GHSA sets proposed regions, appeals to be heard Thursday

Just hours after finalizing the new classifications for the upcoming two-year cycle, the GHSA announced its proposed region alignment for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years on Thursday afternoon.

With Ridgeland and Pickens dropping to Class AAA, Region 7-AAAA will be comprised of holdovers Cedartown, Central-Carroll, Heritage, Northwest Whitfield and Southeast Whitfield, while Sonoraville is slated to join them after moving up from Region 6-AAA. Pickens has been placed in Region 7-AAA with rival Gilmer, among others.

In addition to Sonoraville leaving Region 6-AAA, Rockmart dropped down and will now be in Region 5-AA with Callaway, Haralson County, Heard County and Temple.

However, that region will no longer include Bremen, who was bumped up to AAA. The Blue Devils will be heading back to Region 6-AAA where they competed in 2016-17 and 2017-18 as part of what was then a subdivided region. Ridgeland will be joining that region, which will also include holdovers Adairsville, Coahulla Creek, LaFayette, LFO, Murray County, North Murray, and Ringgold.

Region 7-AA will stay mostly the same for football with Chattooga, Coosa, Dade County, Gordon Central, Model, and Pepperell comprising the lineup. The big change comes as Fannin County, back-to-back region champions in football, has been moved to Region 8-AA in northeast Georgia. Another local school, Dalton Academy (formerly Morris Innovative), has moved up from Class A and will be in the region, though it is a non-football school.

A new Region 7-AAAAA will feature Calhoun, Cartersville, Cass, Dalton, Hiram, Villa Rica, and Woodland (Cartersville). Rome will be in Region 6-AAAAAA along with Allatoona, Creekview, Etowah, River Ridge, Sequoyah, and Woodstock, while Christian Heritage’s new Region 7-A Private will also feature Darlington, Excel Christian (non-football), Mt. Paran Christian, and North Cobb Christian.

With B.E.S.T. Academy of Atlanta moving back up to AA, Region 6-A Public will have only five footballplaying schools — Armuchee, Bowdon, Gordon Lee, Mt. Zion-Carroll, and Trion. Other schools in the region are Atlanta Classical Academy, DeKalb School for the Arts, Drew Charter School, Fulton Leadership Academy, Georgia School for the Deaf, and Stilwell Arts.

The GHSA will hear appeals for lateral transfers to other regions in the same classification on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. Following the appeals process, the GHSA Executive Committee will verify the new region alignment.