Second-round preview: Class AAAAA

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Starr's Mill's 49-0 win against Northside of Columbus last week was the school's first playoff victory since 2010, when the Panthers reached the Class AAAA championship game and finished 14-1. Allatoona is in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year and is in the second round for the fourth time. The Buccaneers had their best season in school history in 2014, going 13-1 and reaching the semifinals. 2. Allatoona RB Russell Halimon, who rushed for 1,518 yards in the regular season, had just two carries for 25 yards before leaving with a knee injury in a 52-3 victory over Winder-Barrow in the first round. Allatoona coach Gary Varner told the Marietta Daily Journal he doesn't believe the injury is serious. In his absence, Brandon Archibald ran for 184 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Allatoona averages 297.2 yards rushing and had 419 last week. 3. Starr's Mill also is primarily a running team, averaging 311.8 per game on the ground in the regular season. The Panthers had 535 total yards (449 rushing) against Northside. Rico Frye, who had 1,431 yards in the regular season, rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns against the Patriots.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Starr's Mill by 1

Winner plays: Mays/Houston County winner

Mays at Houston County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, McConnell-Talbert Stadium, Warner Robins

Records, rankings: Mays is 10-1, the No. 2 seed from Region 6-AAAAA and No. 5; Houston County is 10-1, the No. 1 seed from 2-AAAAA and No. 4.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. To the surprise of many, Mays (6-AAAAA) and Houston County (2-AAAAA) are the only remaining teams from what are considered two of the strongest regions in Class AAAAA. Both regions were represented in the championship game last season when Mays played Northside of Warner Robins. Houston County was eliminated by Stockbridge in the quarterfinals in 2014. 2. Mays QB B.J. Phillips had season highs in completions (27), attempts (36) and passing yards (370) and threw three touchdown passes in the Raiders' 31-0 victory over Creekview in the first round. Phillips has 2,175 yards and 28 touchdowns passing on the season despite missing two games. WR Randrecous Davis caught six passes for 98 yards and has 928 yards receiving this year. 3. Houston County passes the ball even more than Mays. Junior QB Jake Fromm (committed to Alabama) threw for a season-best 479 yards and six TDs in a 53-6 first-round victory over South Effingham, increasing his season totals to 3,361 yards and 31 touchdowns. Houston County averages 39.3 points per game but will be tested by a Mays defense that allows just 7.8.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Houston County by 3

Winner plays: Starr's Mill/Allatoona winner

Northgate at Lanier

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Longhorns Stadium, Sugar Hill

Records, rankings: Northgate is 10-1, the No. 2 seed from Region 4-AAAAA and No. 9; Lanier is 11-0, the No. 1 seed from 8-AAAAA and No. 3.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Northgate, which opened in 1998, picked up the fourth playoff victory in school history, and first since 2011, when it beat Shaw 44-0 last week. Lanier, which opened in 2010, exorcised some demons in its 27-13 first-round victory against East Paulding. The Longhorns went 10-0 in 2014 but were upset by Sequoyah 24-21 in the first round. Lanier got its first playoff victory in 2013. 2. Northgate held Shaw to 94 yards of total offense, allowed the Raiders to cross midfield only once and recorded its fifth shutout of the season in the first-round victory. The Vikings finished with 324 yards, according to the Newnan Times-Herald, and were led by RB Ton Evans (13 carries, 123 yards, two touchdowns) and RB Kyle Cater (13-65-2). Northgate beat Shaw 45-0 in the teams' season-opener. 3. Lanier was held to its third-lowest yardage total (283) in its win over East Paulding, but the run-oriented Longhorns managed 217 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Marcko Baity surpassed the 1,000-yard mark (1,076) with 151 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. DT Derrick Brown, the state's top-rated recruit, had 10 tackles and has 39 tackles for losses this season.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Northgate by 7

Winner plays: Kell/Coffee winner

Kell at Coffee

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jardine Stadium, Douglas

Records, rankings: Kell is 8-3, the No. 2 seed from Region 7-AAAAA and unranked; Coffee is 10-1, the No. 1 seed from 3-AAAAA and No. 8.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Kell is in the second round for the sixth consecutive season but has advanced on to the quarterfinals just twice during that streak. Coffee has not advanced past the second round since a 35-14 victory over Chapel Hill in 2008. The Trojans have played in the highest classification most of that time, dropping into Class AAAAA last year. 2. Kell trailed Creekside 27-10 midway through the third quarter of its first-round game before rallying for a 37-33 victory. Evan Carnes scored on a 16-yard pass from John Lampley with 1:11 remaining for the winning points. Kell, primarily a rushing team, ran for 269 yards against Creekside but was outgained 484-389, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. Josiah Futral, the team's leading rusher, had 102 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. 3. Coffee gets 72 percent of its offense from a running game that averages 283 yards per game. Demetrius Davis, the team's leading rusher with 987 yards, ran for 110 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-10 victory over Warner Robins in the first round. QB Max Hughes is 75-of-138 passing for 1,136 yards and nine touchdowns. The Trojans give up just 9.6 points per game.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Coffee by 17

Winner plays: Northgate/Lanier winner

Drew at South Paulding

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Timothy D. Glanton Sr. Field, Douglasville

Records, rankings: Drew is 8-3, the No. 4 seed from Region 4-AAAAA and unranked; South Paulding is 9-2, the No. 2 seed from 5-AAAAA and unranked.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Drew, which opened in 2009, recorded the first playoff victory in school history when it upset Region 1 champion Carver (Columbus) 70-34 in the first round. The Titans were 0-2 in previous playoff appearances. South Paulding, which opened three years earlier, didn't reach the playoffs until 2013 but is in for the third consecutive year. The Spartans are 2-1 in first-round games. 2. Drew gets two-thirds of its offense from a running game that averages 291.3 yards. Quarderman Sloan rushed for 1,643 yards on 130 carries during the regular season, and his 294 yards (and four touchdowns) against Carver put him well within reach of the 2,000-yard mark this week. The Titans also have a productive passing game. QB Joseph Newman completed 99 of 167 attempts for 1,334 yards in the regular season. 3. South Paulding has a balanced offense that averages 188.3 yards rushing and 175.8 passing. Kameron Watts, the team's leading rusher on the season with 1,199 yards, had a season-high 287 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries last week in a 34-16 victory over Loganville. QB Chase Wilkerson is 103-for-179 passing for 1,468 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Drew by 3

Winner plays: Rome/Ware County winner

Rome at Ware County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium, Waycross

Records, rankings: Rome is 8-3, the No. 4 seed from Region 7-AAAAA and unranked; Ware County is 9-2, the No. 3 seed from 3-AAAAA and unranked.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Rome pulled off the biggest upset of the first round with its 7-6 victory against Stephenson, which was projected as a 34-point favorite by the Maxwell Ratings. Wolves QB Knox Kadum threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jai Creamer with no time remaining on the clock, and Emanuel Gonzalez kicked the game-winning extra point. Creamer, who has 1,160 receiving yards this season, finished with eight catches for 125 yards. 2. Ware County advanced with a 16-7 victory against defending state champion Northside (Warner Robins), Ware's third playoff victory against the Eagles in four seasons. Dedrick Mills scored both touchdowns from Ware County, giving him 18 on the season. Mills (764 yards rushing) and Jaquez Bolds (762 yards rushing, 131 against Northside) are two-way starters who rank among the team's top three tacklers. 3. Rome reached the second round of the playoffs seven times in eight seasons beginning in 2001 but had not won a playoff game since that streak ended in 2008. Ware County is in the second round for the ninth consecutive season, the past two under Franklin Stephens, who is 9-0 in first-round games in his nine seasons as a head coach.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Ware County by 12

Winner plays: Drew/South Paulding winner

Gainesville at Stockbridge

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tiger Stadium, Stockbridge

Records, rankings: Gainesville is 8-3, the No. 2 seed from Region 8-AAAAA and unranked; Stockbridge is 11-0, the No. 1 seed from 4-AAAAA and No. 1.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Gainesville needs to win two more playoff games to reach 10 victories for the eighth consecutive season, and a win this week would put it in the quarterfinals for the seventh time during that stretch. Stockbridge, which had never won more than seven games in a season before finishing 9-3 in 2011, has won 11 games for the fourth consecutive year. The Tigers lost to Mays in the semifinals in 2014. 2. Gainesville QB Messiah Dorsey passed for 204 yards and rushed for 208 in the Red Elephants' 25-14 victory over Alexander in the first round. Dorsey was 133-of-231 passing for 1,362 yards in the regular season and led the team in rushing with 895 yards. Gainesville forced six turnovers and held Alexander's Justin Hall, the state's leading receiver, to four catches for 46 yards. 3. Stockbridge averages 262 yards per game rushing, led by Jalen Holston's 1,015 yards on 120 carries. Holston had 100 yards and two touchdowns in the first round in a 48-7 victory over Columbus. RB Jamari Clark (467 yards, 44 carries for the season) also ran for two touchdowns last week. QB Malachi Brown has passed for 786 yards and rushed for 373.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Stockbridge by 24

Winner plays: Glynn Academy/Dalton winner

Glynn Academy at Dalton

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Harmon Field at Bill Chappell Stadium, Dalton

Records, rankings: Glynn Academy is 9-2, the No. 2 seed from Region 3-AAAAA and unranked; Dalton is 9-2, the No. 1 seed from 7-AAAAA and unranked.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. A victory this week would give Glynn Academy 10 wins for the first time since 1985. Glynn is 18-6 in two seasons under former Walton coach Rocky Hidalgo. Dalton is trying to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2005. The Catamounts are 3-7 in the playoffs since then. 2. Glynn Academy QB Deejay Dallas rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns (51. 40 and 16 yards) and intercepted a pass in the end zone on the game's final play in a 28-22 victory over Jones County in the first round. The Red Terrors were forced to make a final defensive stand when they lost a fumble while trying to kneel and run out the clock. Dallas was the team's leading rusher in the regular season with 787 yards on 93 carries. 3. Dalton forced four turnovers last week in its 17-7 victory against Carver of Atlanta. The key play of the game was a 10-yard touchdown pass from Jase Chastain to Jake Myers on a fake field goal that gave Dalton a 14-0 lead late in the first half. Chastain, who had 70 total tackles in the regular season, also had an interception against Carver.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Glynn Academy by 6

Winner plays: Gainesville/Stockbridge winner

Coming Wednesday: Class AAAA

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