While three of the playoff spots in Region 5-AAAA have been nailed down, there’s still some suspense remaining.

Sandy Creek is the top seed, Carrollton is seeded second, and LaGrange is seeded third.

As for the fourth seed, that will be determined tonight.

At 7:30 p.m. at Kinnett Stadium in Columbus, Troup and Shaw will face off for the region’s fourth and final playoff spot.

The winner will move on to face the top seed from Region 8-AAAA, and the loser will be done for the season.

Troup (3-6 overall) and Shaw (5-4) each bring matching 3-3 region records into the game.

The winner would finish tied with LaGrange (5-5, 4-3) for third place, but LaGrange owns the tie-breaker edge over both teams since it beat them both.

Shaw head coach Kyle Adkins said he has tried to not put too much pressure on the players.

“We’re treating this the same way as any game,” Adkins said. “We’ve felt all year that we belong in the playoffs. We play in the toughest region in AAAA football, as far as I’m concerned, and sometimes that makes things more difficult. We just have to take care of business tonight.”

Added Troup head coach Lynn Kendall: “We’re both 3-3 (in the region), we’ve beaten the same people, and we’ve lost to the same people. It’s a playoff to get into the playoffs. However you want to look at it, it’s what it is.”

Region 5-AAAA will be matched up against Region 8-AAAA in the opening round.

The winner of the Troup-Shaw game will take on top-seeded Monroe Area (9-0, 6-0) in the opening round.

LaGrange will be on the road against Chestatee (7-2, 6-1), the third-place team from Region 8.

Carrollton (7-3, 6-1) will most likely host Stephens County (7-2, 4-1), and Sandy Creek (9-0, 6-0) will host Eastside (6-3,4-2).

In Region 4-AAA, meanwhile, the four playoff participants have all been determined, including region-champion Callaway (8-1, 6-0).

Chapel Hill (6-3, 5-1) has clinched the second spot, Rockmart (5-4, 4-2) will be the third seed, and Central-Carroll (5-5, 4-3) has grabbed the fourth and final playoff spot.

Nothing that happens in tonight’s final games of the regular season will impact the standings.

Even if Callaway loses and falls into a tie with Chapel Hill, it would get the top seed based on the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Region 4-AAA teams will face the Region 1-AAA teams in the first round of the playoffs.

If things remain the same in Region 1-AAA, Callaway will end up hosting Johnson-Savannah (3-6, 3-3) in a first-round matchup.

Also, unless things change tonight, Chapel Hill would face Tattnall County (5-4, 4-2), Rockmart would visit Appling County (7-1-1, 5-1) and Central-Carroll would travel to face Pierce County (8-1, 6-0).

In GISA football, the Dawson Street Christian School Wildcats are in the playoffs, but they have a chance to host a home game at state if they win tonight’s regular-season finale.

The Wildcats (5-5, 4-1) will visit Curtis Baptist (6-4, 4-1) with the second spot in Region 4-A on the line.

The loser will be the third seed and will be on the road in the first round.

Thomas Jefferson Academy (7-3, 5-0) has wrapped up the top seed, and Bethlehem Christian (2-7, 2-3) and David Emanuel Academy (3-6, 2-3) are fighting it out for the fourth seed.

Dawson Street, since opening the season 1-5, has won four straight games to set up tonight’s big showdown.