Second-round preview: Class AA

Last meeting: Fitzgerald won 29-7 on Aug. 29.

Three things to know: 1. These teams have met each of the past two seasons in August games at Mercer, with Fitzgerald winning both. Fitzgerald rushed for 430 yards in the 2015 meeting. In 2014, both went on to reach the quarterfinals, with Fitzgerald advancing to the semifinals. 2. Fitzgerald averages 352.2 yards rushing per game. The offense revolves around FB J.D. King (1,832 yards rushing, 26 touchdowns) and sophomore QB James Graham (1,132 yards rushing, although limited the past four games). Graham threw for a season-high 128 yards in a 51-15 victory over Putnam County in the first round. 3. Austin Barron, son of Heard County head coach Tim Barron, rushed for 235 yards and two touchdowns, one a 60-yarder, in a 51-14 victory over Greene County in the first round. He has rushed for 964 yards despite missing four games. Sophomore QB and two-year starter Emory Jones has thrown for 1,216 yards. Senior defensive ends Austin Dean (107) and Matt Brown (106) lead the team in tackles.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Fitzgerald by 20

Winner plays: Lovett/Benedictine winner

Lovett at Benedictine

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, T.A. Wright Stadium/Savannah State, Savannah

Records, rankings: Lovett is 6-5, the No. 2 seed from Region 6-AA and unranked; Benedictine is 11-0, the No. 1 seed from 2-AA and No. 1.

Last meeting: Benedictine won 31-10 in the 2014 Class AA quarterfinals.

Three things to know: 1. These are the most recent Class AA champions - Benedictine in 2014, Lovett in 2013. Benedictine has been ranked No. 1 since preseason. Lovett started 0-4 but is 6-1 since, its only recent defeat to No. 2 Greater Atlanta Christian. All five losses are against opponents still in the playoffs. 2. Benedictine passed for 305 yards in the quarterfinal victory over Lovett in 2014, but the 2015 Cadets are more of a running team. Sophomore Tyleek Collins has rushed for 1,109 yards on just 83 carries. John Wesley Kennedy, the Region 2-AA player of the year, has 958 yards rushing and 707 receiving and scored 25 touchdowns. LB Tru'Self Cooper is a returning all-state player and region defensive player of the year. 3. Lovett RB Jay Harris has rushed for 1,224 yards, including a 180-yard effort in a 34-28 victory over Chattooga in the first round. QB Brady Tindall has rushed for 633 yards. Both have 10 touchdowns. Lovett throws almost 20 times per game but is erratic, completing only 44 percent of its throws.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Benedictine by 28

Winner plays: Fitzgerald/Heard County winner

Early County at Rabun County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Frank Snyder Stadium, Tiger

Records, rankings: Early County is 7-3-1, the No. 3 seed from Region 1-AA and unranked; Rabun County is 10-1, the No. 1 seed from 8-AA and No. 3.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Early County is in the playoffs for the first time since making the 2012 semifinals. Early is 6-5 in road playoff games under coach Trey Woolf. Rabun County won its first playoff game last season since 1998 and now is trying to make its first quarterfinal since the same year. 2. Rabun County sophomore QB Bailey Fisher is 153-of-221 passing (.670) for 2,188 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also leads the team in rushing (559) on a team with two other good backs - Cal Drummond (512) and Eli Gipson (529). AJC Super 11 WR/DB Charlie Woerner had six catches for 93 yards and 17 tackles in a 34-0 victory over Greene County in the first round. 3. Early County held Lamar County to 128 yards in its 28-0 first-round victory. It was Early's fourth shutout. Four defensive players - DE Randy Wade (Georgia Southern), NG Avery Alexander, ILB Chris James and S Durrell Summerset - made first-team all-region. FB/DL Gerald Tolbert (5-9, 220) is a significant two-way player.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Rabun County by 5

Winner plays: Wesleyan/Jefferson County winner

Wesleyan at Jefferson County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Warrior Field, Louisville

Records, rankings: Wesleyan is 9-2, the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AA and No. 8; Jefferson County is 9-2, the No. 1 seed from 3-AA and No. 7.

Last meeting: Jefferson County won 7-0 in 2013.

Three things to know: 1. Jefferson County is a region champion for the first time since 2009 and can match the B.J. Bostic-led '09 team this week by getting a 10th victory and making the quarterfinals. Wesleyan is seeking its first 10-win season and quarterfinal since the Kyle Karempelis-led 12-2 team of 2010. 2. Jefferson County QB T.J. Bell has thrown for 1,603 yards and rushed for 979, accounting for 63 percent of the team's offense and 38 of 54 offensive touchdowns. But sophomore RB Jimmy Thomas was a star in the 50-26 victory over McIntosh County Academy in the first round. He rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. 3. Wesleyan's 45-27 victory over Model was part of a 4-0 first-round sweep by Region 6-AA. Sophomore QB Banks Ramsey was 18-of-22 for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Ramsey threw for 389 yards against No. 2 Greater Atlanta Christian the week before. Jordan Argilagos rushed for a season-high 220 yards, giving him 1,187 on the season.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Jefferson County by 4

Winner plays: Early County/Rabun County winner

Manchester at Brooks County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Veterans Stadium, Quitman

Records, rankings: Manchester is 8-3, the No. 2 seed from Region 5-AA and unranked; Brooks County is 9-2, the No. 1 seed from 1-AA and No. 6.

Last meeting: Brooks County won 20-0 in the 1994 Class A championship game.

Three things to know: 1. Manchester is coached by Evan Hochstetler, son of former Bowdon coach Dwight Hochstetler, who joined Evan on staff. Manchester is seeking its first quarterfinal since 2001. Brooks County has made the quarters the past three seasons. 2. Brooks County QB Demontay Jones, the Region 2-AA player of the year, is 125-of-198 passing for 1,880 yards and 20 touchdowns. He had five TD passes in a game against Thomasville. He also has rushed for 525 yards. Sophomore RB Jonathan White rushed for a season-high 139 yards in a 48-0 victory over Northeast in the first round. 3. Manchester is a run-based team. Senior RB Anthony Bell is a 1,000-yard rusher who scored three touchdowns in a 41-14 victory over Washington-Wilkes last week. He also returned an interception for a touchdown. Sophomore RB Ashton Bell and freshman Tre Gamble both have more than 650 yards rushing at least two 100-yard rushing games.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Brooks County by 26

Winner plays: Vidalia/Greater Atlanta Christian winner

Vidalia at Greater Atlanta Christian

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Spartan Stadium, Norcross

Records, rankings: Vidalia is 8-3, the No. 2 seed from Region 2-AA and unranked; Greater Atlanta Christian is 10-1, the No. 1 seed from 6-AA and No. 2.

Last meeting: Greater Atlanta Christian won 34-22 in the 2014 Class AA quarterfinals.

Three things to know: 1. No. 1-ranked Benedictine is the only Class AA team with a victory over Vidalia or GAC. GAC lost to the Cadets 47-44 in two overtimes in the opener. Benedictine beat Vidalia 27-3 on Oct. 16. Benedictine lost to both in 2014 but won the state title with a 13-2 record. 2. Vidalia averages 284.4 yards rushing per game and is only 26-of-52 passing for the year. RB/DL Jadarius McClendon is more the power runner (784 yards), while first-team all-region RB Shon Jones (722 on just 73 carries) is the big-strike back. PK Hector Lara was the 2-AA special teams player of the year. 3. GAC averages 193.5 yards rushing, 199.1 yards passing. QB Davis Mills, one of the top 12 QB recruits nationally among juniors, is 122-of-202 for 2,112 yards. He threw four TD passes in a 27-8 first-round victory over Dade County, three to Malcolm Cunningham. PK Brooks Buce is 9-of-11 on field goals with a long of 52 yards.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Greater Atlanta Christian by 27

Winner plays: Manchester/Brooks County winner

Bowdon at Macon County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Adams-Maffett Field, Montezuma

Records, rankings: Bowdon is 6-5, the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AA and unranked; Macon County is 9-2, the No. 1 seed from 4-AA and unranked.

Last meeting: Bowdon won 13-6 in the 1992 Class A championship game.

Three things to know: 1. Both teams have first-year coaches. At Macon County, former Twiggs County coach Dexter Copeland replaced Larry Harold, now at Brunswick, who had led the Bulldogs to their first playoff victory in seven years last season. This Macon County team can become the first to make the quarterfinals since 2005. At Bowdon, former North Gwinnett defensive coordinator Robert Andrews replaced 300-game winner Dwight Hochstetler. 2. Macon County QB K'hari Lane is 154-of-290 passing for 2,692 yards and 25 touchdowns, but Macon County also has a 1,000-yard rusher, Jared Daniels, who ran for 145 yards in a 35-12 victory over Pelham in the first round to raise his total to 1,279. Sophomore WR Trey Brown has 42 catches for 875 yards and 10 touchdowns. 3. Bowdon RB Tay Sheppard rushed for a school-record 415 yards in a 56-55 overtime victory over Union County in the first round. Sheppard has 1,167 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns on the season. He also has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Bowdon QB Cason Parmer has almost as many yards rushing (575) as passing (587).

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Macon County by 21

Winner plays: Pace Academy/Screven County winner

Pace Academy at Screven County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Kelly Memorial Stadium, Sylvania

Records, rankings: Pace Academy is 9-2, the No. 4 seed from Region 6-AA and No. 9; Screven County is 10-1, the No. 2 seed from 3-AA and No. 10.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Screven County has advanced to the second round and won 10 games three of the past four seasons but hasn't reached the quarterfinals since 2003. Pace Academy, which hadn't started football when Screven was Class AA champion in 2002, made the quarterfinals last season with a 7-6 record. 2. Screven County averages 310.9 yards rushing per game. RB Malik Prescott has run for 1,109 and 16 touchdowns. Three other backs have more than 500 yards rushing, including sophomore QB Armani Bunbury, who has 746 to go with his 864 passing yards (43-of-80 with 14 touchdowns). Screven's best all-around player is Georgia Southern-committed RB/LB Jeremy Hawkins (803 all-purpose yards, 86 tackles). 3. Pace Academy also has a sophomore quarterback, Gunnor Faulk, who is 90-of-151 passing for 1,078 yards and 10 touchdowns. But Pace gets two-thirds of its yardage rushing. RB Deon Jackson leads with 765 yards rushing. Pace also features all-state DE Anthony Trinh (committed to Princeton) and four-star junior OL Andrew Thomas.

Maxwell Ratings' projection: Pace Academy by 2

Winner plays: Bowdon/Macon County winner

Produced by Georgia High School Football Daily, a free e-mail newsletter. To join the mailing list, click here.