The local teams of region 5-AAAA all had last week off. Good thing to because the region schedule starts this Friday and the games are huge.

Sandy Creek Patriots (3-1) @ Whitewater Wildcats (2-2)
This is the game that high school football fans have had circled since the schedules were released. Many figured this game would be for the inside track for a potential region title and home state playoff game and it still is. The Patriots have won three in a row since a double overtime loss to East Coweta in the season opener, while Whitewater has lost two in a row with close games against Mays and Carrollton. Sandy Creek, as always, has a solid defense and an offense that can attack on the ground and in the air. Whitewater too has a potent defense, but their offense has been a little banged up and slowed down in recent weeks. The week off couldn’t have come at a better time for Whitewater and they should be fired up for this game.

Fayette County Tigers (2-2) at McIntosh Chiefs (3-1)
It is certainly an unusual sight to see McIntosh at the top of the standings four games into a season and with three wins next to their name. In fact, you have to go back to 2005 to find a season where they won three games total in a season. The Chiefs have a decent defense and an offense that has been able to establish some long drives but also score on some big plays. Every game from here on out will require a massive effort and some luck if they hope to add to their win total. Fayette County is bouncing back from a disappointing season and showing some terrific resiliency. They won their last game in double overtime after trailing in the fourth quarter. The Tigers have a strong and speedy defense, a stable of running backs, some of the area’s top receivers and a quarterback who is improving by the game. Fayette County has owned this rivalry and you can be sure that the coaches on both sides are reminding their players of that fact.

Starr’s Mill Panthers (1-3) @ Northgate Vikings (1-3)
The disappointing start to the season means little to the Panthers who know that a strong finish could result in the team reaching their goal of making the state playoffs. Starr’s Mill played well enough to win in a tough loss to Etowah in the U.S. Army Corky Kell Classic, defeated last year’s region runner-up Villa Rica in their home opener, lost by one point to Tri-Cities on the road and hung in with Sprayberry until late in the game. They are not a bad team. The defense has played well in spots and the offense has the potential for some breakout performances. You can bet revenge is on their mind too as Northgate won last year’s match, 7-3, at Panther Stadium. It won’t be easy. Northgate is a team that had hoped for a better record heading into region play, too, and they have a lot of players from last year’s squad back. Those players definitely would like to show last year’s result was not a fluke.

Landmark Christian and Our Lady of Mercy both played road games last week.

Landmark Christian War Eagles (3-2) vs. Whitefield Academy Wolfpack (4-1)
Landmark started the season against some of the toughest teams in Class A. They held their own but ended up on the losing side in both matches. Since region play started they have flexed their muscles and raced out to a dominant looking 3-0 start. They have scored 122 points and allowed 28. Landmark has a fast, hard hitting defense and a balanced and speedy offense that gets a lot of yards at a time. Whitefield opened the season with a 26-21 loss to Walker and has since won four in a row. The Wolfpack, last year’s region champs, is averaging over 21 points a game and is allowing under nine. This is a huge game in the race to the region title.

Our Lady of Mercy Bobcats (1-3) vs. Fellowship Christian Paladins (1-4)
The Bobcats have lost two in a row since their 26-0 win over North Cobb Christian, but the region schedule is where they are hoping to make a move and pick up some wins. They lost to a very tough ELCA team last week 59-3. Our Lady of Mercy has some playmakers and some performances to hang their hats on, now they would like to see some results. Fellowship Christian opened with a 21-20 win over Lakeview Academy and has struggled since, scoring 27 points in four weeks and allowing 130. On paper, this looks like an even matchup but Mercy is hoping that a home crowd excited by homecoming will give them an added advantage and incentive to pick up an important region win.