Clayton News Daily

Derrick Mahone

The next to last week of the regular season will see some interesting matchups that will have playoff implications.

A week after defeating Mundy’s Mill to take sole possession of first place in Region 4-AAAAA, Div. A, Union Grove will need another win this evening against Drew to clinch the subregion championship.

The winner of the game at Southern Crescent Stadium will have the top seed from the subregion in the play-in game against the No. 4 seed from the other subregion.

Union Grove will need another big effort from linebacker/fullback Derrick Craine against the Titans, who are looking for their first football championship of any sorts since the school opened in 2009.

A year ago, Drew was in a similar position to be the No. 2 seed and host a first round playoff game when it played Henry County. The Titans would lose that contest 7-0 and have to settle for a fourth seed and round playoff game at Burke County.

Union Grove has gone 3-7 and 5-5 the last two years. This season’s team is 7-1, but after tonight they will have their eighth win.

After an improbably come-from-behind win over Eagle’s Landing last week, Locust Grove will need some of that magic when it heads to seventh-ranked Stockbridge. Its winner takes all in this contest.

Locust Grove recovered a fumble in the end zone as Eagle’s Landing was running out the clock in the closing seconds.

Stockbridge enters the game in first place with a 3-0 record in the subregion with the Wildcats in second at 2-1.

The Tigers move a step closer to win the first region championship with a victory over Locust Grove.

Griffin awaits the loser of the Dutchtown-Woodland contest. The Bulldogs failed at their shot against the Bears with a second-half collapse. Woodland didn’t play Griffin during the regular season, but will have their shot next week in the region play-in game.

Mount Zion and Forest Park have struggled under first-year coaches as they try to rebuild the programs. Neither team has won in eight games, but that will all change after tonight.

Look for Bulldogs coach Ervin Starr to get his high school coaching victory.

Derrick Mahone is the sports editor for the Clayton News Daily/Henry Daily Herald newspapers. He can be reached at dmahone@news-daily.com.