Here’s a look at this week’s second-round games in the Class AAAAAA football playoffs, with recaps of the first-round results:
*Valdosta (7-4) at Glynn Academy (8-3): Glynn Academy beat Valdosta 27-3 in the first round last year and is seeking its fifth consecutive trip to the quarterfinals. The Red Terrors trailed Evans 7-0 in the first quarter last week but scored 21 points in the second and won 42-7. Nolan Grant rushed for 137 yards, and Quantavious Bostic, TJ Lewis and Caden Hutchinson ran for two TDs each. Valdosta had 534 yards of offense in its 70-29 first-round victory over Lovejoy. QB Tate Rodemaker passed for 288 yards, giving him 3,202 for the season. Rajaez Mosley ran for 144 yards, giving him 1,010 for the year.
*Allatoona (8-3) at Dacula (9-2): Dacula has won three consecutive region titles but lost in the second round the previous two times, including 14-13 against Allatoona last year. Both teams allow 12.9 points per game, tied for fourth-best in AAAAAA. Allatoona ran for 353 yards on a season-high 53 carries in its 38-7 victory over Centennial last week. Daniel Parsons (118 yards vs. Centennial) leads the Buccaneers with 1,077 yards for the season. Dacula, which averages 198.5 yards rushing, ran for 278 yards and got two touchdowns on returns (Dylan Hand 21 yards on a blocked punt, and Jalen Perry 25 yards on an interception) in its 28-0 victory over Northgate, the Falcons' third shutout. Trenton Jones has rushed for 1,140 yards and 13 TDs this season.
*Bradwell Institute (5-6) at Northside-Warner Robins (6-5): Bradwell Institute picked up its first playoff victory since 2008 when it beat Region 3 champion Grovetown 28-21. The Tigers are led by RB Kevin Harris (1,466 rushing yards, 186 vs. Grovetown) and QB Vencent Gilbert (1,508 passing yards). Northside is in the second round for the 24th time in 27 seasons after beating Tucker 43-21. Northside ran for 448 yards and held Tucker to 59 yards rushing on 26 carries. QB Jadin Daniels (1,289 yards rushing, 1,391 yards passing for the season) ran for 187 yards and attempted just five passes. Eric Smith ran for 160 yards and has 679 this year.
*Sequoyah (9-2) at Creekside (8-3): Both teams are in the second round for the first time since 2014. Sequoyah got there with a 34-30 victory over Alpharetta. The Chiefs led 27-17 with eight minutes left but needed Jackson Smith's 1-yard touchdown run with 21 seconds remaining for the win. Cole Jacobs rushed for 1,010 yards during the regular season. Region 5 champion Creekside, an 0-10 team last year, started this season 1-3 but has won seven consecutive games, including 47-12 against Gainesville in the first round. The Seminoles' leaders on offense are QB Lazarus Anderson (1,589 yards passing in the regular season) and Tyler Malone (751 yards rushing).
*Coffee (8-3) at Richmond Hill (5-5): Coffee is in the second round for the fifth consecutive year after advancing that far just four times in its first 44 seasons. Richmond Hill's 19-14 win over Greenbrier was the fourth playoff victory in the school's 33-year history. Coffee had season highs in rushing yards (380) and total yards (466) in its 45-17 victory over Region 4 champ Stephenson last week. Freshman Maurice Turner, who had just 162 rushing yards this season, ran for 151 on 18 carries. QB A.J. Wilkerson ran for 135. Richmond Hill's Nathan Vickers had six tackles and a sack and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against Greenbrier.
*Harrison (9-3) at Lanier (8-3): Both teams rallied for first-round victories. Harrison trailed Johns Creek 20-10 at halftime but won 23-20. David Roberts ran for 172 yards, putting him over 1,000 for the season (1,028). Jay Ziglor, who came into the game with 125 yards rushing for the season, ran for 120. Both scored touchdowns in the second half. Lanier trailed Mays 12-3 at the end of the first quarter but held the Raiders scoreless the rest of the way and won 20-12. QB Zach Calzada, a Texas A&M commit who passed for 1,252 yards in the regular season, gave Lanier the lead with a 2-yard TD run in the third quarter, then added a 41-yard TD pass to Cole Thornton in the fourth quarter.
*Effingham County (7-4) at Lee County (11-0): Effingham County built a 13-0 first-half lead over Lakeside of Evans in the first round and held on for a 16-10 win, the Rebels' first victory in the state playoffs since 1987. They had been 0-11 in the first round since. Desmond House ran 80 yards and scored the Rebels' only touchdown. Defending state champion Lee County held Mundy's Mill to minus-1 total yards in the first half while building a 35-0 lead and cruised to a 48-13 first-round win. It was the first time this season the Trojans had allowed more than seven points. Kyle Toole was 22-of-28 passing for 284 yards and three TDs, giving him 2,219 and 28 for the season with no interceptions.
*Habersham Central (7-4) at Creekview (11-0): Habersham Central is in the second round for the first time since 2007, and second-ranked Creekview is there for the first time in the program's 13-year history. Habersham QB Tre Luttrell (2,014 yards passing, 674 rushing in the regular season) threw for 132 yards and ran for 85 in a 35-0 first-round victory over Douglas County, which was held to 156 total yards. Creekview led Pope 38-0 in the third quarter and won 38-14. Cade Radam ran for 125 yards, giving him 1,656 for the season. Ethan Dirrim rushed for 78 and scored on runs of 5, 7 and 40 yards.
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