1): Walton took two of three from Lassiter to effectively clinch the Region 4 title. They have three more games in regional action against Cherokee this week, but just one win of those three nets them the region's crown. The Raiders were 4-4-1 in early March and they've gone 13-4 since, with a handful of quality GA Power 25 wins along the way. It's been an excellent season for the Marietta-area program, and there's more to come.

+ No. 11 Decatur (22-4): Arguably the biggest series of last week was Decatur's against Riverwood. Both teams were previously ranked back-to-back on the GA Power 25 and both teams were vying for the Region 6 title. Well, the Bulldogs earned the sweep in the two games, by 4-2 and 6-3 scores. Decatur's play this spring has been among the most fun things to watch on a week-to-week basis during this spring season and it'll be fun to continue to watch how far they can go. They're led by some high-octane juniors, and they play with an edge that makes them capable of beating anyone in the state.

+ No. 12 Brookwood (20-7): It'd be tough to really knock the Broncos hard for their narrow 9-7 loss to top-10-ranked Loganville. Brookwood is coming off a nine-game win streak and they're undefeated in Region 7 play. With wins over Buford, Flowery Branch, and Harrison this month, on top of a two-game sweep of Norcross last week, Brookwood still looks like 7A squad to be reckoned with. Their two games with Parkview to close out to the regular season will determine which of these GA Power 25 teams are going to finish as their region's winner.

+ No. 14 Marist (21-5): Marist is on a roll right now and they're even within reach of poaching the Region 7 title away from No. 1-ranked Blessed Trinity. Of course, in order to do so, they'd need to beat West Hall today and sweep the Titans in their two games on Wednesday and Thursday. Still, the War Eagles look like real 4A state champ contenders headed into postseason play.

RED HOT

+ No. 16 Starr’s Mill (24-3): It might be fair to call Starr's Mill the hottest team in the state. They're riding an 11-game win streak and have a pretty firm grip on the Region 3 title. They glided to a three-game sweep of Jonesboro last week and have a pretty compelling three-game series with Whitewater on the agenda to determine the winner of Region 3, where the Panthers are in cruise control.

+ No. 17 Heritage-Conyers (19-5): The Patriots earned three quality victories last week, defeating a talented Calhoun squad, shutting out Alcovy, and stomping Jackson, 12-2. The solid week of action boosts Heritage all the way up to the No. 17 spot on the rankings, six spots better than their spot last week. The 6A heavyweight is among the last teams you’d want to match up against in next week’s playoffs.

WELCOME…

+ No. 19 Kell (22-4): The Longhorns are 22-4 this spring and are among the hottest teams in the state, and probably deserved more recognition than our staff has given them thus far this spring. They, like Starr's Mill, are on an 11-game win streak, and won four times last week, including against Rome. Since their up and down February, Kell's lost just once since Feb. 26.

+ No. 21 Grayson (19-7): When the Rams were bounced from the GA Power 25 a few weeks back, it was a pretty hard-luck decision. But Grayson’s since proved us wrong and has climbed back on the board and is ranked No. 21 in the state as a result. An overwhelming three-game sweep of Shiloh really sets the tone for Grayson right now. Since a tough stretch back at the beginning of March, the Rams have come into their own and have earned a spot in the rankings during the final week of the regular season.

+ No. 22 Mountain View (19-7): The Bears spent the week outside the GA Power 25 but are right back on the board after a convincing three-game sweep of a skilled Peachtree Ridge team. They’re technically in the running for the Region 6 crown, but something major would have to happen to North Gwinnett in order for Mountain View to take advantage of that kind of fumble so close to the goaline. Still, the Bears look like the kind of team ready to get loud during the playoffs, regardless of where they’re seeded.

+ No. 24 Houston County (17-10): The other Bears on the board are from Houston County. They were ousted from the GA Power 25 back on the Week 3 update, but finally, they’re back. A slow start to the spring prevented them from finding their way back onto the rankings until right now, but the Bears just don’t know how to lose a series. They’re excellent at taking two of three, which is the kind of experience they’ll be grateful for one the playoffs are officially here. They have some big-time wins over the last couple weeks in particular and it’s helped them make a late charge up this board and at the top of their own region standings.

SO LONG…

+ Redan (17-9): The scrappy 3A school dropped all three of its games last week and is going to need to take some time to figure out how to get back on track in time for the playoffs. The late-season slump pushes them off the GA Power 25, but they can ensure they receive a No. 3 seed in the playoffs with a couple of wins over Westminster later this week. It's a hard-nosed squad, so we'll see if they're able to use this tough stretch as motivation into their playoff run.

+ Mill Creek (17-10): Losing two of three to a really good North Gwinnett team isn’t so bad, so it’s a tough punishment to land outside the GA Power 25 as a result. The Hawks are just right on the border of the rankings still, so there were a few teams that just edged past them on this update.

+ Thomas County Central (22-4): There’s just a few more teams in the 5A class with greater momentum, and a couple of losses last week sours what’s been a fantastic season for the Yellowjackets.

+ Ringgold (22-5): The 3A Tigers were our No. 25 team last week, so it’s tough to hang on to that final spot without putting together a perfect week. They did go 3-1 in last week’s action, but a 14-4 defeat to North Paulding was just enough to push them out of the top-25, unfortunately.