Seven of the eight region champions and every team ranked in the top 10 advanced to this week’s second round of the Class AAAAAA playoffs.
Here’s a look at the eight matchups, with how the teams got here and the players to keep an eye on Friday night.
*Allatoona (8-2-1) at Stephenson (10-1): Seventh-ranked Allatoona reached the second round for the sixth consecutive season with a 49-7 victory over Gainesville. DB Brett Blomquist scored two defensive TDs and set up another score with an interception. Stephenson, which beat Bradwell Institute 47-20 last week, is in the playoffs for the 20th straight year but advanced to the quarterfinals just twice in the past 12 seasons. Both are run-first teams. Allatoona's Alex Wilson ran for 113 yards against Gainesville and has 1,032 for the season. Stephenson gets 75 percent of its offense from the running game. Deondre Jackson (866) and Ryan Ingram (742) combined for more than 1,600 yards in the regular season. Jackson scored three TDs in the first-round victory.
*Coffee (8-3) at Mays (10-1): Sixth-ranked Coffee is one of three No. 3 seeds remaining in Class AAAAAA (Brunswick and Creekside are the others). The Trojans reached the second round with a 60-0 victory Heritage of Conyers. QB A.J. Wilkerson ran for a touchdown and passed for two others as Coffee built a 43-0 lead in the first half. Wilkerson has passed for 1,117 yards and run for 235 this season. Mays reached the second round for the sixth time in seven seasons with a 39-7 victory over Northview. The Raiders are trying to get back to the quarterfinals after back-to-back appearances in 2016 and 2017. QB Andrew Banks was 5-of-8 passing for 110 yards and a touchdown against Northview. Danny Conley III ran for 133 yards and two scores.
*Lanier (10-1) at Richmond Hill (7-3): Lanier survived a scare in the first round when it beat Sprayberry 15-14. Nahil Perkins' blocked extra-point attempt midway through the fourth quarter proved to be the difference. Taj Barnes rushed for 102 yards and has 1,390 for the season. Lanier, a semifinalist last season, is in the second round for the third consecutive season, a first in the program's 10-year history. Richmond Hill is in the second round for the second straight year, also a first for a program that began in 1986. The Wildcats advanced with a 28-12 victory over M.L. King last week. Jalen Rouse (1,460 rushing yards in the regular season) ran for 194 yards on 16 carries (unofficially) and scored three TDs.
*Valdosta (9-2) at Johns Creek (10-1): This battle of top-10 teams matches Georgia's traditional flagship program against one of the state's emerging powers. Fourth-ranked Valdosta, with its 24 state championships, advanced with a 45-9 victory over Lakeside of Evans. No. 5 Johns Creek beat Alexander 59-34 for the first playoff victory in the program's 11-year history. Both teams have quarterbacks who have thrown for more than 2,700 yards this season. Valdosta's Tate Rodemaker was 20-of-26 for 215 yards with five touchdowns, giving him 39 for the season, against Lakeside. Johns Creek's Ben Whitlock threw for 357 yards and four TDs against Alexander. He has 33 touchdowns for the year.
*Glynn Academy (6-4) at Dacula (11-0): Glynn Academy beat Tucker 31-7 for its sixth consecutive first-round victory. The Red Terrors lost to Valdosta in the second round in 2018 but reached at least the quarterfinals the previous four years. The Red Terrors ran for 228 yards and attempted just one pass against Tucker. This week's trip to No. 1 Dacula will be the Red Terrors' first-ever game against a Gwinnett County school. Dacula, a semifinalist last season, moved into the second round with a 49-18 victory over Dalton. Kaleb Edwards ran for 193 yards and two TDs, set up a score with an interception, and took over at quarterback late in the first half after starter Jarrett Jenkins left with a twisted ankle.
*Creekside (7-4) at Lee County (10-1): Two-time defending state champion Lee County built a 30-0 first-quarter lead and beat Greenbrier 50-0 in a game that featured a running clock for the final three quarters. Marlon Brown ran for three TDs in the first quarter. Creekside, which is trying to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since its 2013 state-championship season, advanced with a 28-0 victory at Alpharetta. Tyler Malone, who ran for 1,336 yards in the regular season, had one of the Seminoles' four rushing TDs. Creekside and Lee County were dominant defensively in the first round. Creekside held Alpharetta to 62 total yards and 3-of-20 passing for 5 yards. Lee held Greenbrier to minus-23 yards rushing.
*Brunswick (6-5) at Harrison (11-0): Brunswick reached the second round for the first time since 2010 with a 34-13 victory over Morrow last week. Brunswick led 14-13 in the second half but got three fourth-quarter touchdown runs from Chuckobe Hill to pull away. Hill led the Pirates with 969 yards rushing in the regular season. Second-ranked Harrison beat Winder-Barrow 45-25 to reach the second round for the fourth consecutive year, but the Hoyas have advanced to the quarterfinals just once during that stretch. Harrison overcame four turnovers against Winder-Barrow and put the game away with three fourth-quarter touchdowns by David Roberts, who ran for 125 yards and has 1,132 for the season.
*Houston County (6-5) at South Paulding (9-2): Both teams are in the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Houston County is the only No. 4 seed remaining in Class AAAAAA after knocking off Region 3 champion Evans 31-21. QB Max Rigby threw three touchdown passes to Isaia Harris, including two in the second half as the Bears rallied from a 21-14 third-quarter deficit. South Paulding, a 2-8 team last year, advanced with a 41-27 victory over North Atlanta. QB Austin Seymour (2,717 passing yards for the season) threw for 301 yards and five touchdowns, four of which went to Parker Self, who finished with 211 receiving yards and has a Class AAAAAA-leading 1,434 for the year.
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