St. Pius and Woodward Academy are meeting in the playoffs for the third time in the last six seasons. The two teams previously clashed in the 2017 quarterfinals and the 2014 semis with St. Pius taking both meetings. Woodward Academy, however, holds a 15-5-2 all-time record in the series and comes into the matchup with a perfect 11-0 record. St. Pius has a 6-5 overall record and defeated Heritage-Catoosa 42-14 in the first round. Woodward Academy defeated Upson-Lee 40-14 in the first round and carries a 30.6 average margin of victory into the matchup.
North Oconee at West Laurens
North Oconee rebounded from its disappointing 35-7 loss to Oconee County in its season finale and picked up a 45-24 win over Pickens in the first round to improve to 10-1. West Laurens is also 10-1, having lost to South Effingham 31-30 in non-region play before scoring seven-straight victories heading into this matchup; West Laurens has held every opponent to single digit scorings during that winning streak. This is the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Baldwin at Blessed Trinity
Defending state champion Blessed Trinity showcased its defensive dominance in last week’s 40-14 win over Troup and is taking a 10-1 record into its second-round showdown with Baldwin. The Braves scored an impressive 38-30 road win over Cairo in the first round to improve to 5-6 overall, however that sub-500 record includes five wins in the last six outings. Baldwin trailed Cairo 14-6 at the end of the first quarter, but shutout the Syrupmakers in the next two frames and took a 31-14 lead into the fourth quarter.
Perry at Oconee County
No. 1 seed Oconee County picked up a 41-14 win over Northwest Whitfield in the first round to score its ninth-straight victory and improve to 10-1 overall. The No. 2 seeded Panthers came up with a big 38-0 win over Hampton to advance to the second round for the first time since 2007. This is the first-ever meeting between the programs.
Marist at Carver-Columbus
Marist bounced back from its 33-30 loss to Blessed Trinity to close its regular season and defeated a talented Cedartown team 42-22 in the first round. Region 1 champion Carver-Columbus ran past Richmond Academy 52-7 to move on and it was the 10-1 Tigers’ 10th-straight victory. Carver-Columbus has the highest scoring offense in the classification at 43-7 ppg, but will be tested by a Marist defense that is allowing just 10.6 ppg this season. This is the first-ever meeting between the programs.
Madison County at Mary Persons
No. 4 seed Madison County stunned Ridgeland 27-20 in the first round, in what was the Red Raiders’ first-ever playoff victory. Now, they will face Mary Persons, which toppled Eastside 28-21 as the No. 3 seed in the first round. This is the first-ever meeting between the schools.
Americus-Sumter at Sandy Creek
Like Madison County, fourth-seeded Americus-Sumter scored a 13-6 win over Burke County to move on to the second-round. The Panthers are 6-5 overall, but come out of Region 1 battle-tested. Sandy Creek overpowered Denmark 42-7 in the first round, in what was a statement win for the 10-1 Patriots, who are playing like a serious state championship contender. This will be the first time that the two programs have met since Sandy Creek scored a 48-0 win over Americus-Sumter in second-round of the the 2010 playoffs.
About the Author
