When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Eagle Stadium, Buena Vista
Records, rankings: Commerce is 8-3, the No. 9 seed and unranked; Marion County is 10-1, the No. 1 seed and No. 3.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Three things to know: 1. Marion County RB/WR/DB Lorenzo Smothers, a 1,000-yard rusher with 80 career touchdowns, is out with a rib injury. He also was the team's leading receiver and third-leading tackler. Marion will rely on another 1,000-yard rusher, Mykelle Kelley (143 yards in a 22-20 victory over Twiggs County last week) and sophomore QB Quentez Battle (47-of-85 passing for 636 yards, 11 touchdowns). 2. Commerce RB Cole Chancey rushed for 133 yards in a 31-29 first-round victory over Charlton County. Chancey has 960 yards rushing on the season, and Will Thomas has 939. Commerce averages 301.9 yards rushing per game. The Tigers have attempted only 59 passes all season but were 7-of-10 for 130 yards against Charlton. 3. Commerce and Marion County were the losing semifinalists in 2014. Marion won its first state title in 2013. Commerce is a two-time state champion (1981, 2000) that has re-emerged as a state power the past two seasons under Commerce alumnus Michael Brown.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Even
Winner plays: Johnson County/Clinch County winner
Johnson County at Clinch County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Donald Tison Field at Panther Stadium, Homerville
Records, rankings: Johnson County is 7-4, the No. 13 seed and unranked; Clinch County is 10-1, the No. 5 seed and No. 4.
Last meeting: Clinch County won 53-6 in 2003.
Three things to know: 1. Both teams last played in the quarterfinals in 2013 and lost. Clinch last won a quarterfinal in 2010, the season of its most recent Class A championship. Johnson County last won in 2005. Though both schools have been in Class A since 1982, they've never met each other in the playoffs. 2. Johnson County beat Region 1 champion Randolph-Clay 21-8 in a first-round defensive battle that was 8-8 at halftime. Johnson County held Randolph-Clay to 165 yards in total offense and won the turnover battle 3-0. Ronquez Harden had 72 yards rushing and 43 receiving with a touchdown. QB Brooks Norton is 85-of-149 passing for 1,116 yards and 11 touchdowns, six of them to Harden. Norton is the son of head coach Don Norton and grandson of former Washington-Wilkes coach Butch Brooks. 3. Clinch County RB Shannon Young has rushed for 1,365 yards on a team that passes fewer than six times per game. All of Clinch's 367 total yards in a 30-8 victory over Dooly County last week came on the ground. Clinch has four backs, including Young, with more than 400 yards on the season. Junior WB Zebulon Johnson averages 17.7 yards per carry (32 carries, 566 yards, nine TDs). Clinch has scored a school-record 10 defensive touchdowns, though none in the past two games.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Clinch County by 28
Winner plays: Commerce/Marion County winner
Trion at Irwin County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Indian Field, Ocilla
Records, rankings: Trion is 8-3, the No. 11 seed and unranked; Irwin County is 8-2-1, the No. 3 seed and No. 6.
Last meeting: Irwin County won 49-26 in the first round of the 2013 Class A public-school playoffs.
Three things to know: 1. Trion, looking to make its first semifinal since 2003, gained momentum as a contender with its 40-6 rout of 10th-ranked Turner County in the first round. Trion's losses are to No. 8 Pinecrest Academy 27-24 in overtime, No. 9 Mount Paran Christian 7-6 and fellow private-school quarterfinalist Mount Zion 30-20. Irwin County was the private-school runner-up last season. Both schools won their only state titles in the mid-1970s. 2. Trion's best all-around player is four-year starting FB/LB Malik Martin. He is the leading rusher with 768 yards and has 74 tackles and four sacks on defense. DB/LB DeVonya Farmer (401 yards rushing, four sacks) and FB/DE Logan Blevins (307 rushing, nine tackles for losses) also are prominent two-way players. Sophomore Jarret Gill is 53-of-99 passing for 1,107 yards and 12 touchdowns. 3. Irwin County RB/LB D.J. Pollard rushed for 231 yards in a 30-13 victory over Wilkinson County last week. Perhaps the best all-around player still standing in the public-school playoffs, Pollard has 1,509 yards rushing and more than 60 tackles on defense. TE/LB William Lewis is another outstanding two-way starter. DE/DT Jared Johns has 16 tackles for losses.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Irwin County by 2
Winner plays: Mount Zion (Carroll)/Emanuel County Institute winner
Mount Zion-Carroll at ECI
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Rountree Stadium, Twin City
Records, rankings: Mount Zion is 8-3, the No. 10 seed and unranked; Emanuel County Institute is 10-1, the No. 2 seed and No. 7.
Last meeting: Mount Zion won 30-21 in the first round of the 2014 Class A public-school playoffs.
Three things to know: 1. ECI won its first playoff game last week (59-38 over Telfair County) since its 2012 state-championship season. ECI lost to Mount Zion in the 2014 first round in what was Mount Zion's first home playoff victory in 60 years of varsity football. Mount Zion has never won a quarterfinal. 2. Mount Zion beat Lincoln County 10-7 last week after a goal-line stand preceded a missed 25-yard field goal in the final minute. Mount Zion crossed into Lincoln County territory only twice but scored each time. Mount Zion averages 220 yards rushing per game. RB Jace Jordan is the leading rusher (1,068 yards in the regular season) and receiver (18 for 222). QB Jordan Akin was 56-of-109 for 654 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season. 3. ECI had 466 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns against Telfair. Ricky Lee rushed for 269 yards and four touchdowns, while Bobby McNear ran for 100 on just six carries. Lee has rushed for 1,439 yards on the season. ECI passes well, too. QB Rhett Gay is 86-of-128 passing for 1,427 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Emanuel County Institute by 8
Winner plays: Trion/Irwin County winner
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