Favorite: South Forsyth. The Lady War Eagles went through the regular season unscathed in region play, and so this spot belongs to them. Behind a veteran core (Rachel Croce, Jordan Hawk, Kelli McCravy, Taylor Svehla, Tory Wright, etc.), South has emerged as one of the top teams in the state. Ranked No. 2 in the latest PrepCountry.com Class 6A poll, the Lady War Eagles have won at least 40 matches for the first time in school history.

Contenders: Chattahoochee, Johns Creek. Yes, South is the favorite, but the Lady Cougars and Lady Gladiators aren’t that far behind. Chattahoochee has All-American candidates in seniors Chloe Coco and Haley Templeton. Johns Creek beat the likes of St. Pius X and Walton (twice). Both made deep runs in the state tournament last season.   

Darkhorses: Centennial, Lambert. Centennial made what has to be one of the most impressive turnarounds in the state. The Knights were 31-9 as of press time after winning just nine matches last season. Lambert endured early-season injuries to seniors Savannah Oaks and Autumn Harrington and is finally healthy. Both have the capability of making things tough for Chattahoochee, Johns Creek and South.

Outlook: Conventional wisdom suggests that the region title will come down to Chattahoochee, Johns Creek and South leaving Alpharetta, Centennial, Lambert and West Forsyth to battle it out for the final state playoff spot. In an area with three top-5 teams, expect some compelling matches. Last season, South entered the area tournament as the No. 1 seed but lost to Johns Creek in the region finals. The Lady War Eagles would surely like to avoid that scenario again.