Region titles will be up for grabs in games across the state in Week 12, and one of those will match two No. 1-ranked teams fighting for the championship in Region 3-A Division I. Toombs County is No. 1 in Class A Division I, while Savannah Christian is the top-ranked team in the Class 3A-A private division.

Just two years ago, a St. Francis football player was running free toward the end zone late in a state semifinal, about to tie the game. A defender rallied to chase the player down and wrestle the ball away inside the 10-yard line. Tortured by four turnovers, St. Francis’ talented young team lost 24-20 to heavily favored Prince Avenue Christian. St. Francis was that close. Today, St. Francis football could not be further away.

Two-way players turned in some of the best efforts of Week 11, as Athens Academy WR/DB Keyon Standifer, Carver (Atlanta) WR/DB Terrious Favors and Chattooga RB/LB Zayden Cook led their teams to important region victories. Dutchtown QB Michael Johnson accounted for 488 yards and six touchdowns, and Shiloh’s Marlin Mathis topped 1,000 rushing yards for the season.

Marquis Westbrook’s first season coaching Peach County resulted in the Trojans’ first losing season in 37 years. In Westbrook’s second season, Peach is No. 1 again, its only loss to defending Class 4A champion Perry in August. Peach County moved ahead of previous No. 1 Sandy Creek, which lost to unranked Mary Persons 37-29 on Friday night.

The state's hottest running back is Lanier’s Tojuan Peyton Jr., who is Class 5A’s new rushing leader. Peyton rushed for 421 yards on 27 carries and scored all six of his team’s touchdowns in a 59-42 loss to Roswell last week. The week before, Peyton rushed for 283 yards and four touchdowns and scored a fifth touchdown on a kickoff return in a 42-35 victory over Johns Creek.

Champions will be crowned Friday night in Region 3-6A when Hillgrove travels to Harrison and in Region 4-5A when Woodward Academy plays at Decatur. But those aren’t the only regions in which a champion could be decided in Week 10. Other teams that can clinch include Athens Academy, Cherokee Bluff, Christian Heritage, North Gwinnett and Peach County.

Once a star running back at Thomson High and Georgia Tech, Jerry Mays will be among 30 former players inducted into the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night. As with the other 29, it’s easy for Mays to recall that thrill of running down the football field with his team’s name written across his jersey.

Running backs turned in some of the outstanding efforts of Week 10, with Brookwood’s Brayden Tyson, Hillgrove’s Jaiden Moore, Kell’s Moonie Gipson and Lanier’s T.J. Peyton each rushing for at least 248 yards and three touchdowns in important region games last week. Morgan County wide receiver Jaylen Elder had 256 yards receiving in his team’s win.

Manchester is the new No. 1 team in the Class A Division II rankings after previous No. 1 Irwin County was taken down Friday by Clinch County. Manchester was the 2023 runner-up in this class and avenged its championship-game loss to Bowdon earlier this month. The Blue Devils’ only loss came in the opener to Harris County, a bigger school.

Keyon Standifer, a sophomore wide receiver from Athens Academy, is the new GHSA leader in receiving yards and the first to break 1,000 this season. Standifer has 36 receptions for 1,027 yards and 14 touchdowns. He is a two-way starter with four interceptions at cornerback.

The winner of the Telfair County-Wheeler County game will be on course for a historic region championship. Telfair County last won a region title in 1993. Wheeler County, which opened in 1966, has never won a region title. In other Week 10 games, Cartersville meets Cedartown, Sumter County faces Carver of Columbus, and Lakeside of Evans takes on Brunswick in games that almost certainly will decide region championships.