The round of 16 is about to commence in the Class AAAAAAA playoffs. Here are previews of each of the eight games. They are listed as they appear on the draw, meaning the winners of the first two games will meet in the quarterfinals.
*Mill Creek (9-2) at Roswell (8-2): The results were much the same, but Mill Creek led 21-0 in the first quarter of its 45-14 victory over Newton last week while Roswell led only 3-0 at halftime in a 31-3 victory over Wheeler. Mill Creek held Newton to 23 yards rushing and 10-of-27 passing. Chancellor Lee-Parker rushed for 175 yards, giving him a Class AAAAAAA-best 1,542 (unofficially). Mill Creek gets 70 percent of its yards rushing. Roswell is second in AAAAAAA in scoring defense (9.0 points per game) and held Wheeler to 88 total yards and five first downs. QB Ethan Roberts is a two-year starter with 3,281 yards and 34 TD passes for his career. Nnamdi Orjioke (590 yards) and Savion McCrary (560) share the rushing carries. Both teams last made the quarterfinals in 2016.
*Marietta (9-2) at Milton (8-3): Milton faced the state's leading passer, Skylar Adams of Central Gwinnett, in the first round and held him to 19-of-43 passing for 233 yards in a 42-7 victory. Now comes the state's second-leading passer, Harrison Bailey of Marietta, a greater challenge. The Tennessee-committed quarterback passed for 228 yards in the 41-13 win over Camden County last week. He's fifth in state history with 10,499 career passing yards. WR/TE Arik Gilbert, a five-star recruit committed to LSU, has 1,235 yards receiving. RB Kimani Vidal rushed for 155 yards against Camden, giving him 1,021 on the season. Milton is more strictly a running team, as QB Devin Farrell has more rushing yards than passing (776 to 765). Ahmad Junearick (1,003 yards rushing) is typically the feature back, but Jordan McDonald rushed for 114 yards against Central Gwinnett. Milton is the defending state champion. Marietta was the preseason No. 1 team.
*Cherokee (8-3) at Archer (8-3): Archer never trailed in its 31-28 first-round victory, although Collins Hill had the ball at midfield in the final seconds. Carter Peevy was 24-of-29 passing for 218 yards and rushed for 81 yards and three touchdowns. Renoldo Spivey (759 yards rushing) and Jordon Swain (692) share the rushing load and give Archer a balanced offense. Cherokee beat Region 2 champion Westlake 41-23 in the first round. That was Cherokee's first road playoff win since 2007. Sophomore QB A.J. Swann passed for 213 yards and three touchdowns, giving him 2,166 passing yards on the season. Keith Adams rushed for 110 yards, putting him at 1,071 on the year. Cherokee is seeking its first quarterfinal since 2004. Archer was a semifinalist last season.
*Colquitt County (9-2) at Parkview (10-1): These top-10 teams are similarly built. They have two common opponents. Colquitt County, ranked No. 3, beat Tift County 49-7 and lost to Lowndes 28-17. Parkview, ranked No. 7, beat Tift 20-7 and lost to Lowndes 38-7. Colquitt's average score is 37-13. Parkview's is 38-15. Colquitt County QB Jaycee Harden was 12-of-18 passing for 241 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-7 victory over North Cobb in the first round. He has thrown for 2,976 yards on the season, third-most in Class AAAAAAA. Daijun Edwards, a major Division I recruit, has rushed for 837 yards. Parkview 1,000-yard rusher Cody Brown, also a major D-I recruit, didn't play in 35-14 win over West Forsyth but wasn't missed as Jasir Smith (107 yards rushing) and Tyler Curtis (98) had big nights. Jordan Williams threw for 229 yards, and C.J. Daniels had 154 yards receiving.
*East Coweta (6-5) at Grayson (10-1): East Coweta came from 13-0 down late in the third quarter to beat Etowah 20-13 last week for its fifth consecutive victory after a 1-5 start. QB Devin Gelband led all three touchdown drives after replacing injured Gabe Gray. The last one covered 70 yards. East Coweta has now made the second round for consecutive seasons for the first time since 2001-02. The Indians haven't made the quarterfinals since 2002, either. Grayson beat Mountain View 31-0 in the first round. Phil Mafah rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Grayson, ranked No. 4, has a balanced offense led by C.J. Dixon (1,886 yards passing) and Lafayette Gurvin (1,091 yards rushing).
*Norcross (6-5) at Lowndes (11-0): Norcross was in danger of the first losing season in coach Keith Maloof's 21 seasons as head coach until last week's 21-0 victory over South Forsyth. That was the Blue Devils' fifth straight win after a 1-5 start. Mason Kapan was 11-of-13 passing for 186 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 83 yards. Lowndes' 38-8 victory over Hillgrove last week was close for a half, but long TD runs by Tiberius Drocea Davis (48 yards) and Israel "I.J." Mitchell (50 yards) put the game way. Lowndes, ranked No. 1, held Hillgrove to 1 yard rushing. Sophomore QB Jacurri Brown rushed for 90 yards, giving him 1,098 on the season. The teams have one common opponent. Lowndes beat Parkview 38-7. Norcross lost to Parkview 34-21.
*Walton (6-5) at North Gwinnett (10-1): This a rematch of a game won by North Gwinnett 35-0 on Sept. 20, when Devin Crosby rushed for 165 yards. Crosby went for 116 last week in a 51-21 victory over Shiloh and has 1,116 yards rushing on the season. J.R. Martin has thrown for 1,816 yards. Josh Downs (committed to North Carolina) has 938 yards receiving. North Gwinnett, ranked No. 5 and riding a 10-game winning streak since losing to Colquitt County 17-6 in the opener, leads AAAAAAA in scoring offense at 39.8 points per game. Four of Walton's five losses are by seven points or less. The Raiders never trailed in their 27-24 victory over Newnan in the first round. Walton was outgained 398-275 but got 117 yards rushing from Kenny Djaha and a clutch 55-yard TD pass from Zak Rozsman to Julian Bumper to pull out the win.
*North Forsyth (7-4) at McEachern (11-0): North Forsyth beat Brookwood 44-41 in the first round after trailing 41-16 in the second half. Junior QB Brady Meitz passed for 362 yards and five touchdowns, four to Nicky Dalmolin, who had 13 receptions for 237 yards. It was North Forsyth's first playoff victory since 2005. McEachern, ranked No. 2, had a much easier time in the first round as the Indians beat North Paulding 47-29 after leading 47-9 at halftime. Jordon Simmons (committed to Michigan State) rushed for 111 yards, giving him 872 on the season. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson (committed to Florida) has thrown for 1,661 yards. The teams have two common opponents. North Forsyth beat Kennesaw Mountain 35-3 and Brookwood 44-41. McEachern beat Kennesaw Mountain 42-7 and Brookwood 48-10 in the opener. McEachern hasn't faced a Forsyth County opponent since 1967.
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