REGION 3AAAAAAA
McEachern returns to region to rekindle old rivalries
By Thomas Ashworth
MDJ Sports Writer
As the regions shifted for this upcoming season,
KICKOFF ‘22 33
Region 3AAAAAAA will retain four familiar
faces, but reduce to five teams after having
six since 2016 .
While Harrison, Hillgrove, Marietta and North
Paulding will stay put, the region will add McEachern
while losing North Cobb and Walton.
Heading into their new region, McEachern
coach Franklin Stephens knows it takes just
one game for a team to fall out of contention.
“The five-team regions are tough,” Stephens
said. “There’s not a lot of room for error in
the five-team region. O ne loss and you might
be done.”
All four Cobb schools in the new region are
within ten miles of each other, with the schools
already having pre-existing rivalries due to
their proximity.
Hillgrove coach Justin Deshon said the Hawks
and the student body are looking forward to
playing games against their geographical rivals.
“We have our natural rivals. Three of the four
schools really touch us,” Deshon said. “O ur
student body and our players, we’re looking
forward to playing those guys.”
Despite the shift in the teams in Region 3AAAAAAA,
Marietta coach Richard Morgan says the familiarity
of their schedule remains the same.
“It’s a new region, but the teams haven’t
changed,” Morgan said. “We played (McEachern)
non-region, and now North Cobb and Walton
are out, but we’re still playing them non-region.
In reality, we’re still playing the same teams,
there’s no new faces to us.”
North Cobb and Walton, who combined for
19 wins last season, join fellow Cobb schools
K ennesaw Mountain, O sborne and Wheeler
along with Cherokee.
Even when losing the two opponents in their
region, Deshon said that the quality of opponents
across the regions that are populated by
Cobb schools still possess solid talent.
“You lose North Cobb and Walton and the
quality of programs they are, but you pick up
McEachern with their history and their tradition
and their talent,” Deshon said. “If you
j ump in any one of those two regions that we
populate, you’re going to play good football.
So, we’ve got to be ready for the test.”
Last time McEachern and Marietta were in a
region together was the 2019 season. Despite
McEachern winning the region title over Marietta,
the Blue Devils went on to win their first
state championship since 196 7.
Morgan is confident in his team as they step
into the new-look Region 3AAAAAAA.
“We still schedule the toughest schedule
around,” Morgan said. “Prior to those four (region)
games, we play Buford, we play G rayson,
we play in (Mercedes-Benz Stadium). O ur
schedule is just different all the time. Regardless
of who’s in our region, we’re going to be
well-prepared for that region by the time we get
there because of the schedule that we played
beforehand.”
With Hillgrove starting quarterback Chase
McCravy transferring to Marietta, the four
Cobb teams will look to win their region with
a new quarterback taking the reins.
Staying in the mix with the four teams from
Cobb will be North Paulding, who aims to
achieve their first winning season since 2019
while looking for their first winning record in
region play since 2017.
PREDICTION
1. MARIETTA
2. MCEACHERN
3. HARRISON
4. HILLGROVE
5. NORTH PAULDING
File
McEachern returns to Region 3AAAAAAA to rekindle rivalries with Hillgrove, Marietta and Harrison.