Two of Barrow County’s high school teams face a new path to the playoffs this fall.
The Georgia High School Association’s Postseason Ranking formula (PSR) now applies to every classification, including Class 5A, where Winder-Barrow competes, and Class 6A, where Apalachee competes.
A team’s winning percentage accounts for 35% of its PSR score. Its opponents’ winning percentage accounts for another 35%, and its opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage makes up the remaining 30%.
The formula means that whom a team plays matters alongside how often it wins.
Winder-Barrow athletic director Delvin Jordan said a difficult region could help his teams’ strength of schedule, but choosing nonregion opponents requires balance.
“You want to schedule tough, but you also want to win,” Jordan said. “It’s a double-edged sword. I don’t want to downplay any program, so you just have to schedule the right way.”
Apalachee athletic director Caitlin Schmidt said schools must rethink a familiar goal.
“For years and years and years, an athletic program’s goal has been to finish in the top four of your region,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt worries that teams in weaker regions could miss the playoffs even after successful seasons. Their opponents’ records can lower their PSR scores despite wins.
“There are a lot of teams that have traditionally been in weaker regions that may face not being in the state playoffs due to PSR,” Schmidt said. “Unless you’re a region champion, regions don’t really matter anymore.”
Barrow County’s third public high school, the Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy, currently ranks 48th in 3A softball but is just outside the volleyball playoff qualifying at 34th. The Blazers do not compete in football.
The county’s other softball teams illustrate the PSR stakes. As of Oct. 7, Apalachee was 6-19 and ranked No. 45 in Class 6A, its last game a 9-1 loss at Archer on Oct. 5. The Wildcats have reached the postseason with a losing record in previous years but had ground to make up in the rankings this season.
Winder-Barrow (8-18), which beat North Oconee 16-8 on Oct. 6, stood at No. 36 in Class 5A, outside the 32-team playoff field. Its ranking could still change based on its remaining games and the results of teams it has already played.
GHSA’s rankings as of Oct. 7 showed both schools outside the 32-team field in football and softball. In football, Winder-Barrow (2-4) was No. 42 in Class 5A with a PSR of .447, and Apalachee (1-5) was No. 58 in Class 6A at .331.
Both schools’ volleyball teams were closer. Apalachee (27-21) lost 3-0 at Jackson County on Oct. 6 but held the No. 32 spot in Class 6A (.545), the last place inside the field. Winder-Barrow (17-22), which beat Johnson of Gainesville 3-0 on Sept. 29, was No. 33 in Class 5A (.477), one spot out. Teams outside the top 32 can still qualify by winning their region.
For both schools, the playoff picture may remain unsettled until the season ends. Coaches must balance the chance to win against an opponent’s strength when building schedules, while each game can shift their teams’ postseason prospects.
Hattie Andrews, Will Jackson and Justin Schneeberger contributed to this report. They and Mary Kate Leonard are students in the Carmical Sports Media Institute’s undergraduate certificate program at UGA.
