Friday night recap: Round 2

The second round of the Class AA playoffs concluded on Friday and with that, we already know there will be a new state champion this year. The top-ranked, defending state champion Hapeville Charter Hornets lost decidedly to the No. 4 Callaway Cavaliers, 31-13, ending the Hornets’ 21-game win streak against AA teams.

On Thursday, I noted the game would come down to the Hornets' defense — which, heading in, was the best in AA — against Callaway's Tank Bigsby, one of the best high school running backs in the country. Unfortunately for the Hornets, that matchup was lopsided, with Bigsby burning them for touchdown runs of 85, 24, 16 and 3 to guide the Cavs to a surprisingly easy win.

Cavs coach Pete Wiggins told me that Bigsby had more than 300 rushing yards, which gives him more than 600 in the first two rounds. Already rated as a four-star by recruiting services and ranked one of the country’s best backs for the class of ‘20, his performance during this run should catapult him into five-star status.

Kevin Eckleberry of The LaGrange Daily News has a game story.

Here’s how the rest of Round 2 went:

• Fitzgerald 27, Swainsboro 12: The unranked Purple Hurricane (9-3; No. 2, Region 3) are back in the quarters for the third time in four years and ninth time since 2009. They're seeking their first state title since 1948. The Augusta Chronicle has details.
• Rabun County 34, Chattooga 0: For the second week in a row, the No. 8 Wildcats (12-1; No. 1, Region 8) shutout their opponent. They beat Spencer 65-0 in Round 1. They've accomplished so much since coach Lee Shaw arrived in 2012 that there's not much left for them to do aside from winning the first state championship in a program history that dates back to 1949. The Summerville News and accessWDUN have game stories.
• Dublin 23, Thomasville 7: The No. 6 Fighting Irish (11-1; No. 1, Region 3) are in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011 and are seeking their first state title since 2006. WGXA has highlights and the Thomasville Times-Enterprise has a game story.
• Heard County 27, Douglass 6: The No. 3 Braves (10-2; No. 1, Region 5) are in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row and are seeking their first state title in a history that dates back to 1972.
• Jefferson County 27, Dodge County 13: The Warriors (10-2; No. 1, Region 4) upset the No. 9 Indians to advance to the quarters for the first time since 2015. They're seeking their first state title in a history that dates back to 1995. WJBF has highlights.
• Rockmart 35, Bremen 23: After reaching the second round in each of the last two seasons, the No. 2 Yellow Jackets (12-0; No. 1, Region 7) broke through to the quarters for the first time since 1988 and are seeking their first state title since 1950. The Rome News-Tribune has details.
• Washington County 34, Brooks County 30: In perhaps the most thrilling finish in Round 2, the No. 10 Golden Hawks (No. 3, Region 3) edge No. 5 Brooks County on the road to reach quarters for the first time since 2014. They're hoping to return to the glory days of the mid-90s, when they won three state titles in four years from 1994-97. Shane Thomas has details of the game's thrilling finish for the Valdosta Daily Times.