Class A Football Blog: A breakdown of the quarterfinals

Private Quarterfinals

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No. 1 Calvary Day 35, No. 9 Mount Pisgah Christian 21.  Robert Heyward led host Calvary Day (12-0) with a game-high 213 rushing yards and three touchdowns off 18 carries. Calvary Day built an early 21-0 lead with a Brent Sanders touchdown pass to Tyler Kilgore and rushing scores from Heyward and Sanders. Mount Pisgah (8-4) found the end zone on the final play of the half with an Aaron Winchester touchdown pass to Nicky Piccapietra to cut the deficit to 21-7. Heyward ran in a six-yard touchdown in the third quarter and then found the end zone to open the fourth quarter on a one-yard dive that gave Calvary Day a commanding 35-7 lead. Winchester cut the final score to 35-21 with a rushing touchdown and a touchdown pass to Ben Miller. The Cavaliers will host No. 5 Eagle's Landing Christian Academy in a rematch of last season's semifinal contest won by Calvary Day, 35-34, in overtime.

No. 5 Eagle's Landing Christian Academy 47, No. 4 Prince Avenue Christian 17. Junior quarterback DJ Hammonds was a perfect 8-for-8 passing for 147 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 82 yards and three touchdowns to lift the Chargers (6-6) into the state semifinals for the fourth consecutive year. Prince Avenue (9-3) held a 7-6 lead after the first quarter on the strength of a 20-yard touchdown run by Matthew Hill, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.  But ELCA regained the lead early in the second quarter on a 28-yard touchdown run by Cam Merritt and the Chargers never looked back. ELCA will head south to Savannah next week to face Calvary Day (12-0) in the semifinals

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No. 2 Aquinas 21, No. 7 Tattnall Square 6. Ruben Garnett was ever-present and unstoppable.  The senior RB/DB rushed for 273 yards on 30 carries and scored three touchdowns to send the Irish (12-0) back to the state semifinals and extend their winning streak to 27.  Garnett touched the ball on 30 of Aquinas' 37 offensive snaps, according to the Augusta Chronicle, and was part of a stellar defensive unit that bottled up the Trojan's (10-2) run-oriented offense. Aquinas had defeated Tattnall Square for the Region 7 championship, 49-21, on the final week of the regular season.  The Irish will host No. 3 Mt. Paran next week in a battle between two of the three undefeated teams left in the private school playoffs (Calvary Day). Aquinas hung on to defeat Mt. Paran in last season's quarterfinals, 35-32.

No. 3 Mount Paran Christian 35, No. 6 Savannah Christian 14. Emoni Williams returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and then added two more touchdowns on the night to help the Eagles (12-0) advance to the state semifinals for the first time in school history. Williams scored on a 15-yard run early in the third quarter to give Mt. Paran a 21-7 lead and then, following a turnover by Savannah Christian (10-2), he the senior receiver/defensive back scored on a 55-yard touchdown run, according to the Savannah Morning News. Mt. Paran will hit the road next week and travel to Augusta to face No. 2 Aquinas in the semifinals.

Public Quarterfinals

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No. 1 Marion County 53, Mount Zion-Carroll 14.  Lorenzo Smothers scored three touchdowns for host Marion County (12-0), with a 17-yard rush, a 23-yard reception and a 65-yard punt return. Smothers finished with 53 rushing yards and 76 receiving. Johnny Royal rushed nine times for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and Dustin Eckert was 8-for-9 passing for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Bryson Murray had eight tackles and returned a punt 30 yards for a touchdown for Marion County, and Derrick Lawrence had nine tackles and 1.5 sacks. Mt. Zion finished the season 8-4. Marion County will host No. 4 Hawkinsville (11-1) in next week's semifinals.  The Eagles handed the Red Devils their only loss this season, 13-7, back on Oct. 17.

No. 4 Hawkinsville 12, No. 5 Charlton County 6 (OT).  Hawkinsville (11-1) nearly wasted a great defensive effort when it allowed Charlton County (10-2) to march 95 yards and tie the score at 6-6 on a touchdown pass from Jimmy Nettles to Scott Birchall with just 25 seconds left in regulation.  But Charlton County (10-2) missed the extra point kick, and the Red Devils needed just two plays to win the game in overtime, according to the Macon Telegraph.  Hawkinsville scored on the first play of the extra period on a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dakota Sloan to tight end Royce Owens, but missed the extra point kick.  But the Red Devils forced and recovered a fumble on Charlton County's first play of its possession to advance to the state semi finals for the first time since 2004.  That year, Hawkinsville went on to tie Clinch County (14-14) for the state title. The win for Hawkinsville was its first in four tries against Charlton County. The Red Devils will travel to Buena Vista next week to face No. 1  Marion County for the second time this season.

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No. 6 Commerce 10, No. 14 Calhoun County 0.  The Tigers' run-heavy offense, which relies a great deal on the option, was not as sharp as it had been recently but the defense picked up the slack, according to the Commerce Main Street News.  Commerce (10-2) had been averaging 48 points per game during the five-game winning streak it rode into the quarterfinals, but the 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Caleb Brooks and 41-yard field goal by Andres Salgado – both in the first half – would be all the Tigers needed to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2006. Calhoun County, which won the first state playoff game in school history last week, finished the season 8-4. The Tigers will take the five-hour trip south to Ocilla to face No. 2 Irwin County (10-1-1) in the semifinals next week.

No. 2 Irwin County 40, No. 10 Dooly County 29.  Things looked bleak for Irwin County (10-1-1) early in the second half. Down 6-0, Dooly County's quarterback Kevin Slade broke up middle for 27 yards and put the Bobcats (8-4) up 7-6. But Irwin responded with 20 unanswered points and advances to the Class A public state semifinals to face Commerce. Irwin took advantage of four Slade interceptions, three of which led to scores. Also, the Indians broke loose on offense with 261 yards in the second half and had 355 total. Robert Moore led Irwin with 118 yards on 18 carries and a score. Jakyron Young added 74 yards rushing on 11 carries. He also had an interception and two scores. DJ Pollard had 57 yards on six carries and an interception. Ty Hogan also had an interception, a touchdown and 56 yards rushing on four carries. Irwin County will host No. 6 Commerce in next week's semifinals.

Semifinals

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No. 1 Marion County (12-0) vs. No. 4 Hawkinsville (11-1)