Quarterfinals in review

*Milton 20, Hillgrove 19: Josh Edwards scored the winning touchdown on a 23-yard run with 2:31 left, and Hillgrove got no further than the Milton 41-yard line on its final possession. Milton had trailed 16-7 in the third quarter. QB Jordan Yates rushed for 149 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries and was 9-of-18 passing for 75 yards. Milton led in total yards 277-265.

- What it means: Milton 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 have won or shared state titles every year since 1995.

*Archer 16, Tift County 10: Semaje Banks rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns, and his 1-yard run was the game-winner in overtime. Edwin Mangual intercepted a Tift County pass on the first possession of overtime. Archer led 233-196 in total yards. Colby Wooden had three tackles for losses.

- What it means: Archer, ranked No. 3 in preseason, is in the semifinals 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 45, North Gwinnet 0: Colquitt County led 31-0 at halftime in this rematch of the 2017 championship game. Ty Leggett rushed for 137 yards and four touchdowns on nine carries. He scored a fifth touchdown on a pass reception. Jayce Harden was 14-of-20 passing for 220 yards and one touchdown.

- What it means: Colquitt County, ranked No. 2 in one national poll, has avenged its 2017 state-finals loss and advanced to the semifinals for the ninth time in 10 seasons. No other school has made more than seven semifinals in any 10-year stretch in the highest classification.

Class AAAAAA 

*Dacula 56, Valdosta 21: Dacula, playing the 600th game in school history, led 29-21 at the end of the third quarter but got four rushing touchdowns in the fourth to put the game away. Kyle Efford had touchdown runs of 69 and 83 yards in the final period and finished unofficially with 189 yards on 11 carries. QB Jarrett Jenkins passed for 161 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 69 yards and a score.

- What it means: Under first-year coach Clint Jenkins, Dacula is in the semifinals for the first time since 2005. With third-ranked Valdosta and Coffee losing, Region 1's bid for four teams in the semifinals is ended. The record for one region in a final four was three (4-AAA) in 2015. Dacula and Lanier give Region 8 two teams in the semifinals.

*Northside (Warner Robins) 30, Sequoyah 6: Northside took a 23-0 lead midway into the second quarter and cruised. QB Jadin Daniels rushed for 135 yards on 11 carries and was only 3-of-4 passing for 27 yards as Northside was content protecting its lead. Daniel Neal rushed for 112 yards on nine carries and scored on a 74-yard run in the first quarter. Northside had six sacks and held Sequoyah to 10-of-28 passing.

- What it means: Despite a 5-5 regular season, Northside is in the semifinals for the ninth time in 13 seasons, avoiding its first two-year final-four drought since 2003-04. Sequoyah is denied its first state semifinal.

*Lanier 27, Coffee 7: Lanier trailed 7-0 at halftime, but Jake Ludwig's 10-yard fumble return for a touchdown less than two minutes into the third quarter sparked a second-half rally. Zach Calzada followed with touchdowns on a 1-yard pass and a 17-yard run, and Taj Barnes put the game away with an 81-yard touchdown run with less than five minutes to play. Barnes finished with 98 yards rushing on 10 carries, and Calzada was 11-of-20 passing for 113 yards.

- What it means: Lanier, an 8-year-old Gwinnett County school, is in the semifinals for the first time. Coffee, the 2017 runner-up and preseason No. 2 team, is out.

*Lee County 42, Creekview 20: Lee County overcame three missed field goals and Kyle Toole's first interception of the season in the first half and led only 14-7, but expanded that to 35-7 in the third quarter. Lee led 466-160 in total yards. Shaundarious Kimbrough rushed for 93 yards. Jammie Robinson returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown. Creekview scored on a fumble return and a short drive after a long kickoff return.

- What it means: Lee County, the defending champion, goes to 13-0, each victory by 17 points or more. Creekview, ranked No. 2 and the only other previously unbeaten team, is out after its best season in history.

Class AAAAA 

*Bainbridge 23, Buford 20: Bainbridge's Caleb McDowell scored three touchdowns, the third a 91-yard kickoff return to open the second half for a 23-13 lead. Buford suffered two bad snaps in the first quarter, one recovered by Buford but soon followed by a blocked punt and a safety, the other recovered by Bainbridge to set up a McDowell touchdown and a 16-0 lead. Buford drove to the Bainbridge 23-yard line in the final two minutes, but a pass into the end zone on fourth down was knocked down. Buford's Derrian Brown rushed for 229 yards, but Bainbridge held the Wolves to 2-of-16 passing.

- What it means: Buford's state records for consecutive appearances in the semifinals (11) and consecutive home playoff victories (35) are over. Bainbridge, which entered the playoffs with a 5-5 record, has toppled its second region champion (Wayne County being the other) in these playoffs and reached the semifinals for the first time since 2015.

*Stockbridge 48, Carrollton 3: Stockbridge took a 20-0 first-quarter lead and won surprisingly easily. Jevon McDonald was 8-of-9 passing with two touchdowns, both to Isaiah Taylor, one a 65-yarder. Stockbridge held Carrollton to 160 yards of total offense and 7-of-23 passing. Kerick Reese scored the Tigers' final touchdown on an 80-yard return of a blocked field-goal attempt.

- What it means: Stockbridge is in the semifinals for the third time in five years and seeking to get to the finals for the first time in school history. Stockbridge and Bainbridge are the only non-region champion in the Class AAAAA final four.

*Rome 28, Dutchtown 14: Jamious Griffin rushed for 230 yards and a touchdown on 39 carries. Derricus Smith and Nick Burge each had 1.5 tackles for losses. Rome led in total yards 399-258, plays from scrimmage 70-43 and time of possession 30:21-17:39. Rome led 15-0 at halftime but only 21-14 until QB Knox Kadum scored on a 3-yard run with 3:42 left to ice the game. Kadum passed for 98 yards, rushed for 72 and scored three touchdowns.

- What it means: Rome, the two-time defending champion, is the seventh school in state history to achieve a 40-game winning streak. Rome is now traveling back to Warner Robins, site of the 2017 championship game, for a rematch of the game it won 35-0 last season. Playing the classification's top-rated defense, Rome was held under 35 points for the first time this season but became the first to score more than 14 on Dutchtown.

*Warner Robins 21, Clarke Central 14: Dylan Fromm was 17-of-29 passing for 177 yards and two touchdowns, both to Marcayll Jones. Warner Robins was held to five three-and-out possessions in the first half and trailed 7-0 but scored the first three touchdowns of the second half, the last an 8-yard run by Deondre Duehart early in the fourth quarter. Clarke got within 21-14 but never got the ball back with a chance to tie.

- What it means: Warner Robins, the state runner-up last year, returns to the semifinals and gets a rematch of the 2017 title game that it lost to Rome. Thanks to a coin flip, Warner Robins again will be the home team.

Class AAAA 

*Marist 10, Mary Persons 7: Marist's Brendan Farrell kicked a 25-yard field goal with 2:16 remaining for the victory against previously unbeaten Mary Persons. After a scoreless first half, Mary Persons took a 7-0 lead on Quen Wilson's 11-yard run midway through the third quarter, but Marist pulled even on Connor Cigelske's 1-yard scoring run with 8:50 left. Cigelski had 83 of Marist's 166 yards rushing. Mary Persons came in averaging 49.25 points, best in AAAA.

- What it means: Marist, the AAAA runner-up to Blessed Trinity last season, is back in the semifinals with a second consecutive victory over a region champion (St. Pius was the other in the second round). Marist, a No. 2 seed, joins No. 1 seed Blessed Trinity as Region 7 teams in the semis. Mary Persons, a semifinalist the past two seasons, is out.

*Cartersville 42, Baldwin 13: Baldwin led 13-0 early in the second quarter, but Cartersville dominated the rest of the way. Running back Marcus Gary had 29 carries for a season-high 169 yards and three touchdowns rushing. Gary has run for 489 yards and six TDs in three playoff games. QB Tee Webb, a 2,500-yard passer, attempted just eight passes, but one went to Trendon Horton for a 62-yard touchdown.

- What it means: Cartersville, a state champion in 2015 and 2016, is in the semifinals for the fifth time in seven seasons in what was considered a rebuilding year after some 20 starters and one five-star quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, graduated. Baldwin's bid for a first semifinal since 2005 is over.

*Blessed Trinity 42, Eastside 15: Blessed Trinity built a 35-0 lead in the first half and coasted to its 19th consecutive victory. Steele Chambers had touchdown runs of 3 and 9 yards for a 14-0 lead, and Jackson Hamilton later scored on runs of 27, 10 and 10 yards. Blessed Trinity held Eastside to 21 yards in the first half and 86 for the game. Blessed Trinity finished with 451 yards, 387 of which came from the running game.

- What it means: Blessed Trinity, the defending AAAA champion, is in the semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons, during which the Titans are 63-6-1. Eastside's bid for a first semifinal since 2009 is over.

*Troup 20, Cairo 17: Troup wide receiver Ja'Rell Smith threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Thrash on a fourth-and-goal play for a 20-17 lead with 10:35 remaining, and the Tigers' defense made it hold up. Cairo had two more possessions but got no closer than the Troup 35-yard line. Troup QB Kobe Hudson had a 55-yard touchdown pass to Joko Willis and an 80-yard TD run.

- What it means: Troup is in the semifinals for the first time since 2001 and second time in its football history, which dates to 1956. Troup arrives as a No. 2 seed that has beaten two region champions (Cairo, Pickens). Troup joins No. 1 seed Cartersville as Region 5 teams in the semis.

Class AAA 

*Pierce County 24, Monroe Area 7: John Jones rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries, and his 69-yard run on the opening possession of the second half gave the Bears a 14-0 lead. Monroe Area wouldn't score until the fourth quarter and got no closer than 21-7. Jermaine Brewton passed for 169 yards and rushed for 55. Monroe Area QB Chandler Byron rushed for 180 yards and finished with 2,795 for the season.

- What it means: Pierce County, which opened in 1981, is in the semifinals for the first time after four previous quarterfinal failures, the most recent in 2016.The Bears' 13 wins are the most in school history, beating the mark of 12 set in 1982.

*Cedar Grove 55, Benedictine 0: Chavon Wright rushed for 109 yards and one touchdown on seven carries. Jadon Haselwood had four receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns and returned a punt 80 yards for a score. Benedictine had only one play longer than 10 yards against Cedar Grove's starting defense.

- What it means: Cedar Grove is in the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season. No other DeKalb County Schools program has made more than two straight final fours. Decatur (1948-53) is the only other school in DeKalb with a semifinal streak so long. The loss was Benedictine's most-lopsided since 2006 (Liberty County 57-0).

*Peach County 21, Westminster 3: Tijah Woolfolk rushed for 109 yards on 23 carries, and Jaydon Gibson was 12-of-19 passing for 147 yards. Peach lead only 7-0 at half but slowly pulled away.

- What it means: Westminster's bid for a third consecutive road playoff win is foiled. Peach County, in the semifinals for the third straight season, advances into a rematch of the 2017 state-title game won by Calhoun 10-6 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This game will be played at Calhoun.

*Calhoun 24, Jenkins 12: Zack Fuller rushed for 157 yards on 35 carries, and Gavin Gray was 13-of-22 passing for 146 yards and two touchdowns on a windy night. Calhoun led 14-0 at halftime and 21-6 after three quarters.

- What it means: Calhoun, the defending AAA champion, is in the semifinals for the ninth time in 11 seasons and will be at home against Peach County for a rematch of the 2017 state-title game.

Class AA 

*Fitzgerald 28, Rabun County 17: Ethan Gordon (23 yards) and Justin Reliford (14 yards) had touchdown runs to give Fitzgerald a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, and Rabun County never got closer than eight points. Gordon added a 67-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Fitzgerald was 0-for-2 passing but rushed for 423 yards, including 139 by Gordon, 167 by Damien Devine and 98 by Kody Krause. Rabun freshman QB Gunner Stockton passed for 190 yards and finished the year with 2,917.

- What it means: Fitzgerald, the Class AA runner-up in 2015 and 2016, is in the semifinals for the third time in four seasons. Rabun County, the AA runner-up in 2017, is out. This will be Tucker Pruitt's first semifinal as a head coach. His father, Robby Pruitt, nearly joined him for some familial state semifinal history, but his Coffee team lost in the AAAAAA quarters.

*Heard County 18, Dublin 3: Alijah Huzzie gave Heard County the lead for good when he scored on a quarterback sneak on the first play of the second quarter, and he later threw touchdown passes to LeQuincy Shepherd of 52 and 24 yards. Huzzie finished with 116 yards passing and 54 rushing (unofficially). Aaron Beasley ran for 96 yards on 21 carries. Dublin's only points - a 33-yard field goal - came after a long return of the opening kickoff.

- What it means: Heard County is in its second straight semifinals, and second in history, for a school that began football in 1972. Heard has never made the finals. Dublin's bid for its first semifinal since 2007 is over.

*Rockmart 48, Jefferson County 13: Dylan Bailey threw three touchdowns passes as Rockmart built a 28-7 halftime lead and went on to its school-record 13th victory. Zabrion Whatley ran for 98 yards, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the season, and caught a touchdown pass. Markus Smith and Zoryan Hendricks each ran for two touchdowns. Rockmart, the highest-scoring team in AA (47.15), has scored at least 35 points in 10 consecutive games.

- What it means: Rockmart is in the semifinals for the first time since 1988. It was Rockmart's second road playoff victory since 1955, first since 2012.

*Callaway 35, Washington County 20: Qua Hines ran for three second-half touchdowns to help Callaway pull away in a game that was tied 14-14 at halftime. Hines' runs covered 51, 2 and 40 yards, the last of which came with 1:40 to play and put the game away. Demetrius Coleman threw first-half touchdown passes to Markus Morman (12 yards) and Jacob Freeman (60 yards). Dyquan Bloodshaw ran for all three of Washington County's touchdowns.

- What it means: Callaway is in the semifinals for the third time in six seasons (the Cavaliers have never made a final) and joined No. 1 seed Heard County to give Region 5 two semifinal teams.

Class A (Private) 

*Athens Academy 25, Calvary Day 19: His team trailing 19-17, Len'Neth Whitehead scored on a 1-yard run with 4:57 left. It was a game of seven lead changes. Whitehead finished with 110 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, plus a team-leading seven tackles. Palmer Bush was 9-of-10 passing for 139 yards and a touchdown.

- What it means: Athens Academy, the 2017 runner-up, is back in the semifinals, still seeking its first state title.

*Prince Avenue Christian 48, North Cobb Christian 20: Prince Avenue broke open a 13-13 game with a touchdown in the final minute of the first half and a 70-yard TD drive to open the second half. Brock Vandagriff passed for 140 yards and rushed for 104. Christian Parrish had five rushes for 46 yards and a touchdown, three catches for 23 yards, seven tackles and a 90-yard interception return for a touchdown. FS Elijah Hynes had 16 tackles.

- What it means: Prince Avenue is in the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season but seeking its first state finals appearance since 2012. North Cobb Christian's most successful season in history ends at 10-2.

*Savannah Christian 35, Fellowship Christian 14: Savannah Christian took a 21-0 first-quarter lead, and Fellowship never recovered. Marquell Brown rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Spencer Robicheaux was 8-of-12 passing for 114 yards and two touchdowns. LB Jay Hagan had 10 solo tackles.

- What it means: Savannah Christian, under first-year head coach Baker Woodard, is in the semifinals for the first time since its 2011 state-championship team.

*Eagle's Landing Christian 42, Darlington 6: Keaton Mitchell rushed for 219 yards and four touchdowns, and Brayden Rush threw TD passes to Justin Robinson and Devon Dorsey.

- What it means: ELCA, the three-time defending champion, is in the semifinals for the eighth straight time, a Class A record, and now has a 41-game winning streak against Class A opponents. Mitchell has more than 2,000 yards rushing.

Class A (Public) 

*Irwin County 26, Commerce 23: DJ Lundy scored the game-winning touchdown with 39 seconds remaining, and Jay Stanley intercepted a pass with five seconds left to seal the victory for the public-school No. 1 seed. The Indians, who fell behind 14-0 in the first half, trailed with 23-19 with 3:02 to play but drove 57 yards for the winning score. Lundy ran for 117 yards and three touchdowns. Stanley had 45 yards and a touchdown rushing.

- What it means: Irwin, the 2017 runner-up, survives its closest call of the season. No other Class A opponent, including defending champion Clinch County, had come within 17 points of the Indians this season.

*Pelham 49, Greene County 20: Pelham scored on its first two possessions for a 14-0 lead, and Greene County never got closer than eight points the rest of the way. RB Javoris Williams and QB Kendrick Patterson accounted for all seven Pelham touchdowns. Williams ran for 189 yards and three TDs on 14 carries, and Patterson ran for two touchdowns, threw an 18-yard TD pass and returned a fumble for a score.

- What it means: Pelham is in the semifinals for the first time since 1965, while Greene is denied its first trip to the semis since 2005.

*Marion County 34, Schley County 27: Trice McCannon threw two 26-yard TD passes to Josh Rodgers in the fourth quarter to rally Marion from a 27-20 deficit. The first came with 6:47 left, the next 40 seconds later after Schley misplayed a standard kickoff that Marion recovered. Schley drove to the Marion 22 but got no closer. McCannon was 10-of-19 passing for 226 yards and four touchdowns. He rushed for 75 yards and scored a touchdown. Rodgers had six catches for 160 yards, 53 yards rushing and eight tackles.

- What it means: Marion County, a 2013 state champion, is in the semifinals for the first time under third-year coach Chris Kirksey and first overall since 2014. Schley, which opened in 2000, was denied its first semifinal.

*Clinch County 35, Mount Zion 7: Tyler Morehead's 43-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Johnson with 21 seconds to play in the second quarter gave Clinch County a 14-7 lead, and the Panthers broke the game open with three short touchdown runs by Dantonio Robinson in the second half. Morehead was 2-of-4 passing for 64 yards and led Clinch in rushing with 82 yards on 22 carries. Robinson ran for 73 yards on 15 carries. Clinch outgained Mount Zion 316-157.

- What it means: Clinch County, the defending champion, is in the semifinals for the fourth consecutive and still contending for its eighth state title. Mount Zion, which made its first semifinal in history last year, is ousted by Clinch for the second straight season.

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