Who might the Tigers face?

Following their region championship victory last Friday, the Dawson County varsity football team will have an extra week of preparation before they host a playoff game on Saturday, Nov. 12. 

As of now, there are still four potential opponents from Region 8-3A who could finish as the fourth seed and visit Tiger Stadium. 

With one more slate of regular season games to go in that region, Hart County, Hebron Christian Academy, Monroe Area and Oconee County all have 2-2 records in the six-team region.

Stephens County, who handed Dawson one of their only two losses earlier this season, has already clinched the region title.

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This Friday, the team most favored to clinch a playoff spot will be Oconee, who will play winless Franklin County. 

Hebron will have a tough path forward despite having a 7-2 regular season record. With a pair of region losses already, the Lions will travel to Toccoa to face Stephens County.

The most heated matchup will be between Hart and Monroe in a rematch of last year’s regular season finale. 

Last season’s game was the deciding factor for the region title, with Monroe prevailing to secure an undefeated regular season.

But this year, Monroe is fighting to secure a postseason spot, so far posting just a 4-5 overall after scheduling a tough non-region slate that included Loganville and Gainesville. 

Which team poses the biggest challenge?

Offensively, Hebron has scored the most total points in the region — with the only anomaly coming in a 41-7 loss to Monroe. 

The Lions are led by quarterback Gavin Hall, who leads all of Class 3A in rushing yards with 1,822 — averaging 202 yards per game.

If Hebron loses to Stephens, the Lions would likely be eliminated from playoff contention regardless of the result between Hart and Monroe, since Hebron lost to both of those teams. 

Defensively, the stingiest team outside of Stephens is Monroe, who have only given up 62 points in four region games. Dawson has only yielded 48 points in six region games. 

Monroe boasts the leading tackler in the region, with linebacker Jakyri Jones racking up 98 tackles so far. 

For Dawson, their defensive strength will be a major factor in its playoff success. The Tigers will be looking to follow up its region title with another playoff run.