GHSA finalizes new regions for next cycle

With the GHSA Executive Committee ratifying things last Monday, local schools now know their new region alignments for the next two-year classification cycle (2022-2024).

Region 6-AAA will now be home to five of the six GHSAmember schools from Catoosa and Walker Counties with Gordon Lee joining LaFayette, LFO, Ridgeland and Ringgold in an eight-team region that will also include Adairsville, Bremen and Coahulla Creek.

Heritage will continue to be a part of Region 7-AAAA, along with holdovers Cedartown, Central-Carroll, Northwest Whitfield and Southeast Whitfield. They will be joined in the region by Sonoraville, who moved up from Class AAA. Pickens, like Ridgeland, will be moving down to Class AAA.

With Gordon Lee moved out of Class AA, where it had been placed last month, Region 7-AA will now include Fannin County, Gordon Central, Haralson County, Model, Murray County, North Murray and Rockmart.

Region 7-A, Division 1 (Large School) will have a lineup of Armuchee, Chattooga, Coosa, Dade County, Dalton Academy, Darlington, Pepperell and Trion. Dalton Academy is the only non football-playing school in the group.

In Region 7-A, Division 2 (Small School), Bowdon, Christian Heritage and Mt. Zion-Carroll will be the only three football-playing schools in a region that will also include Atlanta Classical Academy, Ben Franklin Academy, DeKalb School for the Arts, Excel Christian, Fulton Leadership Academy, Georgia School for the Deaf, Greenforest Christian, Southwest Atlanta Christian, W.D. Mohammed and Woody Gap.

In local regions for larger classifications in the northwest part of the state, Calhoun, Cartersville, Cass, Dalton, Hiram and Woodland-Cartersville will make up Region 7-AAAAA, while Rome will join Allatoona, Creekview, Etowah, River Ridge, Sequoyah and Woodstock in Region 6-AAAAAA.