​The Prep football season is heading toward the playoffs in a very few weeks and the regular season clock is ticking as we head into week number nine this week. Last weekend, most of the favorites continued their winning ways with a few surprises thrown in, as is the norm to spice things up in week number eight of the regular season schedule.

Top-ranked Colquitt County continued to roll with a 54-17 win over region 1-AAAAAA foe Lee County, region mate Valdosta rallied late to down Tift County 26-23, and Camden County topped Lowndes 38-19, to push their record to 7-0 on the season and quietly kept rolling toward a playoff berth in early November. Roswell, Archer, McEachern, Norcross and Walton continued to post runaway wins last week and kept their focus on a state championship berth in the Georgia Dome the second week of December.

​St. Pius X and Marist squared off in a classic Region 6-AAAA battle for first place and the game did not disappoint, as St. Pius X captured a hard-fought 24-14 win. Sandy Creek, 5-1 on the season, continued to rebound from an early season loss and topped Whitewater 42-7. Cartersville, Buford and Bainbridge posted solid wins as well. Liberty County scored a key win in Region 3-AAAA when they beat Burke County 26-20 in Hinesville on Friday night. The Panthers, 5-2, will play the Thomson Bulldogs, 5-1 for the inside track to the Region title this week.  

​Glynn Academy, 5-2 on the season, knocked highly-ranked Ware County, 5-1, from the unbeaten ranks with a 14-7 win at Memorial Stadium in Waycross.  The Red Terrors from Brunswick are now fighting for a playoff spot in Region 3-AAAAA along with Coffee, Ware County, South Effingham and Effingham County. In other top Class AAAAA games, Stockbridge, Allatoona, Stephenson and Cambridge scored key wins.

​In Class AAA, Dodge County beat Appling County 7-3 to remain unbeaten at 7-0 on the season. Stephens County, 5-1 narrowly escaped White County 21-20, and the Pierce County Bears continued to light up the scoreboard with a 56-26 over Tattnall County. Top-Ranked Calhoun shut out Sonoraville, 38-0.

​The week nine Prep schedule is loaded with top games in all classifications. Valdosta is at Colquitt County in the GPB-TV game of the week. Camden County is at Tift County and Lee County travels to Lowndes in Region 1-AAAAAA. McEachern is at North Paulding in Region 4-AAAAAA and Grayson travels to Central Gwinnett in Region 8-AAAAAA. Roswell plays host to Pope in Region 5-AAAAAA.

​In the mid-state there are a couple of classic matchups slated in region 2-AAAAA when defending Class AAAAA champion Northside-Warner Robins meets crosstown foe Warner Robins at McConnell-Talbert Stadium, and once-beaten Jones County hosts Houston County. All four of these teams are fighting for region playoff berths and the pecking order will change after both games are completed.

​Other top games around the state this week finds Benedictine at Vidalia in Region 2-AA, Upson-Lee at Mary Persons in a Region 2-AAAA showdown, Ware County at Effingham County in Region 3-AAAAA and Blessed Trinity at Westminster in Region 4-AAA. In Class A Treutlen travels to Twin City to meet powerhouse Emanuel County Institute in Region 3-A, and Mitchell County meets Miller County in a Region 1-A key matchup. ​        

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