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Vidalia ran the table to win Region 2-2A in 2020 and is expected to be a title contender again this fall.
Credit: Vidalia Facebook page
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Toughest League In Georgia? Here's A Vote For Region 2-2A
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As we all get ready for our favorite teams to play here in 2021, I thought I would introduce you to one of the toughest regions out there you may not have heard of in your travels: Region 2-2A
It’s a tight region that has Vidalia, Jeff Davis, East Laurens, Swainsboro, Bacon County and Toombs County all chasing playoff spots. The teams have the characteristic of having a region that’s “in the blender.” And what I mean by that is the notion that, in any given week, you could drop from first to fourth. You could rise into a playoff spot from the outside-looking-in the week before. Or you might have to use some math or find your favorite slide rule or abacus to figure out who’s out or who’s in by the time we’re in Week 10.
To that end, East Laurens head coach Bin Turner and his staff brought their tiebreakers over when this new region was created and, jokingly, he admitted to me there are “47 tiebreakers” to settle things. He hopes it doesn’t have to go that far, but he knows this region is a tough one top-to-bottom.
“One, you’ve got great coaches and great athletes at every stop,” he tells me. “The last team might upset the first-place team. You might have someone run the table. You just don’t know. As far as coaches and athletes, it’s an exceptional region.”
Last year, East Laurens and Bacon County were the two teams that were on the outside looking in and both the Falcons and the Red Raiders are looking to be in the playoffs this season. Keith Gosse is in his second season in charge in Alma and the Bacon County program is building some very special pieces to the foundation that people there are very proud of being a part.
“There’s a sense of pride in the community and the culture we’re building,” Gosse says. “We created a wall of fame, and there were some that might have felt disconnected in the community. We brought them back, and these were players in the ‘50s and ‘60s. It’s about community and family. Reaching back getting those guys involved … putting up a jumbotron that was paid for by the booster club … more people are rallying together. Everyone is pulling together and it’s a really special time to be in Alma, Georgia.”
Swainsboro was the No. 4 seed last year and lost in the first round of the playoffs, but head coach Scott Roberts is looking to improve on the Tigers work in 2020. The region is competitive from top to bottom, in his mind, and it’s very well coached. You must be prepared for all the different schemes you have to see in offense, defense, and special teams across the board -- a true challenge for his team -- in a region that he knows any team can come up and bite you (his words). But he was glad to have as normal a spring and summer as the Tigers have had to prep for the ’21 season.
“It was certainly nice to be back and you appreciated to have a little bit of normalcy,” Roberts admits. “To have spring workouts, roll right into summer workouts and be able to have eyes on your kids every day and I think we appreciated that a lot more, too.”
Toombs County, under head coach Richie Marsh, finished the regular season 7-3, but also lost in the first round of the playoffs. He knows the region is one of the toughest and tightest around
“I think this is like the ‘Little SEC,’” he admits. “I mean I remember when I was at Valdosta with Camden, Lowndes, Colquitt and Tift and every game was such a barnburner and even when I was at Thomasville in Region 1-AA with Brooks and Early and Fitzgerald and when everybody was so good then. This region has gotten better and better and better every year.”
Marsh also knows there’s a lot of math involved with the tiebreaker to decide who could go where in the region seedings. He definitely thinks the region will be topsy-turvy in 2021.
“There’s no team slacking off at all,” Marsh says.
Jeff Davis had a special year under Lance Helton. The first home playoff game in Hazlehurst in a long time resulted in a win and an appearance in the second round before the season came to a close. Assistant head coach Brian Lawson knows what a year like last year means to everyone in the Pinelands.
“To see how the community has awakened and bought in -- we have tailgates now before football games. We have packed stadiums. People are calling us for tickets in May and June. Businesses shut down on Fridays because no one’s there to work them because they’re at the game. Kids see the flags at the stadium raised at the school asking if me if we’re playing today and I’ll say, ‘Yes, we’re gonna be in the Pinelands.’”
To see everything that everyone (top to bottom in Jeff Davis County, as Lawson says) has put in from 2017, to winning your first playoff game in more than 20 years against a powerhouse like Washington County has spoken volumes about growth in Hazlehurst.
“If you Google ‘Jeff Davis’ now,” Lawson says, “you don’t just get the school in Alabama anymore. You get Jeff Davis High School here.”
Which leads us to Jason Cameron and the region champs in Vidalia. The Indians ran the table and went 5-0 in region, 7-3 overall, and lost to Bleckley County in the first round. Cameron hopes to build from his first season on campus and knows just how competitive it is with this six-pack of teams
“It’s wide open, physical, well-coached, and there are really good athletes,” Cameron says. “It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, if you don’t show up on a Friday night, you’re gonna get beat. There’s a lot of rivalries within the region and that’s awesome, too. There are phenomenal coaches in this region.”
So, as you look at boxscores and standings- even if your school has a different number of A’s than two- these schools are another reason why this classification is one of the most competitive in the state top to bottom.
And we’ll be watching!
Play it safe, everyone … I’ll talk to you soon!
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