Phoenix facing an early-win Region game

Suddenly, the Sonoraville High School football team finds itself in a must-win situation.

Just two weeks ago, the Phoenix were on top of the football world — undefeated and unscored upon.

But now, after a pair of tough AAA Region 6 losses, they are 0-2 to start their league schedule and hope to get things back on track and keep their playoff hopes intact when they return to The Furnace Friday night to play Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, which is also winless in league play.

With a victory on Friday over LFO, the Phoenix can stop the bleeding and get right back in the middle of the playoff chase. They can also pretty much snuff any remaining playoff hopes the Warriors might have because they are presently 0-3 in the region.

On the other side, an LFO win would make the Phoenix 0-3 and their postseason aspirations would all but be out the window as well.

The Phoenix showed their fighting spirit last Friday night in a 27-20 loss to North Murray County, but a valiant comeback came up just short.

They fell behind 13-0 before their first score came midway through the second period on the first of three Jaxon Pate touchdown passes.

They also trailed 27-7 early in the fourth quarter before they scored two more touchdowns as the hosts had to hold on at the end to get the win.

They were hoping to get a chance to possibly tie the game and send it into overtime at the end, but North Murray recovered an onside kick and was able to run out the final 3:40 on the clock.

With three weeks of games in the books, Ringgold is off a 3-0 start with defending Region champ Rockmart and Adairsville sitting right behind the Tigers with 2-0 records.

LaFayette and North Murray are tied for fourth place with 2-1 records and Coahulla Creek is in sixth at 1-2.

The strength of the league has gotten noticed around the state with five of the nine teams ranked in the top 25.

Rockmart is the only one of the five in the top 10, sitting eighth in Georgia. The next three are all bunched together with Ringgold, which is 5-0 overall, 16th, North Murray 17th, and Adairsville, which is 4-0, 18th.

And Sonoraville, which is 2-2, rounds out the top 25 at number 25 in the