Where did Macon schools end up in new GHSA regions?

The GHSA released the final version of its region alignments for the 2026-2028 seasons Nov. 17 featuring seven Macon schools in new classifications and grouped with new teams.

The classifications, which now range from A to 7A instead of A-Division II to 6A, were finalized earlier this month after schools were allowed a chance to appeal their classifications. The most notable change for a Macon school on that front belonged to Central, which dropped from 5A to 3A.

Schools got the same opportunity to appeal which region they were placed in after the initial alignments were posted Nov. 10. The GHSA heard appeals from schools Nov. 17 before releasing the final regions later that day.

Here’s a look at where each Macon school is grouped and what it means for football and other sports.

Region 2-4A: Howard and Westside

The longtime rivals are together in a region again, with Westside moving up from 2A and Howard making the logical move up from 3A. 

The Huskies get perhaps the biggest improvement of any Macon school, moving from a region that forced them to face six Augusta area schools to necessitate a brutal travel schedule.

The downside is the difficulty of the region, as far as football is concerned. The Seminoles and Howard are grouped with Peach County, Baldwin, Mary Persons, Spalding, Troup County and Upson-Lee. Peach County and Mary Persons will be tough tasks on the gridiron.

Another notable region opponent comes in girls basketball, where Baldwin has reached the state championship the past three straight seasons.

Region 2-3A: Central, Northeast, Southwest and Rutland

Four of the Bibb County School District’s six teams were grouped together in the final region rankings in Region 2-3A.

This likely makes Northeast the biggest winner in terms of schedule difficulty for football. While the Raiders had no trouble competing at the highest level over the past two seasons in Class A-Division I, their stacked region that included powerhouses like Dublin, Bleckley County, Dodge County and others made for a rough 10-game slate each year.

The new region features Northeast, Central, Southwest and Rutland along with Callaway, Jackson, Lamar County and Pike County for an eight-team grouping. 

While not an easy region — Callaway and Lamar County should be very challenging opponents — it is a far cry from Macon schools’ current region of A-Division I that features Dublin, Dodge County, Bleckley County and others in a 10-team set.

This also means the Macon schools have room for three non-region games to open the season, an important opportunity for contenders like Northeast now that power rankings determine playoff status.

For basketball, Southwest should be the region’s top contender, even after losing key seniors before the alignment takes effect for the 2026-27 season.

Region 2-2A: Academy for Classical Education

The ACE Gryphons may have gotten the worst luck of any Macon school in its new region, at least in terms of football.

The Gryphons are in Class 2A, the lowest of any Macon school. The region consists of ACE along with Dodge County, Bleckley County, Swainsboro, Vidalia, Dublin and East Laurens. It will likely be the most difficult region in all of 2A, filled with juggernauts and dynastic football programs.

The travel is also a downgrade for ACE. While none of the trips are more than three hours, the Gryphons will be the only Macon team in the group.

ACE also contends regularly in other sports that will be impacted by the new region alignment. 

Vidalia’s baseball team should be a regular challenger for the Gryphons on the diamond, and Dodge and Bleckley also field talented teams. Vidalia’s softball program is a regular playoff squad as well.

ACE’s burgeoning girls basketball program will still have to contend with East Laurens, though the Central girls are in a different region.