After starting the season 5-0, the Wheeler football team sputtered out of any chance to reach the playoffs in what turned out to be the Wildcats’ final game of 2018.
Wheeler was clipped at home by Pebblebrook by a 38-35 score, as the Falcons claimed the final playoff berth from Region 2 of Class 7A. Although the Wildcats finished with a winning record overall at 6-4, their 1-4 region record was fifth in the region. Pebblebrook is 4-6 but 2-3 in the region.
The Wildcats led 21-7 at one point on Friday, and then almost clawed their way back after trailing 35-21.
Wheeler had a high-powered offense, led by quarterback C.J. Ogbonna, but it was the defense that faltered down the stretch of the season. Last week, the Wildcats were torched by Westlake 76-35, setting up a win-or-go-home finale against Pebblebrook.
The Walton Raiders nailed down the No. 2 seed in Region 4 of Class 7A with a 30-7 win at Woodstock. The Raiders, who scored 21 points in the third quarter, are 9-1 and 4-1 and will have a home playoff game next week. Walton has defeated seven teams who also are going to the playoffs.
The hottest of the East Cobb teams to finish the regular season is Kell, which rolled to its sixth consecutive win Friday by a convincing 41-18 score against Woodland. The Longhorns are 8-2 and 6-2 in Region 7 of Class 5A, and also will be playing at home to start the playoffs.
Sprayberry ended a long season on a high note, defeating River Ridge easily, by a 44-6 score. The Yellow Jackets finished 3-7 overall, and 3-6 in Region 6 of Class 6A.
Lassiter’s long season didn’t fare as well, however. The Trojans were looking for their first win in Region 4 of Class 7A, and had a good chance after taking the lead in overtime on Friday. However, playoff-bound Cherokee prevailed 26-23, as Lassiter turned in a 1-9 season, and 0-5 in region games.
The only win of the season for Lassiter came early, against Pope, by a 30-24 score. The Greyhounds ended their regular season last week at 5-5 and 5-3 in Region 7 of Class 6A. That was good enough to nail down the final playoff spot from that region.
The Georgia High School Association will announce first-round playoff pairings later this weekend.
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