By Kevin Eckleberry

Sports Editor

There has been one constant in Region 5-AA the past two years.

While the names near the top have changed, the name at the top has remained the same.

The Callaway Cavaliers rolled to a region championship a year ago, and their title defense is off to a fast start this season.

The Cavaliers are unbeaten through four region games, putting them atop the 5-AA standings.

Lamar County, this week’s opponent, is 3-0 in region play.

The fact that Callaway is 4-0 in region play only tells part of the story.

In the four games combined, the Cavaliers have outscored their opponents 177-32, including last week’s 52-12 win over Jordan.

Callaway was 0-2 in non-region play, but those games were against Troup and Lovett.

Lovett, which went on to beat Buford the following week, is a favorite to win the Class AA title.

“We felt like the first two games with Troup and Lovett would prepare us for the region, and I feel like it has done that,” Callaway coach Pete Wiggins said.

While Callaway and Lamar County are the region front-runners, some other teams aren’t far behind.

Manchester is 3-1 in the region, with its only loss coming to Callaway.

Heard County, which faces Callaway on Oct. 30, is 2-1 in region play.

Pike County (1-2) is next, followed by Macon County (1-3), Spencer (1-3) and Crawford County (1-3).

Jordan (0-3) is the region’s lone winless team.

Four of the region’s teams will advance to the state playoffs.

In Region 2-AAA, LaGrange and Troup are leading the way with matching 2-0 records, while Carver is 1-0 in the region.

Those three teams figured to be the region front-runners coming in, and it has worked out that way.

LaGrange thumped Shaw 28-7 and Kendrick 34-0, while Troup has overwhelmed Northside 48-7 and Columbus 42-7.

Carver beat Columbus 47-13 in its lone region game.

The region figures to come down to the games involving Troup, Carver and LaGrange.

The first of those games comes up this week, with Carver visiting Troup Friday night.

LaGrange and Carver meet in Memorial Stadium on Oct. 30, and LaGrange and Troup play in the regular-season finale on Nov. 6.

If Troup could pull off the win, it would be heavily favored in its next two games against Shaw and Kendrick, likely setting up a region-championship showdown against LaGrange.

First things first, though.

Carver, despite losing some key players from its 2008 squad, is cruising right along.

“It’s going to be a tall task. We know that,” Troup head coach Bubba Jeter said.

A fourth team from the region will make the state playoffs, and at the moment that team is Northside (1-1), which beat Shaw last week.

Kendrick (0-1), Shaw (0-2) and Columbus (0-2) are each looking for their first region wins.

LaGrange is off this week, and it will resume its region schedule Oct. 17 against Northside.

The Grangers then play Columbus on Oct. 23 before closing with games against Carver and Troup.