Before we move into Round 2 of the state playoffs, here are some interesting tidbits from Round 1.
Upsets galore
Of the 16 games played in the first round, eight apiece in the public and private divisions, there were upsets in nearly half, based on the power rating seeds.
From a seeding standpoint, the biggest upset was No. 23 Mount Paran Christian’s 29-27 win over No. 10 Aquinas. Mount Paran jumped out to a 20-7 lead in the second quarter and led 23-14 before the Irish scored back-to-back touchdowns off of a fumble and a blocked punt. But senior QB Niko Vangarelli scored on an 80-yard run early in the fourth quarter, and the Eagles’ defense did the rest, shutting Aquinas out the rest of the way.
One upset that was not so shocking was No. 20 Emanuel County Institute downing No. 13 McIntosh County Institute, 28-23. ECI is one of the most consistent programs in the state, having won seven region titles (three consecutive from 2015-2017) and two state championships (2007 and 2012). The Bulldogs went 33-5 from 2015 to 2017 with three consecutive region titles, but have regressed a bit of late, finishing 7-5 in 2018 and 5-5 this year before the first-round win over MCI. However, all five of ECI’s defeats came at the hands of playoff teams. Meanwhile, MCI has struggled the last three seasons with a combined record of 9-21.
Perhaps the most surprising upset was No. 21 Warren County’s 30-0 blowout of No. 12 Terrell County. The Screaming Devils finished the regular season with a winning record for the first time since 2011 and won their first state playoff game since 2007. Meanwhile, Terrell closed the season on a rampage winning five of its last six games by a combined score of 262-27.
Barden leads St. Francis to its first playoff win
It hasn’t take long for Frank Barden to achieve unprecedented success at St. Francis. Known for its prowess in basketball, the Knights only began competing in football in 2010 and played their first region schedule in 2014, which was the last time they had a winning record and made the state playoffs.
But in just his second season at the Alpharetta school, Barden led St. Francis to a No. 18 seed and the program’s first playoff win, a 34-31 victory over No. 15 Trinity Christian. Josh Gil had 160 total yards and two touchdown passes, one each to Jai Smith and Zay Wadsworth, in the win. Kylen Smith and Hunter Jones each had a rushing touchdown for the Knights on offense while Jones had a team-high 10 tackles and Wadsworth posted nine tackles on defense. All five players are seniors.
Barden had an outstanding 18-year run at Cartersville (1996-2013), where he went 154-58-1 with seven region and one state championship. He went 29-13 and advanced to the state playoffs in three of four seasons at Stephens County, before taking over at St. Francis.
Regions 2 and 8 had the best weekend
Regions 2 and 8 took home bragging rights after the first round as their teams went a combined 5-1 in games.
The two teams from Region 2 competing in the first round – No. 11 Wilcox County and No. 14 Turner County -- both won their games. Of the four teams competing in the first round from Region 8, three will move on the Round 2 – Commerce, Hebron Christian and Prince Avenue Christian – while George Walton Academy lost.
Here come the big boys
The top eight seeds in the public and private divisions will join the playoff party this weekend, after earning a bye in Round 1.
On the private side, the top five seeds are undefeated (10-0) – No. 1 Savannah Country Day, No. 2 Holy Innocents’, No. 3 Athens Academy, No. 4 Fellowship Christian and No. 5 Mount de Sales – while the other three (No. 6 Eagles’ Landing Christian Academy, No. 7 Darlington and No. 8 Christian Heritage) are 9-1.
On the public side, No. 1 Irwin County is the lone undefeated team, No. 3 Mitchell County, No. 4 Clinch County and No. 6 Pelham are all 9-1, and four teams (No. 2 Lincoln County, No. 5 Bowden, No. 7 Marion County and No. 8 Johnson County) all have records of 8-2.
