Glad to finally see Griffin High and Spalding High in the same region during the next two-year cycle. Since Spalding High School opened in the fall of 2000, the two schools have been inching closer and closer together. It’s about time they landed in the same region.

They played in some sports right away (soccer, riflery and girls basketball), while other sports (cross country, track tennis, golf, boys basketball and football) had to wait a while and another (baseball) is still waiting for the teams to meet in a regular season varsity game.

The sister schools should have been playing across the board all along. This will force their hand. In the grand scheme of things, it only makes sense.

After all — regardless of how up or down one program is from one year to the next — who couldn’t picture Georgia playing Georgia Tech, Alabama playing Auburn, Florida playing Florida State, Michigan playing Michigan State, Texas playing Texas A&M, Oklahoma playing Oklahoma State, Oregon playing Oregon State or Southern Cal playing UCLA?

It’s just the right thing to do in our little piece of the universe.

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BOBBY RAINEY WATCH:

Former Griffin High standout Bobby Rainey, who set the single-season (1,695 yards) and career-rushing mark (4,542) this season as a senior at Western Kentucky University, finished the season as second top rusher in NCAA Division I-(FBS) with a 141.25 yards per game average — second only to Oregon’s LaMichael James (150.42 ypg).

Now Rainey, who learned Thursday he was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game — 4 p.m., Jan 21 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. (televised on the NFL Network) — is hoping to be selected in this spring’s NFL Draft.

Rainey is in Orlando this week working on speed training. Next week he’ll be in San Diego for combine training. Thereafter, he heads back to Western Kentucky for a senior day workout in front of pro scouts.

Rainey, who has already hired an agent, was not selected to attend and perform at the main NFL Combine on Feb. 22-28 in Indianapolis. However, he might be selected to attend a Regional Combine in Flowery Branch, Ga., on March 10-11.

The NFL Draft is April 26-28 in New York City.

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ON THE REBOUND:

Former Griffin High great Sherrod Martin is expected to be back in town next week to give a speech to students at Griffin High. Martin, who has been a two-year full-time starter for the Carolina Panthers the past two seasons, is the 29th player from Griffin to make it in the NFL.

Last year he tied a career-high for interceptions with 3, matching the total he had during his rookie season in 2009. He had 67 total tackles this season, a year after logging a career-best 85 total tackles from his free safety position.

Through it all, Martin has never forgotten his home town. He’s very grateful to Griffin High high head coach Steve DeVoursney. He showed that much by coming back this summer — no less than with a bunch of his teammates from the Carolina Panthers — to conduct a free youth summer football camp at Griffin High School.

Love to see stuff like that, though it doesn’t surprise me. Martin has always been a class act.

(John Sullivan is the sports editor at the Griffin Daily News.)