The March to Macon is officially upon us and trying to determine how the AAAAA classification will play out is no easy task. We take a deeper look at the opening round and offer up some thoughts after a busy and competitive season.

BEST GAME: Effingham County (22-4) vs. Academy of Richmond County (21-5). Both teams were the regular season champs in their respective regions but fell short in the region tournament. Now they face each other in the best first round game of the AAAAA bracket. Both teams have upperclassmen experience. Both teams have a go-to guy in the clutch. Deshaun Wilkenson is an athletic 6-foot-4 wing that averaged 17 points, four rebounds and 2.3 assists a game for Effingham County. He'll be matched up with Illinois State bound guard Madison Williams, one of the best players in East Georgia. Buckle up, this should be a fun one. 

BEST PLAYER MATCH-UP: The long wings of Heritage against the long wings of South Paulding. You could argue this match-up is the best of the entire AAAAA bracket. Heritage has four players that are all cut from the same 6-foot-4, long and productive cloth. South Paulding has a 

1 VS 4 UPSET: Jones County, a No. 4 seed, is the most potent offense in AAAAA, putting up nearly 75 points a game. Traveling nearly four hours to Camden County will be a chore, no doubt, but keep an eye on this one. Camden County is a senior rich team but Jones County has a lot of talent and a scoring stud in Devin Wooten, who is putting up nearly 25 points a game this season. 

SLEEPER TEAM: Lee Hill has been at the helm of Statesboro for four decades. Four decades. Think about that for a second. So, to call one of his programs a “sleeper” is probably not the right adjective. Nonetheless, his Blue Devils are a team seed team at 21-8 on the season. Statesboro took Liberty County to two overtimes only to lose by one in December. The Blue Devils lost to region champs Effingham by a bucket. Several of the team's losses were by a possession or two. Keep an eye on Hill’s squad. They could make a nice run in bracket play. 

SENIOR TO WATCH: The amount of talented unsigned seniors that are playing in the AAAAA is astounding. The point guards are deep. Led by Allatoona’s Ephraim Tshimanga, Miller Grove’s Aaron Augustin and McIntosh’s Will Washington, we are talking about three of the best uncommitted floor generals in Georgia in this classification bracket. Southwest Dekalb wing Keith Gilmore is having a monster year and a target for a number of low-majors. Big men Donovan Brown (Warner Robins) and Kohl Roberts (Riverwood) played travel ball together and both could have their respective teams playing for a title in Macon next month. 

STORY STARTER POTENTIAL: Keeping to the tune of great seniors in the classification, the bracket could be the stage needed for some senior sleepers to turn production into scholarship offers. Keep an eye on these guys: Devin Wooten (Jones County), James Ruiz (Drew), Kaelon Harris (Mundy's Mill) and Moses Jones (Cross Creek). 

NO. 1 SEEDS 

Region 1: LaGrange
Region 2: Warner Robins 
Region 3: Camden County
Region 4: McIntosh
Region 5: Allatoona
Region 6: Miller Grove
Region 7: Riverwood
Region 8: Cedar Shoals

POWER POLL TEAMS (5): 1. Miller Grove, 8. Allatoona, 9. McIntosh, 17. Gainesville, 18. Cedar Shoals

STORYLINES 

• The sheer amount of depth in this bracket is astounding. 
• Can Allatoona remain undefeated on the season? 
• Can Miller Grove start a new chain of championships? 
• We saw two teams that few picked to for a title last year in Brunswick and Allatoona. Brunswick won out. Can the same rise from the shadows storyline play out again this season? 
• A team that scares me? Riverwood. The Atlanta school is 27-1 on the season. Gainseville and McIntosh are in the same quadrant as Buck Jenkins’s team. The March to Macon won’t be easy. But neither is racking up 27 wins on the season. 

FINAL FOUR PICKS
Justin Young: Warner Robins, Cedar Shoals, McIntosh, Miller Grove

Carter Wilson: Allatoona, Cedar Shoals, McIntosh, Miller Grove