The GHSA football playoffs are right around the corner, and Bartow County teams still have much to decide. The good news is that you won’t have to wait long to discover the team seedings.
Class AAA Region 6
The Adairsville Tigers hold an undefeated region record and are set to face Bremen next Friday night. However, the Bremen Blue Devils also maintain an unblemished record. Both teams secured convincing victories in their recent games, with Adairsville defeating Gordon Lee 40-7 and Bremen overpowering Coahulla Creek 44-7. The victor of this match will likely be crowned the region champion, as both teams have favorable matchups to conclude their regular seasons on November 3rd, the final week of the regular season.
Adairsville is expected to be the favored team in the contest, but a blowout shouldn’t be anticipated. Assuming both teams win their final regular-season games (which is highly likely), the winner will claim the No. 1 seed, while the runner-up will secure the No. 2 seed in the state playoffs.
Class AAAAA Region 7
Class AAA Region 6 presents a clear picture, but the same cannot be said for the region featuring three local teams: Cartersville, Cass, and Woodland. Cartersville and Cass, in particular, feature high-profile games as the regular season comes to an end. Let’s examine the scenarios:
Cartersville vs. Dalton
This game will determine the region winner. The victor will earn the No. 1 seed, while a Cartersville loss will relegate them to the No. 2 seed. Cartersville is likely to be the favored team in this contest, but not heavily so. Looking at future spreads, it appears Cartersville will be favored by a margin of 7 to 10 points. The Canes have shown vulnerability this season in close contests against Calhoun, Cass, and Hiram, but they managed to secure victories in those games.
Cass vs. Calhoun
The Colonels undoubtedly field one of the most talented teams but have struggled to gain momentum in 2023. They suffered lopsided defeats to Dalton and Hiram in back-to-back weeks after nearly upsetting Cartersville. Injuries have played a role in Cass’s recent struggles, but that won’t deter them from viewing this year as a “playoffs or bust” situation. Both teams need to win to secure playoff spots. Cass is likely to be the underdog by approximately 14 points. To defeat the Yellow Jackets next Friday night, the Colonels will need to replicate the tenacity and execution they displayed against Cartersville. If Cass wins, they will be the No. 4 seed. If Calhoun wins, we’ll address this in the following section.
What Happens If
Let’s hope for both a Cartersville win and a Cass win to rally the community behind three local teams in the playoffs. However, if that scenario doesn’t materialize, some chaos may ensue.
Should Cartersville and Calhoun emerge as victors, Cartersville will secure the No. 1 seed, but other seedings will require further consideration. According to a local coach, the point differentials between Calhoun, Dalton, and Hiram will determine the No. 2 seed, while the head-to-head results between the remaining two teams will dictate the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds. Here’s how the point spreads would break down for the three teams:
– Calhoun: +14
– Dalton: -3
– Hiram: -11
This means Calhoun would claim the No. 2 seed due to their superior point differential in the matchups. Hiram would secure the No. 3 seed, and Dalton would take the No. 4 seed, as Hiram defeated Dalton 49-39 in their matchup on September 29th.
You can hear all of these games on different mediums on Friday. WBHF carries Cartersville and Dalton with pregame coverage beginning at 6:00 PM from Scott’s Walk-Up BBQ. Cass hosting Calhoun can be heard by streaming Bartow Sports Zone, while Adairsville hosting Bremen can be streamed on the Adairsville Sports Network. Finally, Woodland can play a bit of a spoiler role against Hiram and can be streamed on Bartow Sports Zone 2. The latter three all have pregame coverages that begin at 7:00 PM. All four are set to kickoff at 7:30 PM.