*No. 6 Harrison (10-1) at No. 4 Tucker (10-1): Harrison beat Gainesville 45-24 last week for its first playoff victory since 2008, and the Hoyas' 10 wins are their most since 2002. Harrison trailed 14-10 at halftime but outscored the Red Elephants 21-3 in the third quarter. QB Justin Fields passed for 178 yards (2,164 for the season) and rushed for 101. Tucker is 10-0 in first-round games during its current 10-year playoff streak. The Tigers beat Bradwell Institute 48-15 last week. David Davis, Christ Broadwater and Josh Vann scored two touchdowns each for Tucker, which led 35-0 at halftime.
*No. 8 Lee County (8-2) at No. 3 Mays (10-1): Lee County's Region 1 and Mays' Region 5 both went 4-0 in the first round. Lee County held Evans to 95 total yards in a 41-0 victory last week. Mark Robinson, the leading rusher (1,178 yards) in his region during the regular season, had 110 yards on 15 carries. Mays has advanced beyond the second round just once, in 2014 when it lost in the final. The Raiders, who beat Cambridge 42-14 last week, are led by QB B.J. Phillips, who passed for 2,046 yards and rushed for 572 in the regular season.
*Allatoona (6-5) at No. 9 Glynn Academy (10-1): This game will be a rematch of the 2015 Class AAAAA final, won by Allatoona 10-6. Since starting this season 1-4, the Buccaneers have won five of six games, including a 28-6 victory over Lanier last week. RB Charles Anderson rushed for 99 yards against Lanier and has 1,129 for the season. Glynn Academy beat Jonesboro 45-3 last week and is the only Region 2 team remaining. The Red Terrors led 45-0 at halftime and finished with an unofficial advantage of 443-52 in total offense. Allatoona and Glynn have won three consecutive first-round games.
*Hughes (8-3) at No. 5 Northside, Warner Robins (9-2): Hughes is in the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. The Panthers are 4-1 in first-round games but 0-3 in the second round. Hughes QB Isaiah Green has passed for 2,219 yards, including 231 in a 34-10 victory over Region 7 champion Johns Creek last week. Northside, which since 2000 has reached the quarterfinals nine times and won three state titles, beat Grovetown 52-0 in the first round. QB Tobias Oliver, who has both rushed and passed for more than 1,000 yards this season, threw for 193 yards and ran for 113.
*Stephenson (7-4) at Dacula (7-4): Stephenson is in the playoffs for the 17th consecutive season but advanced past the second round just six times during that stretch. The Jaguars got 159 yards rushing from Jaylin Marson-Knight and recorded two second-half safeties in a 24-7 victory over Effingham County last week. No. 1 seed Dacula, which is in the second round for the fourth time in six seasons, is the only remaining team from 8-AAAAAA. The Falcons, who rushed for about 200 yards per game in the regular season, got 239 yards from Tre McMillan and Ty Harris in a 28-0 victory over Sequoyah last week.
*Northgate (9-2) at No. 1 Valdosta (10-1): Northgate had the most dramatic first-round victory in AAAAAA, scoring on a 7-yard run by Ton Evans with 1:48 remaining to beat Centennial 20-16. It was the Vikings' seventh all-time playoff victory, three of which came last year. Valdosta set a school record for points in a playoff game when it beat Lakeside of Evans 69-14. Hunter Holt passed for 112 yards in the first half as Valdosta built a 56-7 lead. The Wildcats are seeking their 24th state title but first since 1998, making it the school's longest title drought since the GHSA began holding championships in 1947.
*Lovejoy (7-4) at No. 2 Dalton (11-0): Lovejoy QB John Seter passed for 148 yards and four touchdowns in the first half as the Wildcats built a 28-7 lead and held on for a 48-28 victory over Richmond Hill in the first round. Lovejoy is trying to advance past the second round for the first time since reaching the state final in 2012. Dalton is the only undefeated team in AAAAAA. QB J.P. Tighe passed for two TDs and ran for another in a 42-7 victory over Winder-Barrow last week. The Catamounts are 0-3 in second-round games since their last trip to the quarterfinals in 2005.
*Coffee (6-5) at No. 7 Alexander (10-1): Coffee and Hughes are the only No. 4 seeds remaining in the AAAAAA field. The Trojans advanced with a 56-24 victory over Heritage of Conyers. Demetrius Davis rushed for 220 of the Trojans' 585 total yards. Coffee led 21-17 at halftime but scored three third-quarter touchdowns to take control. Alexander beat Alpharetta 20-13 in the first round, taking the lead for good at 13-7 in the second quarter and holding on. Mason Wood (1,839 yards passing in the regular season), Daetrich Harrington (1,197 yards rushing) and J.T. Hall (726 yards receiving) lead the Cougars' balanced offense.
About the Author
