We have finally made it — region play.

Each county-area public school had the week off as each team now prepares for the bulk of the season with region games the rest of the way.

Whether it was in battles against county rivals or reigning state champions, the last five weeks have served as chances for each team to make adjustments as the playoff hunt now begins.

We have some big games on deck this week as each team looks to start region play 1-0.

Alcovy Tigers @ Winder-Barrow Bulldoggs

It simply has not been the start that Spencer Fortson and the Tigers hoped for in 2025. Tough tests against Eastside and Newton resulted in sizable losses and the team did not fare much better against Arabia Mountain(2-2 and Rockdale County(3-0).

Even with a 0-4 start, the opportunity is still right in front of the Tigers.

In 2021, Alcovy faced a gauntlet through its non-region slate that saw the team go 0-4 in those games. Even then, the Tigers managed to go 5-0 in region play to win the region title.

Now, they will begin Region 8-AAAAA play against the Winder-Barrow Bulldoggs, who are 2-3 on the season.

The Bulldoggs’ two wins came against Forsyth Central and Apalachee, who are a combined 1-8 on the season.

Winder-Barrow’s pass game has not been up to par as they have only averaged 134 yards per game and have thrown five touchdowns to four interceptions.

The run game is where the team has been able to thrive, and that is where the Tigers will most likely need to make the stops if they want to grab win No. 1.

Quarterback Trey Bryant has shown flashes, but the Tigers will need some key receivers and running backs to step up and make the plays in space and move the stick.

Last year, Winder-Barrow turned the game into a rout with a 42-7 win.

Unlike the Bulldoggs, the Tigers will enter this game after a bye week as they look to use the extra rest to grab their first win of the season.

The two Region 8-AAAAA teams will kickoff at Winder-Barrow High School Friday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Eastside Eagles @ Flowery Branch Falcons

It has been a .500 start for the Eagles that has seen the team win big, lose close and then lose big.

Jordan Do and the Archer offense presented a ton of fits for the Eagles’ defense in week four as the TIgers’ quarterback accounted for five scores in a 24-point win over Eastside.

Last season, the Eagles tore right through its region slate outside of a close North Oconee defeat, and the team will surely hope for similar results.

The run game has been effective all year, and senior Myles Mims is coming off perhaps the best game of his life as he ran for over 200 yards against Archer.

However, the ability to make plays downfield and the ability to stop a dynamic quarterback are areas the team will look to be better on the rest of the way. 

This all begins in a matchup with the 3-1 Falcons.

Flowery Branch is on a three game win streak and the team has scored no less than 24 points in the span(two of the wins have come against teams with one win or less).

Senior quarterback Brett Strum has some of the dynamic ability like Do, as he has completed 79 percent of his passes for six touchdowns and no picks. On the ground, Strum is second on the team in carries and has averaged 5.1 yards per rush.

Eastside had no problems with the Falcons last year in a 48-12 win, but the Eagles will enter with a chip on their shoulder after a tough defeat to Archer.

If Mims can replicate his work on the ground and Payton Shaw and connect with the guys like Chase Jordan and Garrett Brooks, the Eagles can find themselves in a good spot if the defense stands tall.

The two teams will kick off Region 8-AAAA play at Flowery Branch Friday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Newton Rams vs Archer Tigers

The last two games for Newton have seen the team matched up with two top teams in the form of Douglas County and Bryant(Arkansas).

Newton lost both matchups as the team now sits at 2-2, and a matchup with the Archer Tigers awaits.

The Tigers dealt Eastside a tough 44-20 loss in week four and the team will look to take down another Covington team when they travel to Sharp Stadium on Friday.

Although it was a big win for the Tigers, they got gashed by the aforementioned Mims on the ground.

Now, Archer will face another fierce backfield that has more depth.

I expect Kevin Hartsfield, Darius White and Kaden Hambright to all be in the mix for Newton as the group’s ability to rotate seamlessly and have the same production has been impressive.

Deron Benson and Derrick Miller made a few plays on the road at Bryant, and the two will look to do a little more damage through the air than the Eagles did a week ago.

Another factor in the pass game is Jaqwan Carr, who made a ton of key plays against Douglas County.

Even with the skill players in this matchup, look for the offensive lines for both teams to be a main part of this matchup.

Shaw did not have much time against the Archer front in week four, and the Rams will need to protect Benson if they want to make noise through the air.

At the same time, the Newton front seven will look to put a stop to the strong stretch of play from Do, who can do it all for the Tigers’ offense.

Region 4-AAAAAA play begins at Sharp Stadium on Friday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Social Circle @ Utopian Academy

After two wins to start the season, the Redskins are now at .500 with losses to KIPP Atlanta(4-1) and Whitefield Academy(3-1).

The Warriors and the Wolfpack proved to be tough tests for the Redskins, but Rob Patton’s team is not in unfamiliar territory. 

Social Circle was 2-2 at the start of region play a year ago. Of course, the season ended with a 5–1 that led to a region crown.

Just like last year, region play will begin against Utopian Academy, who Social Circle defeated 65-6 a year ago.

Even at 2-2 now, the offense has been humming for the Redskins.

The team has scored at least 27 points in every game this year and now sits in a ‘get right’ spot against a Utopian Academy team that is 1-3.

After a 14-12 win over Business Engineering Science Tech to open the season, Utopian has lost three straight and has been outscored 40-94 in that span.

The run game has been successful for the Redskins, and the mix of Kayden Fears, Christian Paggett and Remi Farmer are set for what can be another big day of scoring.

Social Circle’s defense started off the year red hot as they held its first two opponents to six and eight points, respectively.

The last two weeks have been a different story as they have given up over 34 points in both affairs.

If the Redskins’ defense holds strong and the run game is there on the other side of the ball, Social Circle can be on its way to a 1-0 start to Region 4A-Division I play.

The two teams will face off Friday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Garrett Pitts is the sports editor at The Covington News. He can be reached at gpitts@covnews.com.