NOTEPAD: GHSA announces new classifications, GIAA playoffs heat up

GIAA playoffs in full swing

After most Macon private schools were off last week, the GIAA state football tournaments will be in full swing Friday with four Macon teams fighting to advance to the next round.

Stratford, the No. 1 team in the Class 4A state tournament, will officially play No. 9 Calvary Christian at home Friday at 7:30 p.m. after the Knights defeated Bethlehem Christian in a thrilling play-in game 30-28.

The Eagles already defeated Calvary Christian once in their final regular season game, a 34-7 win in which Stratford proved its running game could succeed even after the loss of star back Tyler Stephens to injury.

No. 3 FPD will host No. 6 Strong Rock, a matchup determined last week when the bracket was announced. That game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at FPD. It’s uncertain whether starting quarterback Major Simmons will play — he’s been out with a concussion for a few weeks — but backup Cash Walker has been plenty serviceable for the Vikings in his stead regardless.

In the Class 2A tournament, the Central Fellowship Lancers earned the No. 6 seed and will travel to No. 3 Southland Academy after a bye week. The game in Americus kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

The only Macon team that played last week was No. 8 Windsor Academy, which rolled to a 35-8 win over Augusta Prep in the play-in round to continue its hot stretch. The Knights carry a three-game winning streak into a tough road matchup with No. 1 Brentwood, which boasts a 9-1 record with its only loss coming to 3A powerhouse John Milledge.

Mercer basketball teams begin year

The Mercer men’s and women’s hoops teams opened the season Monday on the road, as the men lost to Tennessee while the women defeated UNC-Asheville.

The men stayed relatively competitive with No. 18 Tennessee, falling behind early but keeping the deficit manageable for a 76-61 final score. Baraka Okojie, a player head coach Ryan Ridder said would be a key contributor, led the Bears with 15 points. Armani Mighty filed with 14.

Tennessee took a 22-point lead at one point in the second half, but Mercer did a nice job of closing the gap. The Bears were only outscored 43-40 in the second half.

The women’s team defeated UNC-Asheville 49-39 on the road on Nov. 3. Returning star Arianna Bennett led the team with 10 points, while newcomer Micah O’Dell scored 8 points off the bench and Talia Harris chipped in with 8 points as well.

The Bears’ defense was key in the win as well. Mercer forced a whopping 28 turnovers and outscored Asheville 14-2 in the third quarter, leading by as much as 18 en route to the win.

The men also won their home opener Wednesday night over LaGrange College, 101-62. The women open at home against Clemson on Thursday.

GHSA announces reclassifications

The GHSA published its first iteration of the new classifications for high school athletics Monday night, with several Macon schools moving around.

The GHSA will switch from its current system, which has 1A to 6A but splits its 1A into two different classes, to a more traditional 1A to 7A classification method. Since several Macon teams were in A-Division I, it was expected that many of them would make the jump to 2A with the change.

At the moment, most Macon schools jumped significantly. 

ACE Charter is the lowest of any Macon school at 2A, where they appear with other area schools like Dodge County, Dublin, Bleckley County and others. 

Northeast, Southwest and Rutland all made the leap to 3A. The Hurricanes were previously in 2A, while the Raiders and Patriots were A-Division I schools.

Howard and Westside were placed in 4A, a bigger leap for the previously 2A Seminoles but not as unexpected for Howard, which is currently in 3A.

By far the most momentous leap belongs to Central, which moved from A-Division I all the way up to 5A, likely because of its 216 students categorized as “out of zone.”

The first round of classifications rarely stick, however, and Central should get a more normal classification. Schools have until Nov. 9 to file appeals to change their classification, which the GHSA will go over in appeal meetings on Nov. 10.

No other information, such as region groupings, has been released.

Mercer soccer teams in tournament play

The Mercer men’s and women’s soccer teams are both in the Southern Conference tournament this week, with the women already winning two thrilling games and the men earning a bye week.

The women’s team earned the No. 6 team, which resulted in a tougher trek to the title game. Mercer still won a pair of tough games to become the surprise of the tournament.

The Bears first defeated No. 3 East Tennessee State 2-1 thanks to a game-winning header from Maria Karipidis in the 83rd minute, netting a trip to the semifinals. Then Mercer faced No. 2 Western Carolina in a defensive slugfest, eventually winning in double overtime on a decisive penalty kick from Morganne Eikelbarner in the 109th minute.

The women’s team is now set to face No. 1 Samford in the conference championship game in Alabama on Sunday at 2 p.m. Mercer lost to Samford 3-0 in the regular season.

The men’s team earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament, giving them a bye and the chance to host the semifinals at home. The Bears will face the winner of No. 3 UNC-Greensboro vs. No. 6 VMI on Sunday at 7 p.m. in Macon.