OAKWOOD, Ga. — When last we left the high school pitch, one Northeast Georgia-area team was hoisting a state title trophy, and two others dropped heartbreaking losses in the finals.
The Johnson boys captured their second Class 5A title in four years with a 4-2 win over St. Pius at McEachern Stadium. The Jefferson girls suffered a brutal 1-0 decision to Marist in the Class 4A finals, while the Commerce girls lost to Social Circle in a wild 6-4 match in Class A Public.
Five other teams advanced to the semifinals across the eight classifications and five more made it to the Elite 8. In all, 29 teams -- 16 girls and 13 boys -- made it to the GHSA playoffs in 2022.
The 2023 Georgia High School Association season, which officially opens on Monday, could be another banner year for area teams.
But GHSA reclassification has really created some brutal regions and some juggernaut classifications.
The Class 4A boys may now be the power center for the state -- and it will be a beast. Johnson was moved down and into Region 8-4A, which will now have the Knights, East Hall, a state semifinalist last season, and North Oconee, a quarterfinalist, all in one region.
SE Whitfield and NW Whitfield, both in Region 7-4A, have won four of the last five state titles in the classification. Southeast beat Northwest in the finals last season (2-1). With the addition of Johnson, which has won two titles in four years, three of the Final 4 may already be set, at least on paper.
“It’s going to be a really tough classification,” Johnson boys coach Frank Zamora said. “It also should be really fun -- for the players and the fans. Sometimes it just works out this way where you have so many good teams in one class. We’re excited about the opportunity and are ready to get the season going.”
The Knights return most of a talented roster from last year’s 22-1-1 squad, including seniors Jorge Sandoval, Ramon Aguilar, Christian Robles, and keeper Kristian Hernandez. Juniors Edgar Vazquez and David Arteaga and sophomores Daniel Trujillo, Jalil Chavez, and Andres Galicia, who were all instrumental in the title run, are back as well.
The Knights open their campaign on Tuesday against Class 6A Habersham Central in Mt. Airy before an 11-day stretch against Hall County rivals Flowery Branch (Feb. 3), Gainesville (Feb. 10) at home, and then West Hall (Feb. 14) on the road. The Spartans were a Class 3A semifinalist in 2022.
Other than their annual battle with Gainesville, the highlight of the Knights’ schedule will be a March 10 showdown against perennial power Dalton on the road. The Knights close out the season with home matches against North Oconee (March 28) and East Hall (March 31) that will more than likely determine the region champion.
Zamora knows they will have giant targets on their back every time they hit the field.
“We wanted a tough schedule to get us ready, and we did that, I think,” Zamora said. “We were able to keep all the great rivalry games in Hall County and add in Dalton, who we played last year [a 5-4 Knights’ win at The Dungeon]. Then you look at the region schedule with teams like North Oconee, East Hall, (Cherokee) Bluff and Chestatee -- we really don’t have an easy match on the schedule.
“But we have a lot of guys back that have a lot of experience in big games, and they wanted the challenge. We know everyone on our schedule will be trying to knock us off, and we expect to get everyone’s best game. That’s what makes it fun. This could be our toughest schedule ever, and we’re ready to see how we do.”
Gainesville and East Hall will kick off the season for area teams with a huge early showdown at East Hall Stadium on Monday as part of the new Copa 985 league. The Copa 985 league has area teams Cherokee Bluff, Chestatee, East Hall, Flowery Branch, Gainesville, Habersham Central, Johnson, and West Hall playing a 7-game match series with 5 separate trophies up for grabs at season's end.
The Jefferson girls pushed Marist to the wire in last year’s gut-wrenching loss in the Class 4A finals. Now, the Lady Dragons, along with Flowery Branch, have moved up to Class 5A and Region 8-5A in particular. Region 8-5A now houses five playoff teams from a year ago, and that’s after both Greenbrier and region champion Jackson County moved up to Class 6A.
Jefferson coach Molly McCarty will have eight key returnees, including starters Ella Parker, Molly Parker, Mackenzie Tooke, and keeper Ella Sellers. Kate James, Maggy Hopcraft, Bella Jube, and No. 2 keeper Zoey Short also return to give the Lady Dragons an experienced group.
It was the first-ever finals appearance for the Lady Dragons program, and McCarty wants to build on that.
“Our current seniors will have played in (classes) 3A, 4A, and now 5A,” McCarty said. “The quality of our overall program from 6th-12th is a reflection of (the) leadership and the buy-in from our community members, families and players. Our depth right now is giving us dynamic versatility.”
The Lady Dragons open on Tuesday at home against Class 7A Lambert, a playoff team from last year. They also could set the early tone in the region. They open 8-5A play on Feb. 16 on the road against Loganville. They take on rival Flowery Branch at home the following week.
“Our ultimate goal is to win the state championship,” McCarty said. “But we have a lot of soccer ahead of us that will be challenging in a brand new region and classification.”
The Buford girls also suffered a heartbreaking loss in the playoffs in 2022. The Lady Wolves went 21-1 but fell to Chattahoochee, 1-0, in the Class 6A quarterfinals.
They return a roster almost entirely comprised of underclassmen, with just two seniors in Mikiah Graves and Teresa Metz. Six sophomores -- Natalie DeBella, Emmie Henderson, Neely Kerr, Sophia Martelli, Izzy Skinner, and Sabrie Vargas -- who all saw significant action last season as freshmen, join nine juniors -- Addison Attaway, Ella Attaway, Skylar Gindlesperger, Kathleen Harvell, Abby Kilman, Shea Owings, Alina Pope, Alli Treadwell, and Yazzie Vargas -- for a deep, young, and talented roster.
Buford coach Megan Hill said her squad should be battle-tested for the state’s largest classification.
“(The girls) have been to the state playoffs two years in a row, so they have a lot of experience in those high-pressure moments, and they are eager for another opportunity,” Hill said.
Buford will be tested right out of the gate, opening the season on Tuesday at home against Class 5A state champ Chamblee [though the Lady Bulldogs had to vacate the title afterward] on Tuesday and then play host to defending Class 7A state champion West Forsyth on Friday.
They open 8-7A play against Mountain View on Feb. 24 on the road.
“We have loaded up our schedule to test our team early before starting our tough (Region 8-7A) schedule. We will be competing against a couple of (2022) state championship teams and several other powerhouse programs,” Hill said.
“We are excited for the 2023 season to officially kick-off. Let's be honest; many of us have been ready since our 2022 season ended, with us coming up short against Chattahoochee last year. But what is even more essential to reaching our goals and achieving excellence is that our players are excited, and they are hungry.”
Here is a look at how Northeast Georgia-area teams fared in the playoffs in 2022:
BOYS
-- Buford, now in Class 7A, lost in the first round in Class 6A.
-- Johnson beat St. Pius, 4-2, in the finals to capture the Class 5A state title, its second in four years. The Knights are now in Class 4A.
-- The East Hall boys lost 5-1 to state runner-up NW Whitfield in the Class 4A semifinals. Jefferson, the No. 2 seed from 8-4A, lost in the second round, and Flowery Branch fell in the first round. Jefferson and Branch moved up to Class 5A this season.
-- The West Hall boys, who won Region 7-3A, advanced to the semifinals in Class 3A before falling to eventual state champion Greater Atlanta Christian, 3-1. Also, from 7-3A, Cherokee Bluff was knocked out in the first round by GAC. The East Forsyth boys advanced to the quarterfinals in its inaugural season. East Jackson, which is now in Region 8-2A, made it to the second round out of 8-3A. Bluff and East Forsyth both moved up to Region 8-4A this year.
-- In Class 2A, the Union County boys advanced to the Elite 8, while Rabun County and Riverside Prep both made it to the second round. But Rabun County has moved down to Class A Division 1, and Riverside jumped to the GIAA.
-- Commerce, which is now also in Class A D1, lost in the first round in Class A Public.
GIRLS
-- Buford advanced to the Class 6A semifinals before dropping a tough 1-0 decision to Chattahoochee. Habersham Central also made it to the second round.
-- Jackson County, which moved up to Class 6A, advanced to the Elite 8 in Class 5A before losing 3-2 to Decatur at home.
-- In Class 4A, Jefferson, the Region 8-4A champs, advanced to the state title match before taking a gut-wrenching 1-0 loss to Marist in the finals. East Hall also lost to Marist in the first round.
-- Cherokee Bluff, which has moved up to Class 4A, won Region 7-3A and made the Class 3A semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Westminster. The Lady Bears scored the only goal against the Lady Wildcats in the 2022 playoffs. Lumpkin County, the No. 2 seed from 7-3A, advanced to the Elite 8. East Jackson, which moved down to Class 2A this season, White County, and East Forsyth, which also has moved up to 4A, all made the playoffs last year.
-- In Class 2A, Union County made the Elite 8, while Rabun County, now in Class A D1, and Banks County also made the playoffs.
-- Commerce made the Class A Public finals before losing to Social Circle, 6-4. Towns County made the semifinals before losing to Commerce. Commerce is now in Class A D1, while the Lady Indians are in Class A D2.
-- Lakeview Academy made the Sweet 16 in Class A Private but is now in the GIAA.
