Here’s what to look for this weekend in each of the Class AAAAA quarterfinals:
- No. 4 Allatoona is the highest-ranked team and one of only three region champions remaining in the Class AAAAA field. The Buccaneers’ battle this week with 2012 champion Gainesville will be a classic matchup of running team vs. passing team. Allatoona runs for 292.0 yards per game and features the top rusher in AAAAA – Russell Halimon with 2,116 yards. Gainesville averages 239.1 yards per game passing and is led by Mikey Gonzalez with 2,940 yards for the season. Allatoona is in the quarterfinals for the third time in five years since it began playing a region schedule in 2010 but has never reached the semifinals.
- Northside-Warner Robins has lost a bit of its home-field against Glynn Academy this weekend. Their game was moved to Peach County High School because the field at McConnell-Talbert Stadium in Warner Robins “wasn’t of the quality needed for the playoffs,” the Macon Telegraph reported. Northside, Houston County and Warner Robins all use McConnell-Talbert, and the stadium turf has gotten extra wear and tear this season as Northside and Houston County have made deep runs in the playoffs. Northside and Glynn Academy are two of the only three remaining teams, along with Gainesville, that have won state championships.
- The most unexpected semifinalist is likely to be the winner of the Mays-Jones County game. Neither team has a history of playoff success. Jones County had only one state playoff victory – a first-round win against Hephzibah in 2001 – in its history before winning its first two playoff games this season. This is not, however, the deepest the Greyhounds have been in the postseason. The 1961 team qualified for the Class C semifinals by being one of the four region champions. Mays, the only remaining member of 6-AAAAA, is in the quarterfinals for the first time. There Raiders were 0-4 in their previous second-round games.
- Two high-profile quarterbacks will be in the spotlight when Houston County travels to Stockbridge. Houston County sophomore Jake Fromm is the leading passer in Class AAAAA with 3,316 yards and 30 touchdowns. He threw for 406 yards and three TDs in a 43-12 victory against Sequoyah in the second round. Stockbridge junior Malachi Brown compiled 200 yards of offense, ran for two touchdowns and threw two TD passes in a 27-7 victory over Stephenson last week. Stockbridge also has the second-ranked defense among the remaining teams, allowing just 12.8 points per game.
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