Since the middle part of the 1990s, the metric for qualifying for the state playoffs has been rather straightforward. In order to make the postseason, teams had to generally finish the season in the top four of their region. To host in the opening round, teams had to be among the top two teams in their region.
Next year, all of that changes. The GHSA executive committee last week overwhelmingly approved the adoption of a new playoff format across all classifications. Rather than seeding teams for postseason by their region finishes, schools will rather be seeded within their classification by power rankings, putting the top 32 teams into the postseason in each classification.
The new postseason format will be for the sports of football, softball, volleyball, basketball, baseball, and soccer.
“I think what it does now is that it gives you the best 32 teams. Sometimes, you get teams in there that, you’re not saying they don’t play a strong region schedule, but then you have good teams that are left out,” Jones County Schools athletic director Charles David said. “So, what you’ll probably end up getting is a little bit better competition in the playoffs. I think it’s gotten to the point where they had to do something and felt like the PSR traits are where they want to be.”
According to data released by Georgia High School Football Daily, the Greyhounds would have been seeded 13th in last year’s football state playoffs. As the second seed from their region, they were among the top 16 teams in terms of teams hosting in the opening round.
Last year’s bracket in Class A Division I showed the impact of strength of schedule. In region 2, one in which a group of teams from middle Georgia compete, including ACE, Northeast, and Washington County, a total of six teams made the postseason, whereas using the previous criteria, only four would have been in the state playoffs.
Region play will still play a role, however. Region champions will be guaranteed a home game in the first round. Any team not seeded above 17th will be automatically placed 16th.
This format is not new in Georgia, as it’s been used in recent years by teams in the GHSA’s lower classifications. Greyhounds football defensive assistant Chase Lundy was on that side of the postseason format first-hand, as he coached at Putnam County prior to coming to JCHS this past offseason.
“The way we always looked at it was that you never look ahead,” Lundy said. “The only thing you can control is what you can control.”
Indeed, the best way going forward to ensure a team has a home game in the first round will be to win the region. That’s not lost on Lady Greyhounds head basketball coach Takeo Gray, whose team hosted games in the first two rounds of last year’s state tournament.
“Ultimately, you want to win the region,” Gray said. “You want to be No. 1 for a reason. Then, you don’t have to worry about it. You kind of can take that weight off your shoulders.”
