Newton at Etowah
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Eagle Stadium, Woodstock
Records, rankings: Newton is 7-3, the No. 3 seed from Region 2-AAAAAA and unranked; Etowah is 10-2, the No. 2 seed from 5-AAAAAA and unranked.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Three things to know: 1. It's safe to say that no one predicted this quarterfinal matchup. Etowah was 1-8 all-time in the playoffs before this season. Newton was 2-10, with both wins coming in region playoff games in 1987. Both programs have reached new heights under relatively new coaches, Etowah's Dave Svehla (in his third season) and Newton's Terrance Banks (in his second). 2. Newton QB Romario Johnson has passed for 198 and 220 yards and rushed for 82 and 64 in Newton's playoff victories, and he has 2,587 yards passing in 10 games this season, but Newton's defense is perhaps the main reason the Rams are still alive. They held Valdosta to 112 total yards in the first round and shut out Central Gwinnett over the final three quarters in round two, a 15-14 victory. 3. Sophomore RB Tyray Devezin rushed for 152 yards in a 23-6 victory over Westlake in the second round. He ran for 202 the previous week against South Paulding and has 1,277 yards on the season. Meanwhile, Etowah's defense has shut down feature running backs in both playoff victories as South Forsyth's 1,000-yard rusher Tyler LaFlamme and Westlake's Justin Broughton, who ran for 154 yards in the first round, were held to less than 50 yards.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Etowah by 5
Winner plays: Hillgrove/Archer winner
Hillgrove at Archer
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Archer Community Stadium, Lawrenceville
Records, rankings: Hillgrove is 9-3, the No. 1 seed from Region 4-AAAAAA and unranked; Archer is 9-3, the No. 1 seed from 8-AAAAAA and unranked.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Three things to know: 1. This is Hillgrove's third trip to the quarterfinals in five seasons. The Hawks have never made a semifinal. This is Archer's first quarterfinal. The Tigers lost in the second round last season and finished 11-1. Neither is ranked despite winning region titles. Hillgrove lost 43-42 to mediocre Harrison on Oct. 24 but stunned McEachern 42-37 two weeks later for the title. Archer started 0-3 but has won nine straight and shared the title with Grayson and Dacula, the schools from which Archer drew when it opened in 2009. 2. Gabe Tiller was 18-0f-24 passing for 219 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-13 second-round victory over Lee County. Tiller has thrown for 2,465 yards and 26 touchdowns on the season. Randy Nails has rushed for 949 yards. Kyle Davis (committed to South Carolina) has nearly 1,000 yards receiving. Also highly recruited are senior TE Connor Redmond (committed to South Carolina), junior DB/WR Dylan Singleton and junior DT Kobe Smith. 3. Hillgrove QB Matthew Wilson threw four TD passes in the first round against Douglas County, then passed for 329 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 71 yards in a 38-28 victory over Roswell last week. Roswell led in total yards 524-487. Hillgrove also has a 1,000-yard rusher in Sonny Harris and a Georgia State-bound receiver in Richard Hallman, who had eight catches for 174 yards against Roswell.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Archer by 11
Winner plays: Newton/Etowah winner
McEachern at Tucker
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, James R. Hallford Stadium, Clarkston
Records, rankings: McEachern is 9-3, the No. 2 seed from Region 4-AAAAAA and unranked; Tucker is 10-2, the No. 1 seed from 2-AAAAAA and No. 9.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Three things to know: 1. Tucker is one of only two teams remaining in the field with a state title (2008, 2011), although both came in the second-highest classification. McEachern made the semifinals last season (lost to North Gwinnett 27-21). McEachern has made one state final (1998). 2. Tucker DE Jonathan Ledbetter, who is committed to Georgia, returned a Grayson fumble 45 yards for the winning touchdown in a 26-23 victory last week. Tucker averages 294.6 yards rushing, 86.0 passing. Delvin Weems (Marshall) has 1,144 yards rushing, though he was held to 42 against Grayson. The team's best overall player is probably RB/LB Elijah Sullivan (Auburn), who scored two touchdowns against Grayson. He has seven sacks. LB Maurice Williams is the leading tackler. 3. McEachern QB Bailey Hockman passed for 330 yards and five touchdowns in a 44-14 second-round victory over Alpharetta. Hockman has thrown for 2,833 yards and 36 TDs, 17 to Tyler Smith, 16 to T.J. Rahming. Both wideouts have more than 1,000 receiving yards. McEachern has two major D-I prospects on the lines, OT Chuma Edoga (Southern Cal) and junior Julian Rochester (16 scholarship offers, 11 sacks).
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Tucker by 8
Winner plays: Milton/Colquitt County winner
Milton at Colquitt County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Mack Tharpe Memorial Stadium, Moultrie
Records, rankings: Milton is 11-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 5-AAAAAA and No. 7; Colquitt County is 12-0, the No. 1 seed from 1-AAAAAA and No. 1.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Three things to know: 1. These are the only teams in the AAAAAA draw with fewer than two losses and two of only three ranked teams. No. 9 Tucker is the other. Colquitt County is trying to reach the semifinals for the sixth straight time and win its first state title since 1994. Milton is seeking its first semifinal since 1952, when it was a Class B school and was one of four region champions. 2. Milton is allowing only 75 yards rushing per game and held Hughes to 28 in a 17-14 victory last week. LB Quarte Sapp (committed to Auburn) is a likely all-state pick. RB Micco Brisher has rushed for 1,139 yards on the season and more than 100 yards in each of the first two rounds. Austin McLeod has passed for 148 and 142 yards in the two wins. OL Nick Wilson is committed to Stanford. 3. Colquitt County RB Sihiem King scored six touchdowns in a 51-30 victory over Dacula last week. He scored five the week before against Rockdale. He has rushed for 1,642 yards and scored 32 touchdowns on the season. Chase Parrish has thrown for more than 2,000 yards. LB Bull Barge is averaging 11 tackles per game, and his 72-yard return of a fumble for a touchdown tied the Dacula game 23-23 after Colquitt had trailed 20-0.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Colquitt County by 25
Winner plays: McEachern/Tucker winner
Coming Tuesday: AAAA and AAA
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