Happy Thanksgiving! It’s Quarterfinal Weekend.
There are no surprises on the private side as all eight of the top seeds made it through. On the public side, No. 8 Mitchell County was knocked out last week by No. 9 Commerce, 35-33.
Additionally, there are three undefeated teams left, all 11-0: No. 1 Athens Academy on the private side and No.1 Irwin County and No. 4 Pelham on the public side.
Take a look at what a few head coaches had to say about their matchups, as well as previews, courtesy Georgia High School Football Daily.
Mark Stroud, No. 8 Calvary Day: "We have to be balanced offensively, eliminate big plays from the Athens Academy offense, play physical and make something happen positive on special teams. We have to play aggressively in each phase of the game. Hold nothing back."
Greg Vandagriff, No. 4 Prince Avenue Christian: "We need to go out and execute on offense the way we have all year and continue to play solid defense. [North Cobb Christian's] triple option will be challenging to stop and we will need to tackle well to win."
Al Morell, No. 7 Fellowship Christian: "To win the football game we need to have balance offensively. [Savannah Christian is] very big and very physical and well coached up front, so we have to have balance and have success both rushing and throwing the ball. And we have to minimize mistakes and penalties and turnovers. We have to play a near perfect game."
Tommy Atha, No. 6 Darlington: "Well, we are certainly award of the challenge we face Friday. Eagle's Landing Christian Academy is not only extremely talented, but they are very well coached and execute in all phases of the game. We will have to play mistake-free football and not turn the ball over. We can't give up the big play and will have to take advantage of any opportunity we get. We are excited about the opportunity to play this weekend and will try to play the best game we have all year."
PRIVATE
Upper Left Bracket
No. 8 Calvary Day (10-1) at No. 1 Athens Academy (11-0)This is the fifth quarterfinal in six seasons for Calvary Day, which got to the finals in 2013. Athens Academy was the runner-up last year. Neither program has won a state title. The teams have a common opponent. Savannah Christian beat Calvary 24-21 on Oct. 5 and lost to Athens Academy 20-7 on Aug. 17. Calvary's Jalen Leary has rushed for 1,001 yards this season and added 154 in a 52-12 second-round win over Holy Innocents'. Also a linebacker, he leads the team with 38 solo tackles. The defense also brings to bear LB/DE Sayyid Stevens (committed to Duke) and DE D'Quan Douse (Georgia Tech) and allows just 9.8 points per game, second-lowest among Class A private schools. Athens Academy beat Mount Vernon Christian 27-13 last week. Len'Neth Whitehead rushed for 112 yards, giving him 1,115 on the season. Palmer Bush throws only about 10 times per game, but he has completed 68.4 percent for 1,311 yards and 14 touchdowns. LB William McLanahan, who had a team-leading seven solo tackles last week, is the team's top defender.
Last Meeting: Athens Academy won 30-8 in 2000.
Next: No. 5 North Cobb Christian/No. 4 Prince Avenue Christian winner
Lower Left Bracket
No. 5 North Cobb Christian (10-1) at No. 4. Prince Avenue Christian (10-1)
North Cobb Christian got its first-ever playoff victory last week by beating Brookstone 20-17. Sharnard Banks rushed for 104 yards on 11 carries. The Eagles took a 14-0 lead in the first half, and Brookstone never again had the ball with a chance to take the lead. North Cobb Christian is predominantly a running team. QB Jack Watson has about 700 yards rushing and 700 passing. Prince Avenue comes to pass. Brock Vandagriff has thrown for 2,803 yards and 26 touchdowns. But the sophomore quarterback rushed for 155 yards and five touchdowns on 26 carries in a 42-27 victory over Wesleyan last week. Prince Avenue in the quarterfinals for the eighth consecutive season. The Wolverines are 5-2 in those games.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Next: No. 8 Calvary Day/No. 1 Athens Academy winner
Upper Right Bracket
No. 7 Fellowship Christian (10-1) at No. 2 Savannah Christian (10-1)
Fellowship Christian, the Class A private-school runner-up in 2016, beat Riverside Military 35-28 last week. Cameron Gill had 111 yards rushing and 176 receiving and scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, two in the final four minutes. That rallied the Paladins from a 28-21 deficit. Fellowship led in total yards 506-495. Murphy Reeves, who has 1,710 yards rushing, was lost to a leg injury in the first quarter and did not return. Also stepping up in Reeves' absence was sophomore QB Joey Archer, who threw for 297 yards, more than twice his previous high. This is Savannah Christian's fourth quarterfinal since the 2011 state title. The Raiders haven't made the semifinals since then. Two-way starter Nate Moon, the Raiders' leading rusher, was contained in a 14-7 victory over Hebron Christian last week, but Marquell Brown ran for 113 yards, and Spencer Robicheaux passed for 186. Jordan Grant's 75-yard interception return for a touchdown broke a 7-7 tie in the fourth quarter.
Last Meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Next: No. 6 Darlington/No. 3 Eagle's Landing Christian Academy winner
Lower Right Bracket
No. 6 Darlington (9-2) at No. 3 Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (10-1)
Darlington is in the quarterfinals for the second straight season but hasn't advanced further since 2009. The Tigers beat Aquinas 28-12 last week. Kolin Rogers rushed for 145 yards and has 1,392 yards on the season. Demetrius Rogers ran for 129 yards, and Darlington recovered two Aquinas fumbles and intercepted three passes. OL/DL Tate Ratledge is perhaps the best all-around lineman in Class A. Eagle's Landing Christian is the three-time defending champion among Class A private schools. ELCA's only loss came against Pace Academy, a Class AA school, and has won 37 straight against Class A opponents. In the second round, Keaton Mitchell rushed for 208 yards, and Josh Rogers ran for 103 in a 48-14 victory over Trinity Christian. Mitchell has rushed for 1,961 yards and 41 touchdowns on the season. Rogers has run for 831.
Last meeting: Eagle's Landing Christian won 24-10 in the 2013 Class A private-school quarterfinals.
Next: No. 7 Fellowship Christian/No. 2 Savannah Christian winner
PUBLIC
Upper Left Bracket
No. 9 Commerce (10-2) at No. 1 Irwin County (11-0)
Commerce is the only remaining Class A team, public or private, that did not have a bye in the first round. Last week, the Tigers led Mitchell County 35-14 in the fourth quarter but had to stop a two-point conversion, inches from the goal line, with 1:08 remaining to preserve a 35-33 victory. Sam Roach rushed for 89 yards and Caleb Mason added 84. The run-first Tigers' leading rusher is Nate Ray (98 carries, 692 yards), followed closely by Roach (141-663), Mason (65-575) and DaJuan Wood (70-540). Irwin County is in the quarterfinals for the sixth consecutive season and was the state runner-up in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Irwin has the No. 2 scoring offense (43.55 points per game) and No. 1 scoring defense (7.27) among Class A public schools. The Indians' 41-0 victory over No. 16 seed Miller County last week was their fourth shutout of the season. Irwin's best-known player is junior RB D.J. Lundy, who has four reported D-I offers, including Auburn and South Carolina. Lundy ran for more than 1,200 yards in 2017 and had 1,244 in the regular season this year.
Last meeting: Irwin County won 28-7 in the 2014 Class A public-school semifinals.
Next: No. 5 Greene County/No. 4 Pelham winner
Lower Left Bracket
No. 5 Greene County (9-2) at No. 4 Pelham (11-0)
First-year Greene County coach Larry Milligan has led the Tigers to their best season since 2005, during his first stint at the school (2002-2008). Greene County beat Tattnall Square 35-10 on Nov. 2 to win its first region championship since 2005 and knocked off Chattahoochee County 37-22 last week to advance to the quarterfinals. QB C'Darius Kelley is the Tigers' top offensive weapon. He was 117-of-195 passing for 1,449 yards and nine touchdowns and ran for a team-leading 930 yards and 19 TDs during the regular season. Pelham has the No. 1 scoring offense (53.18 points per game) and No. 4 scoring defense (9.82) among all Class A schools. The Hornets have won a school-record 11 games and are in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1982 after beating ECI 40-36 last week. Darrell Starling's 68-yard TD run with less than three minutes remaining was the game-winner. Javoris Williams rushed for 155 yards and had 14 tackles on defense.
Last meeting: Greene County won 55-40 in the second round of the 2016 Class A public-school playoffs.
Next: No. 9 Commerce at No. 1 Irwin County
Upper Right Bracket
No. 7 Schley County (9-2) at No. 2 Marion County (11-0)
This will be the third meeting this season between the Region 4-A rivals. Marion County won the previous two, 28-7 in the teams' season opener on Aug. 17 and 21-6 in the region championship game three weeks ago. The teams split two meeting during the 2017 season. Travon Mathews ran for 133 and 144 yards against Schley this year and has 1,540 yards and 27 TDs rushing this season. QB Trice McCannon has passed for 1,495 yards and rushed for 1,046. McCannon ran for 223 yards and threw for 138 in a 48-28 victory over Montgomery County last week. Marion County is in the quarterfinals for the fifth time in seven seasons. Schley County is in the quarterfinals for the first time in program history after rolling past Trion 40-13 last week. Tra Sampson, the team's leading rusher for the season with 1,213 yards, ran for 88 yards, Jakim Hart had 81 and Zamon Ross added 75 as part of Schley's 321-yard rushing effort. The Wildcats average 278.5 yards rushing and 58.3 passing.
Last meeting: Marion County won 21-6 won on Nov. 2.
Next: No. 6 Clinch County/No. 3 Mount Zion-Carroll winner
Lower Right Bracket
No. 6 Clinch County (10-1) at No. 3 Mount Zion-Carroll (10-1)
This is a rematch of the teams' 2017 semifinal game, which Clinch County won when it blocked Mount Zion's potential game-tying field-goal attempt in the final minute. Clinch went on to win its second state title in three years. Last week, Clinch advanced with 38-14 win over rival Charlton County. Michael Walker, who came into the game with 283 yards rushing, ran for 155 and a touchdown on six carries. He set up two TDs with runs of 46 and 70 yards and returned a punt 52 yards that led to a field goal. Tyler Morehead (879 yards rushing this season) and Georgia commitment Trezmen Marshall (679) are the team's leading rushers. Mount Zion is in the quarterfinals for the fourth time in five seasons (and fourth time in school history) after beating Dooly County 21-0 last week. That game was tied 0-0 at the end of the third quarter, but Mount Zion pulled away with three fourth-quarter touchdowns. Tyriese Farley ran for 88 yards and had a 36-yard TD reception. Lane Ackles ran for 60 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
Last Meeting: Clinch County won 23-20 in the 2017 Class A public-school semifinals.
Next: No. 7 Schley County/No. 2 Marion County winner
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