GA Power 25: Week 8

The end of the regular season is now in clear focus and the battle for region titles is heating up across the state. This week is of particular importance is our Power 25 because of the implications. As we detail below, there are some very intriguing Power 25 matchups this week that will more than likely determine who will be crowned region champ. You can see how teams stack up across the classifications by viewing our GHSA Class 7A-1A Polls.

Here are the top headlines coming out of the eighth week of the season, April 5 to April 11.

Region Showdowns

+ No. 1 Buford (25-0) v No. 3 Winder-Barrow (19-2) - We talked last week about how the remaining games on Buford’s schedule were all against Power 25 teams. Well, the Wolves did what they have done all year in their first hurdle against No. 18 Brookwood. They picked up two Ws, defeating the Broncos 5-1, 8-1. This week Buford will go toe-to-toe with No. 3 Winder-Barrow in a three game series that will decide the region champion.

Winder-Barrow suffered defeat midweek to a Peachtree Ridge team that has had the Bulldogs name all year, handing them both their losses. It shouldn’t be hard for Winder-Barrow to regroup for the upcoming series given how much is on the line.

Dylan Lesko and co. vs. Brady House and co., No. 1 in the 2022 class v. No. 1 in the 2021 class.

+ No. 4 Grayson (19-3) v No. 18 Brookwood (15-9) - The Rams rise to their highest ranking yet at No. 4. Grayson has been a top-10 team since our March 8th date and show no signs of slowing down, picking up three more wins last week over North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge and Etowah. The Rams will have a big region showdown with No. 18 Brookwood.

Brookwood on the other hand has to bounce back quickly from a three game losing streaking, dropping games to Mountain View and Buford (2) last week. The region title is still in play for both teams, but they will need Parkview to drop some games in order to overtake them, in addition to a sweep in this series.

+ No. 5 Loganville (19-5) v Walnut Grove - The Red Devils are one of the hottest teams in the state, winners of nine straight. Loganville have picked up some impressive victories as of late with wins over Parkview, Jackson County (2), Collins Hill, and No. 16 Marist, leading to their jump from 10 to 5 over the past two weeks.  They will look to keep pace with No. 10 Greenbrier in Region 8 as they have Walnut Grove in a two game series. Walnut Grove’s only two region losses are to Greenbrier, so these games will be crucial to both teams.

+ No. 7 Allatoona (19-5) v No. 8 Pope (18-4) - Monday night’s matchup between Allatoona and Pope will likely decide the Region 6 champion. Allatoona took the first game between the two last month, 5-0. That will certainly give the Buccaneers confidence.

However, since that loss to Allatoona, Pope has been playing like a team possessed. They rattled off seven straight wins, outscoring opponents 62-6, before dropping an extra inning game to Harrison 11-4 last Friday.

+ No. 10 Greenbrier (18-4) v Apalachee - As we detailed above when we were talking about Loganville, every game from here on out in 5A-Region 8 will be critical. Greenbrier and Loganville are tied at the top at 9-1, splitting their season series. The Wolfpack have not lost a game since that series. This week, they will look to keep things rolling against an Apalachee squad that could spring a surprise, especially if RHP Manning West (Apalachee; Oklahoma State) is on his game.

Big Movers

+ No. 17 River Ridge (19-4) - The Knights move from No. 23 up to No. 17 after a 2-1 week. The highlight of the week was River Ridge’s walk off win over No. 12 Woodstock on Saturday afternoon. As has been the case all season long, the Knights thrive in close ball games. They sit firmly in 1st place of 6A-Region 7 with a four game lead and six left to play. With a couple wins this week, River Ridge could clinch.

+ No. 20 Perry (18-3) - The Panthers are on the rise from No. 25 to No. 20. Perry picked up a hugely impressive victory over No. 25 West Laurens. They came back from a 9-2 deficit in the 6th inning to steal the game 10-9. Perry did drop a game the following day against No. 9 Houston County as the Bears pulled away late to win 12-1. The Panthers control their own destiny in 4A-Region 4 with four region games remaining, including a season finale against West Laurens.

Teams to Watch

There were no newcomers to the Power 25 this week, but there is a group of teams sitting just on the outside looking in. Keep an eye on the following teams to make the jump into the Power 25 in the closing weeks of the season: Wayne County (18-5), East Coweta (18-6), Cartersville (19-7), Troup County (20-2), Jefferson (18-7), East Paulding (18-7), Wesleyan (18-4), Calhoun (15-6), Walton (16-8), Cherokee (16-8), South Effingham (17-6), South Paulding (16-5), Mill Creek (16-9), Franklin County (21-3), Mary Persons (20-4), Harlem (18-4), North Hall (17-4), Hart County (17-5), Gordon Lee (20-2), Vidalia (18-4), Bainbridge (14-3)

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