Championship games could be moved
Published 11:48 pm Tuesday, November 27, 2018
By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY
Daily News
A year ago, six of the eight state-championship football games were postponed because of concerns over winter weather.
This year, the championship games could be delayed once again, and this time the culprit would be soccer.
If the Atlanta United reaches the Major League Soccer championship game, which appears likely, the league championship game would be played in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Center on Dec. 8.
The state’s championship games are slated to be played in the Mercedes-Benz Center on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8, and all of those games would be postponed if the United reaches the championship game.
The games now scheduled for Dec. 7 would instead be played on Dec. 11, and the Dec. 8 games would be moved to Dec. 12.
The times would remain the same.
The Atlanta United beat the New York Red Bulls 3-0 on Sunday, and the two teams will play the second leg of their conference final on Thursday in New Jersey.
If Atlanta finishes with more goals than New York in the two games combined, it will advance to the championship game to play either Portland or Kansas City.
If the teams finish with the same number of goals, the team that scores the most goals on the opponent’s home field will advance.
If the Red Bulls pull off the minor miracle and beat the United by four goals or more on Thursday, they’ll advance to the championship game, and the high-school games will be played as scheduled.
The Callaway Cavaliers and Troup Tigers are both one victory away from making it to Atlanta for the championship game.
Callaway visits Rockmart on Friday in a Class AA semifinal, while Troup travels to Roswell on Friday to face defending state-champion Blessed Trinity in a Class AAAA semifinal.
Both teams are attempting to make it to a championship game for the first time ever.
Callaway would play either Heard County or Fitzgerald in the title game, while Troup would face either Cartersville or Marist.
The Class AA and Class AAAA championship games will be played back-to-back beginning at 1 p.m., either on Dec. 8 or Dec. 12.
Here is the schedule for the championship games:
Dec. 7 or Dec. 11
10 a.m. – Class A
1 p.m. – Class AAA
4:30 p.m. – Class AAAAA
Dec. 8 or Dec. 12
10 a.m. – Class A private
1 p.m. – Class AA
4:30 p.m. – Class AAAA
8 p.m. – Class AAAAAAA
OF NOTE: For complete coverage of the state semifinals, see the Thursday and Friday sports sections.