THOMASVILLE – Thomas County Central’s drop from Class 6-A to 5-A for the next two seasons has netted the two-time region champion football team a tougher region to compete in.

According to the proposed region alignment from the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) this week, Central would be in Region 2, along with Houston County, Lee County, Northside-Warner Robins, Veterans and Coffee.

“Being the smallest school in a classification is never easy, but we’ve been living that these last 10 years. It’s something we’ve got to get used to,” Central football coach Justin Rogers said. “We’re growing. Our school is growing. I think we’re going to continue to see growth also. Just like we talked when I got hired going into this bigger classification, it’ll be the same deal now. The only thing is, we thought this (current) region was tough. I think this new one is going to be even (tougher).

“Whew boy, get your mind right.”

The addition of Coffee makes Central’s quest to three-peat next year a challenging one. Coffee won Region 1-5A this year and finished with a perfect 10-0 record. It finished 10-3 last year before losing in the state quarterfinal round.

Houston County won its appeal to drop from Class 6-A to 5-A. Warner Robins won its appeal to drop from Class 5-A to 4-A.

According to the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) reclassification numbers for 2024-26, Central was one of 57 schools aligned in the classification. But it was also the fourth-smallest school in terms of 2023 FTE (full time equivalent) numbers.

The GHSA will hear appeals from schools to transfer laterally within their classifications on Thursday, Nov. 16.