Private Quarterfinals
Top Bracket
No. 1 Calvary Day (11-0) vs. No. 9 Mt. Pisgah Christian (8-3). Calvary Day of Savannah is having its best season in school history. The Cavaliers are playing without their starting quarterback, sophomore Sal Calderon, who broke his leg in the final game of the regular season, Nov. 7. RB/LB Robert Heyward and WR/DB AJ Keene, both seniors, are perhaps the team's best two-way players. Mt. Pisgah, located in Alpharetta, is coming off its best game of the season, a decisive 38-14 win at No. 8 Landmark. The Patriot defense shut down Landmark's power running game, while senior QB Aaron Winchester, who has committed to Georgia State, threw four touchdown passes and ran for a touchdown. This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
No. 4 Prince Avenue (9-2) vs. No. 5 Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (5-6). Prince Avenue is coached by Jeff Herron, who built Camden County into a Class AAAAA powerhouse winning three state titles (2003, 2008 and 2009). Thus far, he is 19-4 in two seasons at the Athens-area school. ELCA had the state's toughest non-region schedule and started out 0-6 before rebounding to win the Region 5 title for the fifth consecutive season. The two schools' only meeting was in the 2012 private school state final, won by ELCA, 33-0.
Bottom Bracket
No. 3 Mt. Paran Christian (11-0) vs. No. 6 Savannah Christian (10-1). Mt. Paran is in the midst of the best season in the program's seven-year history. The Eagles are among the state's highest scoring teams, averaging 45 points per contest. They are led by senior QB Jake Allen, who distributes the ball to a bevy of playmakers, led by seniors Emoni Williams and Dorian Walker, and junior Taylor Trammell. Savannah Christian won the 2011 state title, the last season Class A public and private schools competed in the same playoffs. The Raiders picked up a key weapon late in the season when all-state WR/DB and Alabama commit Demetris Robertson was declared eligible for varsity competition after transferring from Savannah Country Day over the summer. This is the first meeting between the two schools.
No. 2 Aquinas (11-0) vs. No. 7 Tattnall Square (10-1). Aquinas of Augusta has won 26 consecutive games dating back to last season when the Irish went undefeated (15-0) and claimed the private school title. They were nosed out of the No. 1 power rating spot by Calvary Day in the second-to-last week of the regular season. Aquinas is led by junior QB Liam Welch and senior RB/DB Ruben Garnett. Tattnall Square, located in Macon, was a fixture in the post season competing in the Georgia Independent Schools Association, winning 11 state championships competing in that league's highest classification (AAA). The Trojans' only loss this season, their first in the Georgia High School Association, was to Aquinas, 49-21, in the Region 7 championship game on Nov. 7. It was the first time the two schools had met.
Public Quarterfinals
Top Bracket
No. 1 Marion County (11-0) vs. No. 8 Mt. Zion-Carroll (8-3). Located in Buena Vista, just outside of Columbus, Marion County, last season's public school champion, suffered its last defeat over a year ago, Nov. 1, 2013, to Hawkinsville (14-10). The Eagles have won 15 straight since then. They are led by junior all-state RB/DB Lorenzo Smothers and senior RB Johnny Royal. Mt. Zion, located in Carroll County, had been a mostly downtrodden program until the arrival of head coach Keith Holloway, who in just his third season has the Eagles in the playoffs for the first time since 2005 and has led them to at least eight wins for the first time since 1996. This is the first meeting between the two schools.
No. 4 Hawkinsville (10-1) vs. No. 5 Charlton County (10-1). Hawkinsville, located about an hour south of Macon, boasts one of the state's stingiest defenses, yielding just seven points per game. The Red Devils' only loss this season was to defending public school champion and No. 1 seeded Marion County, 13-6 back on Oct. 17. Hawkinsville, which has a storied history of success with five state championships, is having a rebirth under head coach David Daniell, who is 23-11 in three seasons. Charlton County, located in Folkston in southeast Georgia along the Florida border, also has a distinguished history with four state titles and 21 region championships. Charlton County was last season's public school runner up to Marion County. Charlton County is 3-0 all time against Hawkinsville, the last win coming in the first round of the 2010 state playoffs, 35-13.
Bottom Bracket
No. 6 Commerce (8-3) vs. No. 14 Calhoun County (8-3). Commerce, an hour north of Atlanta up Interstate 85, has won its last five games and is in the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2006. The Tigers’ run-heavy offense, which features both wing-T and wishbone concepts, has averaged 48 points per game during the current winning streak. Calhoun County, located in 30 minutes west of Albany, last had a winning record in 2007 (6-4) but did not make the playoffs. The Cougars made the state playoffs in 2011 but finished 4-7. The program had won region playoff games but won its first state playoff game ever last week, 13-12 over Region 1 rival Mitchell County, which has defeated the Cougars in the regular season, 12-7. This will be the first meeting between Commerce and Calhoun County.
No. 2 Irwin County (9-1-1) vs. No. 10 Dooly County (8-3). Irwin County, located in Ocilla an hour east of Albany, has not lost to a Class A team this season. Irwin County is powered by its defense which has given up an average of just 12 points per game. The unit is led by senior DE Robert Wilcox and junior DT Jared Johns, who combined for 25 tackles and four sacks in last week’s 28-0 win over Atkinson County. Dooly County, located 90 minutes south of Macon, lost in the 2012 public school finals to Emanuel County Institute. The Bobcats are 35-17 over the last five years under head coach Jimmy Hughes, and are led by senior RB Chanin Hamilton, who reportedly has offers from Cincinnati, Marshall and UAB.
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