MOULTRIE — Tift County will drop out of Region 1-7A for the next two-year Georgia High School Association cycle and will be replaced by two schools, one of which is 200 miles from Moultrie.

The GHSA has announced new regions that will go into effect for the 2022-2023 school year.

Colquitt County, Camden County and Lowndes will remain in the region and Valdosta will move up from Class 6A to rejoin Region 1 in the state’s highest classification.

Also added to the region is Richmond Hill, which is located just south of Savannah and is some 200 miles from Moultrie and about 160 miles from Valdosta and Lowndes.

With the addition of Richmond Hill and the continued presence of Camden County, Region 1 will have two schools that are at least 150 miles from Moultrie.

“We anticipated this,” Colquitt County Athletic Director Darrell Funderburk said.

Richmond Hill was slated for Class 7A two years ago, but was allowed to “play down” in Class 6A because of an “isolation” ruling, invoked because there were no other 7A schools nearby.

The GHSA did not allow either Richmond Hill or Camden County to use isolation as remedy for having to play in a region in which three other schools are well over 100 miles away.

The addition of another school that is close to the Atlantic coast will create huge travel problems for all five schools.

“It’s a huge headache for kids having to travel so much,” Funderburk said. “And we are getting ready to spend a lot of money on diesel.”

Tift County’s enrollment figures allowed it to drop to 6A and will join a Region 1 that will also include Houston County, Lee County, Northside-Warner Robins, Thomas County Central and Veterans.

Tift County had been in the state’s highest classification since 1966.

Athletic directors of the five Region 1-7A schools will meet this week to work out a region football schedule for the 2022 season so teams can begin filling in with non-region opponents.

Richmond Hill, which has been in Class 6A since 2016, will give Region 1-7A three teams with a Wildcat as its mascot, joining Camden County and Valdosta.

The 2021 Richmond Hill football reached this year’s state playoffs as the No. 2 team from Region 2-6A, but was eliminated on Saturday by Lovejoy, the No. 3 team from Region 4.

Richmond Hill finishes 4-6, 4-2 in Region 2-6A, which also includes champion Brunswick, Effingham County, Glynn Academy, Statesboro, South Effingham and Bradwell Institute.

The Wildcats’ two region losses were to Brunswick and Statesboro.

The school has been playing football since 1986.

The current head coach is Matt Lezotte, who has led the program since 2015 and has a record of 43-33.

Richmond Hill reached the Class 6A semifinals in 2019 and finished with a 9-4 record.

The Wildcats were 9-3 in 2020.

Already this school year, Richmond Hill’s volleyball and softball teams both won in the first round of their state tournaments, but were eliminated in the second round.

Last spring, Richmond Hill’s girl soccer team, boys basketball team and wrestling reached the state’s Elite Eight.

The school’s baseball team advanced to the second round of the state playoffs, but the girls basketball, boys soccer and boys and girls tennis teams were eliminated in the first round.

Valdosta has been in Region 1-6A since 2016 when GHSA increased the number of classifications from six to seven.

However, most members of Region 1-7A have continued to schedule Valdosta in most sports as a non-region opponent.

In fact, Colquitt County has continued its rivalry with Valdosta in football by playing the Wildcats each year.

And although Colquitt County did not play Valdosta in softball this fall, basketball teams Lady Packers and Packers will open their 2021-2022 seasons at Valdosta on Tuesday and the two schools are scheduled to meet in Moultrie on November 30.