As difficult as it has been to keep Georgia high school football teams on the field this fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in some cases it’s proving just as tricky to get a read on the upcoming GHSA playoffs.
Case in point: Region 6-AAA, which has five teams in the mix for its four postseason berths with two weeks remaining in the regular season. Muddying up the picture is the news that coronavirus concerns within the LaFayette Ramblers will prevent them from playing their game at Rockmart as scheduled Friday night.
At issue is how the region views the result. Some GHSA regions consider such games, if not made up, full forfeits; others reward the team that did not forfeit with a win but don’t give the team forfeiting a loss. Others view such games as a no-contest, resulting in neither a win nor a loss for either team.
If that is the case in 6-AAA – and region coaches are still trying to clarify the rule – a team with more league wins than another could find itself missing the playoffs. For example, if LaFayette, which is set to end the season against second-place North Murray, cannot play either of its final two games, the Ramblers would be 4-2 in league play.
Ringgold and Adairsville, each currently 4-2 in 6-AAA, could finish 5-3. If the playoff seedings go by winning percentage, LaFayette would go ahead of both sets of Tigers.