Friday, June 6, 2003
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Friday, June 6, 2003 |
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Whitewater High, McIntosh will join Sandy Creek, Northgate in 4-AAAA GHSA leaves Fayette. Starr's Mill, Newnan, East Coweta in big school class By J. FRANK
LYNCH
Whitewater High School will join sister schools Sandy Creek and McIntosh, as well as Coweta County neighbor Northgate, in Region 4-AAAA in its inaugural season of varsity athletics under the Georgia High School Association's realignment proposal for the 2004-06 seasons. The GHSA predicts the new school, which opens in August with a freshman class, will have 1,356 students when all four grades are filled in three years. It will add 11th-graders and begin playing varsity football in 2005. McIntosh, meanwhile, gets a break and moves down from AAAAA. With an enrollment of 1,489, the Peachtree City school has had the distinction of being among the smallest in the big-school class, which includes 4,000-student Collins Hill High in Gwinnett. In addition to current members Northgate and Sandy Creek, other 4-AAAA schools will be Alexander, Chapel Hill, Creekside, Douglas County, Haralson County, Lithia Springs, Villa Rica and Woodward Academy. Fayette County (2,253 projected) and Starr's Mill (1,863) both remain in 4-AAAAA, with East Coweta and Newnan. Lovejoy, Mundy's Mill and Union Grove round out that seven-school region. Landmark Christian and Our Lady of Mercy Catholic will work hard to flesh out a full 10-game schedule in their Region 5-A, where many of the 13 schools don't field football teams. There are other changes across the state.Traditional rivals like Brookwood, Parkview, Dacula and Collins Hill in Gwinnett County are being split across two regions. In middle Georgia, big-school powers Warner Robins, Northside and Westside Macon are dropping down to 3-AAAA to join Griffin and Upson-Lee in what will surely be a dog-eat-dog football region. In far South Georgia, the big-school dynasty in Region 1-AAAAA has been reduced to just five teams: Lowndes, Valdosta, Colquitt, Tift and Coffee. Schools have 30 days to appeal the proposed classifications. For complete listings, visit www.ghsa.net.
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