With the final out in Wednesday night’s seventh inning, Stephens County secured the fourth playoff spot from Region 8-AAAA in a 3-2 win at St. Pius.

The three-game series was a winner-take-all to determine which of the two teams would make state. With a 15-3 win on Monday, the Indians (21-8; 7-7) put the pressure on the Golden Lions. Greg McCall’s group came through Wednesday with the clinching win, removing all pressure from Friday’s regular season finale.

Stephens County was 17-1 and the state’s #2-ranked team before region play began, but 8-AAAA has proved to be one of the state’s top regions, with #4 Jefferson, #7 North Oconee and #11 Madison County also having sensational seasons. Stephens County is ranked #8, and even St. Pius is ranked #9 and didn’t even make the state playoffs.

All told, five of the six teams in Region 8-AAAA are ranked are among the top 11 in class 4A in the state…think about that for a moment. While not probable, it is possible that the four who advanced to state – Jefferson, North Oconee, Madison and Stephens, could all meet as the final four in the 4A State Playoffs.