The road to Atlanta and the GHSA football state championship games will no doubt be rocky for the 10 area teams that made the playoffs this year, though the recently completed regular season also had its share of potholes and detours for northwest Georgia programs.
In fact, the 2021 season is the first in 30 years in which the area (Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Gordon, Murray, Walker and Whitfield counties) did not have a region champion – a streak Calhoun helped keep intact by setting a GHSA record with 18 consecutive region titles from 2001 to 2018.
Since 1991, Dalton has won nine region titles and still leads area teams with 22 overall, while Ridgeland has won seven, all since 2008. Murray County and Trion have three each and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe has two, while Christian Heritage, LaFayette, North Murray and Northwest Whitfield have one apiece.
It could be argued the area’s streak of region titles went even further back than 1991. Area regions were divided into north and south subregions until 1992 and determined region champions in a region playoff round, and northwest Georgia had at least one subregion or region champion dating to 1975.
So, yes, it’s rare to not have a region champion in the area, but there is a bright side: On average, four region champions lose in the first round.