The Class AAAAAAA playoffs are down to four now.
Next week it’s Lowndes at Milton and Archer at Colquitt County.
Here are five observations from the quarterfinals:
*Lowndes, coach Randy McPherson and his staff deserve a little credit. The Vikings beat Grayson 20-15 on Friday to make the semifinals for the first time since 2007, when the Vikings won a state title and ruled the highest classification. That was Lowndes’ third title in five years. Those days are gone, but this season has been a great accomplishment after such a disappointing finish in 2017. Remember that Lowndes was ranked No. 1 about this time a year ago and lost in the second round to McEachern. This year’s Lowndes team had to make do without class offensive player of the year Michael Barrett, now at Michigan, and a bunch of starters. It was considered a borderline top-10 team in preseason. Congrats to the Vikes.
*There’s no other way to say it about Grayson: This was a disappointment. Coaching an overly talented team is not easy. Lots of distractions. Grayson was the preseason No. 1 team, nationally ranked by several polls. It had on its roster a state-record 12 major Division 1-committed players. It was a good team that overcame early losses to win the region title, something the Rams didn’t do last year. But in the end, the quarterfinals wasn’t where this team expected to call it a season.
*Milton - a 20-19 winner over Grayson - is in the semifinals for the first time since 1952, when leather helmets were still the norm. A Fulton County school, Milton is the only team remaining not from Region 1 or Gwinnett County, which has won or shared state title every year since 1995.
*Archer, ranked No. 3 in preseason, lived up to its billing in the end. Remember that Archer lost its opening game to Milton. That was considered not a bad loss, but not a good one either. Now, it’s known as a pretty good loss. Who knew that both would be in the semifinals? Archer is in the semis for the first time since its state runner-up finish in 2014 and gets a rematch of that 2014 title game with Colquitt County.
*Colquitt County must’ve been mildly annoyed by the outcome of the 2017 title game. Just my guess. Remember that one? North Gwinnett won 19-17 on a last-play field goal. Let’s not rehash the details, but if there was any question about whether this Packer team was special, behold this final score - 45-0. North Gwinnett is still a good team. Maybe not as good as the 2017 bunch, but a region champion still. Colquitt has advanced to the semifinals for the ninth time in 10 seasons.
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