Class 5A Preview: Regions 6-8

We’re less than a week away from the first pitch of the 2019 GHSA season, and after covering both class 7A and 6A over the last few weeks, we’re going to touch on the remaining classes and programs in the state leading up to opening day.

Today, we’re going to cover the remainder of class 5A, after dissecting the first five regions yesterday. In regions 6, 7, and 8, we have arguably the majority of the state title contenders within these three groups. Just last year, four 5A semifinalists came from Region 8 alone.

Let's get to it.

REGION 6

Decatur is returning a healthy amount of pitchers to a team that went 26-11 and won its region last spring – and most of them are just juniors now. Jordan Walker (Duke), Jaylen Paden, and Eddie Galatas are all junior two-way talents set to hold down opposing offenses long enough for its new and inexperienced offense to get on the board. Walker is the No. 7-ranked prospect in the 2020 class and carries with him some of the most upside in the entire class and could even make it to Duke as a two-way contributor. Senior OF Tucker Jones is really the lone 2019 re-taking an everyday role from last spring. Despite some youthfulness up and down their lineup, the Bulldogs are the odds-on favorites to take home another regional title, remedying a tough-luck matchup with Buford in last year’s second round.

Jordan Walker (Spring, 2018)

There’s real talent spread across this entire region. Grady, which finished 2-12 in Region 6 last spring, has within their ranks OF Christian Smith, a dynamic left-handed-hitting sophomore who’s already committed to Vanderbilt.

Also, Riverwood had a 13-16 overall record last spring but has some serious prospects that could pushthem north of their fourth-place finish last spring. Senior OF Allen Grier is a Chattanooga State CC commit and Brett Thomas is a South Carolina commit who is also the No. 41-ranked senior in the state. And fellow seniors Harris Beckley (Wofford) and Chris Hall (Florida State College of Jacksonville) have commitments, too. And then there’s the Tulane-committed junior, Chase Engelhard. All of this next-level talent, primarily residing in their senior class, could account for a special season for the Sandy Springs school.

Rounding up the rest of the region, Banneker is bringing back five starters, including SS/OF DeUndra Anderson, an all-around competitor who was named to this region’s first team last spring. And sophomore Kobe Harris bounced all around the field in 2018 as a freshman and was one of the team’s constants. Banneker is another Region 6 program that’s capable of making some noise in the postseason if the stars align in 2019.

North Springs, Region 6’s second-place team in 2018, suffered substantial losses to graduation and will be rostering an inexperienced team this spring, but Head Coach Matt Gershon has some intriguing sophomores to build around, especially ones who can play up the middle. Two-way talent Buck Olson is one of the regions best 2021s and he’ll be surrounded by two fellow sophomores who started on this team as freshmen last spring: SS Ross Reynolds and C Drew Wyatt.

REGION 7

A jam-packed Region 7 is filled with nine teams and talent spread among them. The region’s reigning champ, Carrollton, needed three games in all three rounds it appeared in this past postseason, but they earned a quarterfinals appearance before falling to Starr’s Mill. They graduated a few of their go-tos and are going to be young in 2019. However, SS Brandon Prince (West Georgia) is still around and there are pieces here that should help them make an admirable attempt to hang on to the region’s title.

Still, there are other teams within Region 7 poised to pull the rug from out under Carrollton’s retention hopes. East Paulding went just 13-18 overall last spring but they have a couple of interesting younger players and are led by star junior Jackson Phipps (South Carolina), a left-handed pitcher who is the No. 3-ranked prospect in the state’s junior class and the No. 41-ranked player nationwide. He’s able to run his fastball into the 92-93 mph range and is still honing his offspeed, but is going to be able to carve through Region 7, helping the Raiders climb the standings.

Kell actually finished under East Paulding in 2018, but they’re another program in this group with the potential to make big improvements to their regional record this spring. Their 2019 class is genuinely talented, and is led by SS/2B Luke Hughes (Lee) as well as C Sam Blancato (Georgia Southern). Fellow senior and South Carolina Upstate commit Ben Olson will accompany his aforementioned classmates as he helps Kell in 2019. Junior OF Brad Grenkoski, a Georgia Tech commit, should help boost the Longhorns’ chances of a Region 7 run. He is the No. 14-ranked junior in the state’s 2020 class. Kell has put together a dangerous lineup and, if it finds the pitching, could threaten to make a lengthy run in May.

Villa Rica and Rome finished second and third in this region a season ago, but they look different in 2019. Villa’s SS Noah Best is back as one of this region’s top seniors. Rome is young and might 2019 to see what it has in its juniors and sophomores. One Rome righty to watch is the 6-foot-3 Hayden Filetti, a lean and projectable arm who was up to 83 mph in front of our staff last August at the Peach State Games.

Hayden Filetti (8/12/18)

With so many Region 7 programs rostering unknowns in 2019, Woodland-Cartersville, which finished 16-16 last spring, is returning seven starters and five arms. Landing a top-four spot in this region seems like it’s there for the taking, and the Wildcats might have the inside track for at least a third- or fourth-place finish because that experience. Three prospects to keep an eye on: C Bailey Ward (2020, Young Harris College), Koby Stansel (2019), and Marco Haro (2019). Two-way junior Phoenix Cramer will see an expanded role for Woodland and it could make a sizable impact in their chances of securing a postseason berth.

The three teams we’ve yet to touch on in this group are looking for areas of improvement in 2019: Cass, Paulding County, and Hiram. There are a handful of prospects to watch among these three, including Hiram’s RHP Dalton Skinner, a Winthrop commit.

REGION 8

The storied Loganville-Buford rivalry was at the center of the 5A stage in 2018 when the two programs met in the championship. Loganville won both games to retain its 5A championship title and in 2019, both programs have the returnees to help line up a rematch.

Back-to-back champs Red Devils lost a handful of its top talent to graduation, but it has the prospects ready to fill the void left behind. Its 2019 class stacks up pretty well when compared to its 2018 class. This spring, they’ll be led by junior SS Dylan Strickland (Georgia Tech) as well as seniors RHP Connor Bruce (Georgia Southern), OF Jacob Boyd (South Carolina Aiken), C Allen Brown (Presbyterian), and C Blaine Marchman (Georgia State).

Strickland is becoming one of the best shortstops in the state, ranked No. 15 overall on the Georgia 2020 rankings. He’s an exceptional athlete complete with all the necessary actions to stick to shortstop, complemented by sound bat-to-ball skills that has him committed to a D-I powerhouse. This rotation will be led by Bruce, the No. 27-ranked senior in the state. He’s still teasing talent out of his 6-foot-6 frame, and could take another step forward this spring, helping the Red Devils connect on a third straight title. Still, Loganville won 34 of its 40 games last spring and, while they’ll remain a threat for the 5A title once more, they’ll be hard-pressed to win 34 games again given the since-graduated seniors who helped them go back-to-back.

Connor Bruce (6/6/18)

Between Loganville and Buford, it’s the Wolves who are returning the most notable talent. The culmination of present talent and the experience gathered from last season’s run to the title game might have given the Wolves an inside track in Region 8, and thus, the 5A title scene.

There are five college-committed prospects to take note of here, including a pair of seniors headed to Auburn in the fall: RHP Ramsey David and OF Austin Turner. David – ranked No. 24 in the state’s senior class – is a long and lean 6-foot-3 with projection and has the stuff to be relied upon to become this team’s first choice on the mound. Turner is a great athlete who was one of Buford’s best hitters as a junior last spring.

Beyond these two, there’s LHP Sean Adams, a Georgia Southern commit – someone who’s capable of being most teams’ ace, whereas at Buford he’ll pack the punch behind David. Georgia Southwestern-bound OF Christian Griffin (2019) will see more playing time this spring. Corner infielder Brandon Joliff (Young Harris College) has some serious middle-of-the-order pop. Then, there’s 1B/DH Reece McIntyre, a genuine football prospect who’s committed to Ole Miss to play offensive tackle – naturally, he’s equipped with bat strength, too. Another southpaw to look out for: Dylan McKinnis, a Jackson State commit. And don’t forget about this uncommitted senior righty, C.J. Couch. He’s a sidearm righty with a funky delivery  that makes for an uncomfortable at-bat, an increasingly tough task come May when he relieves David or Adams.

So, as you can see, Buford is, for the most part, building off a 28-win season with more matured and experienced pieces. They’ve got the talent in place to return to the title game and win it this time, for the first time since the second-overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, Joey Bart, helped the Wolves win it all in 2015.

**EDITOR'S NOTE: This section originally included Flowery Branch, which has since been reclassified as a 4A program.**

The remaining four teams will battle it out over the last seed, though the Walnut Grove Warriors should be the sizable favorites to claim fourth place again. They finished 15-15 last spring despite the level of competition within their own region and actually managed to take No. 1 seed Carrollton to a third game in the opening round of last spring’s tournament. They opened their spring with some noteworthy wins against the likes of South Gwinnett and Archer before dipping below .500 in mid-March.

Clarke Central, Cedar Shoals, and Johnson (Gainesville) might beat up on one another to the point where none of the three are able to climb into the top four by the end of the regional play, but we’ll keep an eye on these three programs to see if there are any surprises among them.

And with that, our coverage of the 5A class is concluded. Stay tuned the rest of the week for continued coverage of the remaining programs and classes we’ve yet to touch on throughout the rest of the state. Class 4A coverage should get underway soon, where a few of the best teams in the state reside.

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