No. 1-ranked teams face tough task in quarterfinals

It’s been 51 years since every No. 1-ranked high school football team from the regular season went on to win its state championship.

This year’s No. 1 teams — Lowndes (AAAAA), Westside-Macon (AAAA), Cairo (AAA), Buford (AA) and ECI (A) — are in the quarterfinals, which commence this week.

The only set of regular-season No. 1 teams to finish No. 1 was Northside-Atlanta (AAA), Valdosta (AA), Statesboro (A), Trion (B) and Waynesboro (C) in 1957. Here’s a look at what’s in store for the 2008 No. 1 teams this week:

• In AAAAA: Lowndes plays No. 4 Grayson in the only quarterfinal in any class between undefeated teams. Lowndes has won 17 straight playoff games — four short of a state record — but only one of those came on an opponent’s home field. That was the 2004 state final at Parkview, won by Lowndes 17-14.

• In AAAA: Westside is at home against No. 4 Tucker, the team that Westside replaced at No. 1 on Sept. 28 after Tucker (11-1) lost to Marist. Westside’s closest victory margin this season has been 21 points.

• In AAA: No. 1 Cairo plays at home against Eastside of Covington, a Cinderella team. Eastside (11-1) became the first Newton County team ever to win a state playoff game this year.

• In AA: No. 1 Buford (12-0) is at home against unranked Dublin (11-1). Buford beat Dublin 48-0 in the 2007 semifinals. Buford is the defending state champion while Dublin was a co-champion in 2006.

• In A: No. 1 ECI travels to No. 8 Bremen (11-1). ECI, the defending champion, has never won a playoff game in an opponent’s home stadium.