There are five states—Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Georgia—that play high school softball in the fall and, as part of a 12-week series covering the prep play in the Peach State, contributor and Georgia softball aficionado Steve Hickey is tracking the Road to Columbus: the pathway to the state championships in Columbus, Ga. 

Here is Week 9 of the series…

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The Road to Columbus 

 As the calendar turns to October, the Peach State enters its last week of the regular season. 

The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) has 56 total regions distributed across its six main classifications (6A down to A, including divisions for Class A). 

Each of these six classifications typically includes eight numbered regions; as it relates to softball, some of these regions have as few as few school with softball teams, while others have up to 10 schools fielding teams. 

It is up each region to determine its methodology for determining its winner. 

Some crown their winner solely on regular season play, and some have a tournament to settle their final standings.  In all of these instances, these region results determine who moves on to the 1^st round of the State Playoffs and how they will be seeded. 

State rules have a hard cap of 30 regular season games before teams can begin State Playoffs. Regardless, all of the teams must be complete with their seasons and report their final standings and seedings by Friday October 10th.  

Several regions are completed, and some seedings have already been locked and reported.  You can see all the brackets and the early seedings here. 

Buford’s Chase for Perfection 

Buford (25-0) has a busy week coming up. 

Mountain View and Cherokee Bluff both head up to play the Wolves on their field.  Buford has already clinched their region championship and is sharpening the saw for their post-season drive down the road to Columbus. 

The test will come in the finale when the Eastside Eagles (21-0) come to visit on Thursday, October 9^th under the lights. 

Eastside was the 5A runner up to Harris County last year, and they have their own ticket to punch.  Eastside already has a victory over the previously unbeaten powerhouse of East Coweta on its resume. 

All eyes will be focused on this showdown.  It will have no bearing on Buford’s 6A or Eastside’s 4A championship path, no trophies will be raised; however, more importantly it will be about bragging rights as the only undefeated team in the state of Georgia.   

Buford will be ready, and back at full strength. Caroline Stanton has returned from her sabbatical with USA Softball U18 and its Championship over Japan in Oklahoma City. 

Olympic Dreams of Los Angeles in 2028 are briefly placed on hold to finish her senior year, perfection, a culmination of her Civil War vs. East Coweta, and a GHSA State Championship. 

Interpretation of Post Season Rankings 

As previously reviewed, GHSA has returned to a power ranking system that rewards winning, winning on the road, against teams that win, and against teams that win on the road. 

There are only three teams that hold a 70 percent ranking, Buford, Carrolton, and Eastside.   

A power ranking of over 60 percent is a very good sign of a team’s potential to get to Columbus.  It also reveals the teams that have both a challenging schedule and performed at a high level, signs of appetite and discipline to win everything at South Commons.   

• 6A – After Buford and Carrollton, there are 9 more teams with PSR’s over 60%.  East Coweta (21-3), North Gwinnett (24-3), Tift County (20-3), Brookwood (18-5), Archer (18-3), Harrison (21-4), North Cobb (18-7), North Forsyth (21-6), and Grovetown (21-6). 
• 5A – There are 15 teams in this classification: Veterans (22-5), Loganville (21-2), Coffee (19-6), Creekview (18-4), South Effingham (19-6), Alexander (22-2), Glynn Academy (21-5), Lassiter (16-8), Houston County (17-10), Greenbriar (19-8), Jackson County (15-4), Decatur (15-2), Northgate (20-8), and Lee County (18-10). 
• 4A – After Eastside, there are 10 more teams above 60%: Harris County (22-5), Kell (21-2), Cambridge (17-5), Northside (21-6), Wayne County (18-6), Cartersville (25-2), Central-Carroll (20-8), OLA (17-3), Union Grove (17-4), and Jones County (19-5). 
• 3A – There are only 6 teams in this classification with a PSR grade of over 60%: West Laurens (22-3), Jefferson (21-1), LaFayette (24-3), Harlem (20-7), North Hall (19-5), Long County (22-4). 
• 2A – Excluding the private schools, there are only 9 schools above 60%: South Atlanta (12-1), Sonoraville (22-5), Cook (20-3), Appling County (12-4), Miller Grove (16-1), Pike County (15-4), Rockmart (19-5), Morgan County (15-7), and Pierce County (17-8). 
• 1A – Excluding the private schools, there are 12 schools with PSRs over 60%: Elbert County (23-3), Lamar County (20-3), Gordon Lee (23-5), Bacon Count (18-3), Bremen(19-5), Toombs County (16-6), Dade County (23-4), Vidalia (15-12), Banks (22-4), Social Circle (22-4), Brantley County(17-8), and Jeff County(18-10). 
• Private Schools – GHSA removes the private schools from 1-3A designations to let them have their own championship.  There are 4 teams with PSRs over 60%: Prince Avenue (24-3), Hebron Christian (23-2), Wesleyan (22-3), and Mount Vernon (18-5). 

— Steve Hickey for Line Drive Softball