Keep the popcorn handy for life in regions 2-AAAA and 3-AA

            A year ago, somebody labeled GHSA Region 1-6A as the SEC West on steroids.

            And it was. Every team had power-5 signees. Every team had upper-major signees.

            Every team was thought to be capable of a playoff run, and the four qualifiers all won a game, with a state champ, semifinalist and quarterfinalist coming from the region.

            Ouch.

            This year, it's more like the SEC East.

            Last year, it was a race down to the final week to see what really good team would miss the playoffs.

            This year, the suspense is which team with a losing record will make the postseason. One candidate is the defending state champ, Valdosta.

            In Central Georgia, there is no version of the SEC West this season, but there are a few that will be tight down to the wire.

            Northside is in, and Houston County is sweating things out in 1-6A.

            In Class 5A, Warner Robins and County are undefeated and in, while Veterans is very much sweating things out.

            Baldwin is likely a playoff team in a top-heavy region 3-4A. Peach County and Pike County are battling for the lead in 4-AAA, and there's a gap after with the probability of at least one sub-.500 team making the playoffs.

            Seeding and power ratings are the focus in Class A regions, with Macon County and Taylor County n 4B-A and Stratford, Tattnall and FPD currently in the playoff field and Mount de Sales having some work to do.

            But two regions in particular are weekly plot twists.

            Nobody in Region 2-AAAA is ranked in both the Atlanta Journal-Constitution or Georgia Sports Writers Association poll, and that's probably accurate.

            Mary Persons is No. 10 in the AJC's poll.

            Four region teams are above .500 overall and Upson-Lee is 3-3, with two quality losses by 10 and 7.

            Co-leader West Laurens is gaining momentum, but, like Upson-Lee, needs more offense and has no resume-boosting win.

            The wild cards are Howard (5-2, 1-1) and Perry (4-2, 0-1).

            The closest to a true quality win for either team came when Perry upended county rival and Class 5A Veterans 31-20 two games ago.

            Perry is at Upson-Lee tonight, and that’s huge. The Knights then have home games against Howard and West Laurens before finishing at Spalding. The Knights probably need to go 2-1 before taking on floundering Spalding.

            With five teams pretty even, we're about a week away from seeing if each Friday is an elimination game.

But Oct. 20 is burly, with West Laurens at Mary Persons and Howard at Upson-Lee. The scoreboard watching will pick up.

           The most fun region to watch is 3-AA, where every week is burly.

            Dodge County has established itself atop the hill, 6-0 overall and 3-0 in region. The Indians haven’t been really challenged since the Sept. 1 26-20 win over Class 4A West Laurens.

The run-heavy Indians have some playmakers.

“When their kids popped it, they went to the house,” Dublin head coach Roger Holmes said of the 42-21 loss last week. “When our kids popped it, it was a 10- or 11-yard gain, go do it again.”

The Indians are possessive, too.

“We turned it over twice the other night … one of their touchdowns was at the end of the game, strip-sacked the quarterback and scored,” Holmes said. “We turned it over twice, Dodge turned it over none. Last year, 7-point game, we turned it over twice, Dodge turned it over none.

“They’ve gone two years in a row against us without a turnover.”

            The records vary, and there's very little difference - for the most part - after the Indians.

            Five teams are battling for four playoff spots, with Northeast and East Laurens in spoiler roles, especially Northeast and new head coach Ashley Harden.

            “Northeast is better,” Holmes said. “He’s made them better.”

            Dublin has the head-to-head tiebreaker over Bleckley County, which has a tiebreaker over Washington County, which pretty much needs to go at least 2-2 the rest of the way (Dodge County, at Southwest, Northeast, at Dublin) to avoid needing help.

            Southwest has been fairly hyped all season, but the Patriots are still looking for an identity and that momentum-building win. But quarterback Justin Slocum and running back transfer Javoris Smith (Twiggs County) combine with a solid defense to make the Patriots a task.

            Their lone quality win was in the opener, against Class AAA city rival Westside.

            The tiebreaker for multiple teams involves a point differential and a plus/minute 15 points in games involving the tied teams.

            “You get up to 15 points maximum in a win and minus 15 on a loss,” Holmes explained. He said that entering Friday’s action, Bleckley County’s number among those contenders – excluding Dodge County - is plus one (minus 13 with the Dublin loss, plus 14 with the Washington County win) and Dublin’s is plus 13.

            It was last year that Southwest turned heads with a 48-38 win over visiting Dublin, making the region a little funky.

            This week? Southwest at Dublin.

            The Irish are off that loss to Dodge and have been reminded of last year’s Southwest game, so it's unlikely to be a good week to visit the Shamrock Bowl.

            Not like anybody knows what'll happen, in some cases starting with one’s own team.

            “I don’t know about us, I really don’t,” said Holmes, fifth among Central Georgia head coaches in tenure at one school. “We’re not bad and we’re not good. We don’t have a home run hitter.”

            In last week’s loss to Dodge County, Holmes said both teams ran – according to his statistician – for 328 yards.

            “I’ve never had that happen,” he said. “We threw for 50 and they threw for zero.”

            East Laurens is having such a rough year that the timing of playing the Falcons – who have scored 36 points and haven’t won a region game since Sept. 27, 2013, a 25-game streak - is important.

            Bleckley County has East Laurens before a week off and then Dodge County and Southwest. Southwest has Dublin and Washington County before, and then Bleckley County in the regular-season finale.

            Dublin and Washington County beat the Falcons by a combined 99-0.

            Northeast is the wild card, having lost to three contenders by 14, 23 and nine. The Raiders have Dublin and Washington County left, and if they want to, they'll make the Irish and Golden Hawks work hard.

            And if the Raiders get on a roll, starting next week with Dublin, and run the table? Don’t ask, but get out a calculator.