REGION 7-AAAA

Team to beat: Cedartown’s top-tier talent could cause problems for the rest of the region.

Watch out for: Ridgeland. The Panthers are going to cause trouble, too, behind a physical offensive line and a collection of playmakers that can rival Cedartown’s.

Best game: There are a lot of tasty matchups involving league teams, but the Cedartown at Ridgeland game on Oct. 30 should carry a lot of weight.

Dream schedule: The small region has created some interesting nonregion portions of schedules. Northwest may have the best of it, with Chattooga, Coahulla Creek and Gordon Central three of its four foes from outside the elague. The Bruins also get to host region dates with Cedartown and Ridgeland. Nightmare schedule: Say this for Ridgeland: The Panthers aren’t afraid of competition. They begin with state power Rabun County, follow with Class AAAAAA rival Dalton and end the nonregion portion of their regular season with a game at Calhoun. They are fortunate to get to host Cedartown and Heritage. Players to watch: The Cedartown duo of Jayden Johnson and C.J. Washington are elite prospects who star on both sides of the ball, as does Ridgeland’s Jeremiah Turner and newcomer KeSaun Eubanks. Heritage quarterback Nick Hanson will have a starring role this year, while linebacker Zach Brown is easily one of the region’s top tacklers. If you enjoy versatility, go watch Northwest’s Matthew Redmond, who will show up at running back, receiver, defensive back, punter and kick returner.