First-round preview: Class A Private

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Calvary Day is averaging 9.6 wins over the past five seasons under Mark Stroud, who inherited a team that had slipped to 1-8 in 2007. Christian Heritage played its first full varsity season in 2012 under its current coach, former N.C. State QB Preston Poag. 2. Calvary Day sophomore QB Sal Calderon, who threw for 1,012 yards and ran for 544, is out with an injury suffered in the final regular-season game. Elijah Harris finished the game, but it is not clear who will take the position this week. No other player has attempted a pass this season. Robert Heyward has rushed for 989 yards. He also is the leading tackler with 67 solo stops. 3. Christian Heritage QB Tyson Cooper, an outstanding baseball catcher, had never played his position until this fall. He came off the bench in the ninth game to rally his team from a 7-3 deficit to a 26-7 victory over Walker. The next week, in another must-win game, Cooper was 6-for-10 passing for 148 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 112 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-14 victory over Fellowship Christian.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Calvary Day by 28

Winner plays: Mount Pisgah Christian/Landmark Christian winner

Mount Pisgah Christian at Landmark Christian

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Bill Thorn Stadium, Fairburn

Records, rankings: Mount Pisgah Christian is 7-3, the No. 9 seed and unranked; Landmark Christian is 8-2, the No. 8 seed and unranked.

Last meeting: Landmark Christian won 24-20 in 2009.

Three things to know: 1. Mount Pisgah, which began varsity football in 2003, won its first playoff game in 2013 and made the semifinals, losing to eventual champion Aquinas 17-16. Landmark is a frequent playoff team that got to the Class A final in 2011. 2. Mount Pisgah's Aaron Winchester (committed to Georgia State) is perhaps the best dual-threat quarterback in Class A. He has passed for 1,534 yards and 19 touchdowns and run for 1,030 and 12. Oz Dixon (263 yards rushing, 319 receiving) and Ben Miller (179, 642) are the other major play-makers and have 15 touchdowns. 3. Landmark Christian also has a dual-threat quarterback, Stockton McGuire (1,383 passing, 560 rushing with 15 touchdowns). Sophomore RB Lofton Tidwell has rushed for 1,471 yards and has another 304 yards receiving. The leading defenders are LB Titus Creamer (88 tackles, nine for losses) and DB Ben Baggett (84 tackles, three interceptions).

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Landmark Christian by 5

Winner plays: Christian Heritage/Calvary Day winner

Athens Christian at Eagle's Landing Christian

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Commitment Field, McDonough

Records, rankings: Athens Christian is 7-3, the No. 12 seed and unranked; Eagle's Landing Christian is 4-6, the No. 5 seed and unranked.

Last meeting: Eagle's Landing Christian won 41-3 in the first round of the 2013 Class A playoffs.

Three things to know: 1. Athens Christian has earned its first winning season since 2007 under first-year head coach Chris Williams, an alumnus. The Eagles swept their Athens rivals Prince Avenue Christian and Athens Academy this year. ELCA, the 2012 private-school champion, is favored in this game despite its 4-6 record against the toughest schedule in Class A. 2. Athens Christian is primarily a running team. Rushing leaders are RB Marquez Henson (1,025 yards, 15 touchdowns), RB Taylor Hardigree (832-11) and QB Josiah Brooks (654-6). Hardigree also plays linebacker, has 143 tackles and is the Region 8 player of the year. 3. ELCA QB D.J. Hammond got the starting job in the fourth game. He has completed 60 percent of his passes for 757 yards since. The leading rusher is a freshman, Josh Mays, with 593 yards. The best defensive player is MLB Chase Burdette (96 tackles). The defensive line has come on strong lately behind seniors Darius Goode, Nick Dawson and Evan Lewis.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Eagle's Landing Christian by 19

Winner plays: First Presbyterian/Prince Avenue Christian winner

First Presbyterian at Prince Avenue Christian

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Brad Akins Field, Bogart

Records, rankings: First Presbyterian is 7-3, the No. 13 seed and unranked; Prince Avenue Christian is 8-2, the No. 4 seed and unranked.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. First Presbyterian joined the GHSA in 2010. The Vikings are 28-16 in that time. Prince Avenue was the private-school runner-up in 2012 and has averaged 9.8 wins the past five seasons. 2. Prince Avenue spreads the wealth in its Wing-T offense, but if there is one guy to watch, it's Jonah Doster, who has 763 yards rushing, 222 receiving and 11 touchdowns. Tyson Herron is 47-of-77 passing for 767 yards and five touchdowns. He has run for 10 scores. Prince Avenue starts four sophomores and a freshman on defense. Junior LB Zach Ragle is the Region 8 defensive player of the year. 3. First Presbyterian QB Will McCormick has passed for 1,164 yards and rushed for 380 in his nine games. He ran for 107 against Lincoln County. Reggie Gantt has rushed for 968 yards, including a career-high 244 against Georgia Military two weeks ago.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: First Presbyterian by 4

Winner plays: Athens Christian/Eagle's Landing Christian winner

Stratford Academy at Mount Paran Christian

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Mount Paran Stadium, Kennesaw

Records, rankings: Stratford Academy is 6-4, the No. 14 seed and unranked; Mount Paran Christian is 10-0, the No. 3 seed and No 3.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Mount Paran started varsity football in 2008 and has known only one head coach, Mitch Jordan. The team's best season had been the 9-3 finish of 2013. Stratford joined the GHSA this season. The Eagles won 10 state titles in the Georgia Independent School Association, most recently in 2004. 2. Stratford averages 323.0 yards rushing, 26.1 passing per game. O'Showen Williams has rushed for 1,060 yards and scored 25 touchdowns. Stratford's challenge at times has been defense. Opponents have scored at least 21 points seven times. Stratford is coached by school alumnus Mark Farriba, formerly head coach of Prince Avenue Christian. 3. Mount Paran's Dorian Walker has rushed for 1,577 yards, second to Ruben Garnett of Aquinas for the most in the Class A private division. Walker missed one game while injured. Walker rushed for 261 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-21 victory over Mount Pisgah Christian in the Region 6-A championship game.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Mount Paran Christian by 26

Winner plays: Pacelli/Savannah Christian

Pacelli at Savannah Christian

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Garden City Stadium, Garden City

Records, rankings: Pacelli is 7-3, the No. 11 seed and unranked; Savannah Christian is 9-1, the No. 6 seed and No. 8.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Randy Grace, an assistant on Pacelli's 11-win teams of 2003 and 2004, returned to the Columbus private school in 2011 and has had back-to-back seven-win seasons after a rough patch. Savannah Christian was the 2011 Class A champion and has bounced back from a 5-5-1 anomaly in 2013. 2. Savannah Christian got good news late in the regular season when Demtris Robertson, a junior committed to Alabama, was ruled eligible on appeal after transferring from another Savannah school. Robertson already has scored seven touchdowns on just 19 touches. That's 14 rushing attempts and five receptions. Savannah Christian passes six times per game. Wade Benton has rushed for 689 yards on 130 carries and 10 touchdowns. J.T. Mertz has a team-leading 53 tackles, 15.5 for losses. 3. Pacelli has a 1,000-yard rusher in Deandre Bowman II (1,065 yards). He has scored at least one of his 15 touchdowns rushing, passing and returning a punt, kickoff and interception. QB Tre Sudberry has passed for 751 yards but thrown only one interception and rushed for 526 yards and nine touchdowns.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Savannah Christian by 4

Winner plays: Stratford Academy/Mount Paran Christian winner

Pinecrest Academy at Tattnall Square

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Jack Baynes Field, Macon

Records, rankings: Pinecrest Academy is 7-3, the No. 10 seed and unranked; Tattnall Square is 9-1, the No. 7 seed and No. 9.

Last meeting: Tattnall Square won 42-0 in the 2008 GISA Class AAA quarterfinals.

Three things to know: 1. Pinecrest is in the playoffs for the first time since joining the GHSA in 2010. Tattnall Square, new to the GHSA this season, won 11 state titles in the Georgia Independent School Association, most recently in 2011. 2. Pinecrest looks to get good yardage on first down and not get into passing situations, where the team has completed only 35 percent of its throws. The Paladins get good yardage on the ground with backs Mitchell Ojeda (725), Ryan McCarthy (701) and Matthew Walters (592). Adam Guard has 11 tackles for losses on defense.  3. Tattnall Square's leading rusher and one of its leading tacklers, Jonathan Ward, reportedly is doubtful with a sprained ankle suffered in the loss to Aquinas in the Region 7-A championship game. QB Ian Herndon is the second leading rusher with a little more than 500 yards. Tattnall Square passes fewer than five times a game.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Tattnall Square by 9

Winner plays: St. Francis/Aquinas winner

St. Francis at Aquinas

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Aquinas Stadium, Augusta

Records, rankings: St. Francis is 7-3, the No. 15 seed and unranked; Aquinas is 10-0, the No. 2 seed and No. 1.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. St. Francis coach Brennen Booth was hired in 2012 to begin the school's first full varsity schedule. Aquinas has been ranked No. 1 since preseason and carries a 24-game winning streak. The Augusta school won its first state title in 2013. 2. St. Francis, playing its first region schedule, entered its regular-season finale Nov. 7 rated No. 16 in the GHSA's power ratings and needing to beat Trion to make the playoffs. A.J. Cummings rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown and caught a 20-yard pass in the 35-10 win. 3. Aquinas is perhaps the most-difficult-to-defend private-school team because of its versatility. Ruben Garnett has rushed for 1,671 yards, and QB Liam Welch has thrown for 1,541, completing 63 percent of his attempts. Receivers Daniel Lindsey, Justin Gibson and Nash Bennett have TD receptions of 75 yards or better. DE Williams Evans has 28 tackles for losses, three times as many as any other player on the team.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Aquinas by 20

Winner plays: Pinecrest Academy/Tattnall Square winner

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