There are some great stories of perseverance in the Class AAA playoffs. Teams have overcome a variety of issues to reach the second round of the tournament. To be among the final 16 teams still standing is quite an accomplishment.
Here are three teams that have had the toughest road, but have found a way to overcome the odds and fight their way into the second round:
Elbert County: The Blue Devils started the season with two impressive wins against teams from higher classifications and appeared to be ready to take off. But quarterback Mecole Hardman was hurt against Westminster and Elbert appeared to be reeling. It didn't help that the Devils were diving into the most difficult portion of their schedule, with games against Hart County and Jefferson. They lost both of those games and stood 3-3 and staring at the possibility of missing the playoffs.
Elbert was able to lean heavily on running back Rantious “Boochie” Reed while Hardman was getting his knee fixed. The Devils took care of the bottom division teams with ease and got Hardman back in time to beat Oconee County in the final game and secure the third seed.
Now, because of first-round upsets, Elbert County gets to host a second-round game against Appling County.
Oconee County: Playing under first-year coach Travis Noland, the Warriors plowed through their first seven games without a loss. Although the schedule was less-than-ambitious, Oconee handled all with relative ease. A highlight was a 33-31 win over Morgan County that secured Oconee its first playoff appearance since 2008.
Oconee lost to the Big Three in the region (Jefferson, Hart County and Elbert County), but the Warriors played Jefferson to a 12-point decision. (Only Hart County came closer to beating Jefferson.) Despite the three straight losses, Oconee knocked off Region 7-AAA champion West Hall in the first round of the playoffs.
Oconee County’s trek continues this week at Pierce County.
Appling County: The Pirates seemed to come alive when the scent of playoffs are in the air. Coach J.T. Pollock's team has made the postseason for six of the last seven years, including the 2011 run to the semifinals. This year it was a little tougher; the Swashbucklers were 4-3 after back-to-back losses to Dodge County and Cook.
But Appling came from behind to win a big game against Pierce County to qualify as the No. 4 team in Region 1-AAA Division A. Then it beat Southeast Bulloch, the No. 1 team from Division B, in the region play-in game. That got the Bucs a road date with No. 5 Peach County. Appling then rose to the occasion by forcing Peach into seven turnovers and walked away with a 14-7 win.
Appling has to hit the road again this week for a game with Elbert County.
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