Area runners swept Class AAAA individual cross country titles last weekend at the state meet in Carrollton, Ga.
Lakeside's Anna Bowles won the girls title, finishing the 3.1-mile course in 18:28.59, the best time in the classification by more than 15 seconds. Westside's D'Andre Smalley won the boys title in 16:27.90.
Bowles' effort helped the Lakeside girls finish state runner-up to Marist. Sarah Bowles (19:18.69) and Katie Townsend (19:19.39) finished fifth and sixth for the Panthers.
DOUBLE TAKE: There are some unusual pairings this week in the Georgia High School Association football playoffs.
Laney and Thomson are both out, Lakeside and Richmond Academy will be playing host to first-round games, and Evans and Burke County will hit the road for first-round games.
Lakeside will play host to a home playoff game for the first time since the school began football in 1988. It had a home region playoff game in 1993 but lost and didn't advance to the state playoffs. Richmond Academy's last home playoff game was in 1998.
Laney and Thomson had long playoff streaks snapped this season.
CORRECTED BRACKETS: The GHSA posted a corrected version of the playoff brackets Monday morning.
The changes do not affect first-round games, but they do tweak potential third- and fourth-round opponents for area teams.
Lincoln County, for example, will likely meet unbeaten and second-ranked Savannah Christian in the third round, instead of ECI. Jefferson County would probably face unbeaten and second-ranked Calhoun in the third round, not Callaway.
ALL-STARS: Jefferson County quarterback B.J. Bostic and Greenbrier lineman Kevin James are on the roster for the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl, a national high school all-star game Jan. 2 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
TITLE ON THE LINE: Undefeated Wardlaw will go for the area's first state title when it meets Patrick Henry on Friday for the SCISA 8-man football crown. Wardlaw, the defending state champion, has outscored its opponents 475-90 this season.
Reach Matt Middleton at (706) 823-3425 or matt.middleton@augustachronicle.com.
BIG GAMES
7:30 P.M. FRIDAY
GHSA PLAYOFFS
CLASS AAAA
- Statesboro (6-4) at Lakeside (9-1): Statesboro has had trouble scoring this season, which doesn't portend good things against a Lakeside defense giving up a classification-best 3.9 points per game. Statesboro played three area teams this season, beating Josey and Thomson by a combined 47-6 and losing to Burke County 35-17.
- Glynn Academy (5-5) at Richmond Academy (7-3): The Red Terrors started the year 0-3 but own impressive wins over playoff teams Statesboro (31-10) and Liberty County (24-21). The two schools played as far back as 1948, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.
SCHSL PLAYOFFS
CLASS AAAA, DIVISION II
- Conway (5-6) at North Augusta (10-1): Conway, the 12th seed, dropped Carolina Forest 56-14 last week with its playoff fate on the line. The winner meets either Goose Creek or Lancaster, likely on the road.
CLASS AA
- Cheraw (7-4) at Silver Bluff (9-2): The second round of the postseason has been a trouble spot for the Bulldogs recently, and it gets no easier this year. Cheraw won the 2007 state title in dominating fashion and lost only one region game this season.
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Lakeside Defense is SICK this year - It should be a GREAT game!