All season long both local head football coaches, Griffin High's Steve DeVoursney and Spalding High's Nick Davis, felt their side of the subregion in Region 4-AAAA might be a little tougher.

That's exactly how it played out Friday night in Region 4-AAAA play-in games.

The only Region 4-AAAA Div. A team to win was Div. A champ and No. 5-state ranked Stockbridge. The Tigers easily topped Region 4-AAAA Div. B North Clayton 29-0 to claim the Region 4-AAAA championship.

Thereafter, however, Region 4-AAAA Div. B swept the rest of the action. Region 4-AAAA Div. B champion and No. 6-state ranked Griffin spanked Div. A fourth-place Eagle's Landing 49-6, while Div. B runner-up and No. 7-state ranked Jonesboro topped Div. A third-place Dutchtown 43-28, and Div. B third-place Riverdale eliminated Div. A runner-up Locust Grove 20-12.

For good measure — in a game with no state playoff berth on the line — Div. B fifth-place Upson-Lee downed Div. A fifth-place Woodland-Stockbridge 23-11.

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WHERE DO WE GO?: Region 4-AAAA will be paired against Region 1-AAAA in the opening round of the Class AAAA state playoffs Friday.

That means Region 4-AAAA champ and No. 5-state ranked Stockbridge (9-1) hosts Region 1-AAAA fourth-place Worth County (4-6) and Region 4-AAAA runner-up and No. 6-state ranked Griffin (9-1) hosts Region 1-AAAA third-place Monroe-Albany (7-3), while Region 4-AAAA third-place and No. 7-state ranked Jonesboro (9-1) travels to take on Region 1-AAAA runner-up Westover-Albany (6-3) and Region 4-AAAA fourth-place Riverdale (7-3) travels to take on Region 1-AAAA champ and No. 10-state ranked Cairo (8-2).

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AND THEN: The winner of the Griffin-Monroe game will take on the winner of Burke County-Perry game on Nov. 23 in a second-round state playoff game. Perry (6-4) is the fourth-place team from Region 2-AAAA, while No. 3-state ranked Burke County (9-1) is the Region 3-AAAA champion.

If Griffin wins this week, it would host next week if Perry pulls off an upset. However, Griffin would be on the road to Waynesboro if it wins and Burke County also wins.

Burke County, which is outscoring its opposition by an average margin of 43-15, hasn't lost since a 21-14 loss to Class AAA No. 1-state ranked Thomson in the opener.

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BEYOND THAT: State quarterfinal-round opponents, should Griffin advance that far, could be any one of four other teams in Griffin's quadrant of the bracket.

They include No. 1-state ranked Sandy Creek (10-0), No. 9-state ranked Carver-Atlanta (9-1) — whose only loss was to No. 2-state ranked Marist 42-14 Friday — Eastside-Covington (7-3) and Dalton (7-3).

Sandy Creek meets Eastside in the opener Friday, the same night Carver-Atlanta and Dalton clash. The winners of those games face off in second-round action.

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PLAYOFF TICKETS: Tickets to the state playoffs are set by the Georgia High School Association.

They are $10 for first-round games, $12 for second and third-round games, $15 for the semifinals and $18 pre-sold at schools or $20 from Ticketmaster or at the Georgia Dome gate for the finals.