AA blog: Quarterfinal matchups

- Heard County's record-breaking running back is putting on a show in the final games of his high school career, but can the Braves keep their hot streak going against a team with Brooks County's pedigree?

Let's look a little deep at each game ...

Brooks County at Heard County

Winner plays

Lovett/Benedictine

Record, seeds

Brooks County (9-3, No. 2 Region 1-AA)

Heard County (7-5, No. 2 Region 5-AA)

Record vs. 2014 playoff teams

Brooks County (5-3)

Heard County (4-5)

Playoff history

Brooks County

-Seventh straight year in postseason

- Advanced to semifinals last year

- One state championship: 1994, Class A

Heard County

- 10th straight year in postseason

- First trip to quarterfinals since 1990

- Never reached the semifinals

Series history

First meeting

Stats

Brooks County

- 27.6 ppg (22.5 in playoffs)

- 17.6 papg (15.5 in playoffs)

Heard County

- 27.5 ppg (28.0 in playoffs)

- 25.8 papg (13.5 in playoffs)

Notable

Brooks County

Quarterback Demontay Jones helped the Trojans erase an early deficit last week and emerge with a 21-14 win over Washington-Wilkes. Jones ran for 133 yards and threw a touchdown pass in the win. … Brooks County has won four straight – all against AA playoff teams – since falling, 57-29, to Fitzgerald. The Trojans have played strong defense during that span, allowing just 14 points per game.

Heard County

The Braves have rebounded from a 1-4 start to have their best playoff run since 1990. … Heard County was beset by a rash of injuries early in the season, none bigger than the loss of star running back/safety Duranta Dunson. The senior, who missed time due to a broken collarbone, is back and is closing in on 7,000 career rushing yards after running for 150 yards in last week’s 28-6 win over Screven County. It was perhaps Heard County’s best defensive performance of the season, considering it came against a region champ and the Braves held the Gamecocks to a season-low of 97 yards of total offense.

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Lovett at Benedictine

Winner plays

Heard County/Brooks County

Record, seeds

Lovett (9-3, No. 2 Region 6-AA)

Benedictine (11-2, No. 2 Region 2-AA)

Record vs. 2014 playoff teams

Lovett (5-3)

Benedictine (5-2)

Playoff history

Lovett

-10th straight year in postseason

- State champs last season; second state title in program history

Benedictine

- Fourth straight year in postseason

- Advanced to semifinals last year

- No state championships

Series history

First meeting

Stats

Lovett

- 32.1 ppg (49.0 in playoffs)

- 15.3 papg (14.5 in playoffs)

- 219 rushing ypg

- 129 passing ypg

Benedictine

- 45.3 ppg (38.5 in playoffs)

- 11.9 papg (4.5 in playoffs)

- 223 rushing ypg

- 222 passing ypg

Notable

Lovett

Since falling to GAC in their regular season finale, the Lions have been on a tear, scoring 98 points through two playoff games, including last week's 42-8 win over a Macon County team that entered the postseason ranked No. 6 in the state. … Senior quarterback Willie Candler is the focal point of the Lions offense, passing for 1,672 yards, rushing for 694, and accounting for a combined 36 touchdowns. … Running back Jay Harris leads the team with 902 rushing yards (7.9 per carry), and posted a season-high 113 yards on eight carries last week. … Senior Nathan Offutt is a standout on the defensive front, posting 18.5 tackles for loss and five sacks on the season.

Benedictine

The Cadets have been one of AA’s most prolific offenses all season, but recent weeks have brought their balance into focus. Quarterback Stevie Powers has thrown for 2,669 yards and 26 touchdowns, and has one of the state’s best receivers in Brad Stewart (59 catches, 1,138 yards, 15 TDs). But Benedictine has increasingly leaned on running backs John Kennedy and Chance Jackson, and with good results. Kennedy, a sophomore, has 857 rushing yards (11.1 per carry), 522 receiving yards, and 16 total touchdowns, while Jackson has run for 735 yards and 12 scores. Kennedy posted season-highs in rushing yards (234) and carries (14) in last week’s 42-9 win over Rabun County. … Defensively, the Cadets have posted three shutouts on the season. The only teams to break 20 points against Benedictine were No. 1 GAC (24) and No. 2 Vidalia (35).

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Vidalia at Greater Atlanta Christian

Winner plays

Pace Academy/Fitzgerald

Record, seeds

Vidalia (12-0, No. 1 Region 2-AA)

GAC (12-0, No. 1, Region 6-AA)

Record vs. 2014 playoff teams

Vidalia (7-0)

GAC (8-0)

Playoff history

Vidalia

- Third straight year in postseason

- First quarterfinals appearance since 2004

- Last trip to semifinals: 2003

- One state championship: 1969, Class B

Greater Atlanta Christian

- Third straight year in postseason

- Last quarterfinals appearance: 2012

- Last semifinals appearance: 2012

Series history

Vidalia won only previous meeting, 20-14, in 2003 quarterfinals

Stats

Vidalia

- 42.7 ppg (50.5 in playoffs)

- 11.7 papg (24.5 in playoffs)

- 309 rushing ypg

- 52 passing ypg

- 137 rushing yapg

- 85 passing yapg

GAC

- 37.1 ppg (44.5 in playoffs)

- 10.2 papg (16.5 in playoffs)

Notable

Vidalia

The Indians’ running game may be the single most reliable thing in Class AA football to this point in the season. No team has held them to fewer than 245 rushing yards, and that came in a 38-0 win over Groves in which they still ran for more than 8 yards per carry. The triple-option game starts with quarterback Jordan Black, the Region 2-AA Player of the Year. He’s run for team-highs in yards (1,152) and touchdowns (22). Three other players have at least 375 rushing yards to their credit, led by Nate McBride’s 638 on just 61 carries. McBride, a sophomore standout linebacker and the region’s Defensive Player of the Year, ran for a season-high 127 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries in last week’s 45-14 win over Coosa.

GAC

The Spartans got a scare in the first half last week, trailing 20-14 against Lamar County before eventually pulling away for a 48-20 win. The GAC defense, which yielded just 103 rushing yards per game during the regular season, gave up 317 yards to Lamar County. … Micah Abernathy, a Tennessee commit who splits his time between running back and cornerback, has run for six touchdowns in the postseason, and is up to 871 yards and 13 rushing scores this year, despite missing time early in the season due to injury. … Sophomore quarterback Davis Mills has thrown for 23 touchdowns and close to 2,000 yards in his first year as a starter. Highly regarded prospect Darius Slayton, who also leads the team in interceptions, is the top receiving threat with 12 touchdown catches on the year. Justin Phan provides a quality second option with nine receiving scores.

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Pace Academy at Fitzgerald

Winner plays

GAC/Vidalia

Record, seeds

Pace Academy (7-5, No. 4 Region 6-AA); Fitzgerald (11-1, No. 1, Region 1-AA)

Record vs. 2014 playoff teams

Pace Academy (2-5)

Fitzgerald (8-1)

Playoff history

Pace Academy

-Second time in playoffs after starting varsity schedule in 2008

- Never won a playoff game prior to this season

Fitzgerald

- 15th straight year in postseason

- Last trip to quarterfinals: 2012

- Last trip to semifinals: 2009

- One state championship: 1948 (Class A)

Series history

First meeting

Stats

Pace Academy

- 26.3 ppg (53.0 in playoffs)

- 25.3 papg (39.0 in playoffs)

Fitzgerald

- 42.3 ppg (50.5 in playoffs)

- 20.5 papg (21.0 in playoffs)

- 372 rushing ypg

- 93 passing ypg

Notable

Pace Academy

The Knights have been the Cinderella story of the playoffs; they’re the only No 4 seed still playing in AA, and through two rounds, no team has scored more points. Senior quarterback Kevin Johnson, who’s committed to James Madison University, has thrown nine touchdowns and run for two more during the playoffs. He passed for 397 yards and the game-winning touchdown with seven seconds left in last week’s 57-50 win over Jefferson County. Six Knights receivers had at least 25 receiving yards in the win, and two more added touchdown catches.

Fitzgerald

Led by quarterback Gerald Morgan, the Purple Hurricanes boast of the state’s top rushing offenses. Morgan, who played safety and running back in previous seasons, has run for 1,950 yards, passed for 1,120 and accounted for 37 total touchdowns. He’s joined in the backfield by 1,300-yard rusher, sophomore J.D. King. Since their only loss, 22-19 vs. Thomasville on Oct. 3, the Purple Hurricanes have won six straight, averaging 51 points per game and never scoring less than 42. … In last week’s 48-14 win over Model, Morgan ran for 204, King added 166, and the team finished with 512. Meanwhile, the Fitzgerald defense held the Blue Devils to 110 total yards, including just 39 on 12 carries for leading rusher Nakyle Watkins.