Quarterfinal previews: Gwinnett, Region 1 have three teams each

Archer wide receiver Andrew Booth makes a catch as Parkview corner back Matt Chavers (10) defends during a high school football game Fri., Nov. 16, 2018, in Lilburn.

Credit: John Amis

Credit: John Amis

Archer wide receiver Andrew Booth makes a catch as Parkview corner back Matt Chavers (10) defends during a high school football game Fri., Nov. 16, 2018, in Lilburn.

Three teams from Gwinnett County and three from Region 1 will be joined by Cobb’s Hillgrove and Fulton’s Milton in the Class AAAAAAA quarterfinals Friday night.

One game, North Gwinnett at Colquitt County, will be a rematch of last year’s state championship game, won by North Gwinnett at home on a last-second field goal.

Here’s a look at the four quarterfinals.

Lowndes at Grayson 

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Grayson Community Stadium, Grayson

Records, rankings: Lowndes is 9-3, the No. 2 seed from Region 1-AAAAAAA and unranked; Grayson is 10-2, the No. 1 seed from 8-AAAAAAA and No. 2.

Last meeting: Grayson won 25-17 in the second round of the 2011 Class AAAAA playoffs.

Things to know:Grayson is 2-0 all-time against Lowndes, winning playoff games in 2011 and 2008. The 2008 quarterfinal was memorable because Lowndes was the defending champion and ranked No. 1, and Grayson wasn't yet a state power. Counting that loss, Lowndes is 0-4 in quarterfinals since, and Grayson has gone on to win two state titles. Last week, both teams got big games from unusual places. Grayson sophomore Phil Mafah rushed for 168 yards in a 37-17 victory over Norcross, which led 10-9 at halftime. Lowndes freshman Jacarri Brown rushed for 135 yards in a 24-0 victory over Westlake. The teams' usual rushing stars are Grayson's Jonathan Halyard (1,122 yards) and Lowndes' Travis Tisdale (1,686 yards). This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Lowndes, which graduated most of its starters, including record-setting quarterback Michael Barrett, now at Michigan. Grayson, which has a state-record 12 seniors committed to major Division I schools, was the preseason No. 1 team.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Grayson by 11

Winner plays: Milton/Hillgrove winner

Milton at Hillgrove 

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Cobb Energy Hillgrove Stadium, Powder Springs

Records, rankings: Milton is 10-2, the No. 1 seed from Region 5-AAAAAAA and No. 8; Hillgrove is 12-0, the No. 1 seed from 3-AAAAAAA and No. 4.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Things to know: Both teams were unranked in preseason. Now, the winner will be in the semifinals for the first time. Hillgrove is in its fourth quarterfinal since 2010 but hasn't won one. Milton was in one previous quarterfinal, in 2014. They've never played each other. Milton beat Mill Creek 24-3 in the second round as Jordan Yates, a Georgia Tech commit, passed for 275 yards and two touchdowns, both to Dylan Leonard, who had 177 yards receiving on eight catches. Josh Edwards ran for 50 yards, giving him 1,010 yards on the season. Hillgrove's strength is its defense. The Hawks have held 10 of 12 opponents to less than 120 yards rushing, including Walton, which mustered 35 in Hillgrove's 23-20 victory last week. Hillgrove won on Luis Garcia-Cano's 31-yard field goal on the final play. Both teams have a highly recruited defensive back. Milton's Joe Charleston is committed to Clemson, and Hillgrove's Jaylen McCollough is headed to Tennessee.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Hillgrove by 8

Winner plays: Lowndes/Grayson winner

Tift County at Archer 

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Archer Community Stadium, Lawrenceville

Records, rankings: Tift County is 8-4, the at-large team and unranked; Archer is 10-2, the No. 2 seed from Region 8-AAAAAAA and No. 9.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Things to know: Tift County is the 13th fourth-place finisher from a region to reach the quarterfinals in the highest class. The previous 12 are 5-7 in the quarters. Tift beat East Coweta 24-17 in the second round after trailing 14-0. Mike Jones rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. He has rushed for 1,130 yards this season. Archer was ranked No. 3 in preseason in part because of D-I defensive players Andrew Booth and Jalyn Phillips (both committed to Clemson) and Colby Wooden (Auburn) and play-makers Carter Peevy (2,229 yards passing this season) and Braylen Weems (853 receiving, 11 TDs). So it was not shocking that the Tigers beat No. 3 Parkview 36-29 last week. Semaje Banks scored his third touchdown on a 5-yard run with 1:50 left for the winning score. Both teams won last week despite their opponents having a 200-yard rusher (Gerald Green for East Coweta and Cody Brown of Parkview).

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Archer by 7

Winner plays: North Gwinnett/Colquitt County winner

North Gwinnett at Colquitt County 

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Mack Tharpe Memorial Stadium, Moultrie

Records, rankings: North Gwinnett is 10-2, the No. 1 seed from Region 6-AAAAAAA and No. 7; Colquitt County is 12-0, the No. 1 seed from 1-AAAAAAA and No. 1.

Last meeting: North Gwinnett won 19-17 in the 2017 Class AAAAAAA championship game.

Things to know: This is a rematch of the 2017 state final won by North Gwinnett on Cameron Clark's 38-yard field goal on the final play. That was played at North Gwinnett. This one will be in Moultrie because of a coin toss that decides home field when region champions meet. Colquitt and North Gwinnett haven't been seriously challenged in the playoffs. Colquitt has won 34-5 and 49-29, while North has won 49-0 and 41-7. Colquitt's players to watch on offense are QB Jaycee Harden (2,073 yards passing) and RB Daijun Edwards (1,251 yards rushing), but defense is the real story. The Packers hadn't allowed more than 14 points in a game until last week's 49-29 win over McEachern. Colquitt led 42-7 midway in the third quarter. The 10.1 points allowed per game are the fewest for a Rush Propst-coached team since 1998. North has a balanced offense led by Tyler Goodson (1,115 yards rushing, committed to Iowa), J.R. Martin (1,692 yards passing) and Josh Downs (682 yards receiving). DB Warren Burrell (committed to Tennessee) and DB Quinton Newsome (Nebraska) are stars on defense.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Colquitt County by 25

Winner plays: Tift County/Archer winner