Woodward Academy barely slowed down when star running back Elijah Holyfield was lost for five games during the regular season with a stress fracture in his left foot, but the War Eagles are looking faster than ever after his return.
Holyfield rushed for 249 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries last week in a 42-14 Class AAAA quarterfinal victory over Marist. It was Holyfield's first real breakout game since returning Oct. 30. Woodward went 5-0 without its star on the way to its first 10-0 regular season since 1997. Woodward plays at defending champion Buford on Friday.
Here are more top individual performances from the quarterfinals:
*Allatoona QB Brandon Rainey scored seven touchdowns, rushed for a season-high 112 yards and passed for 180 in a 59-47 victory over Houston County.
*Bainbridge RB Dameon Pierce scored on runs of 72 and 39 yards in the fourth quarter in a 18-17 victory over St. Pius. Pierce finished with 214 yards on 23 carries.
*Blessed Trinity RB Milton Shelton rushed for 227 yards on 22 carries and scored all five of Blessed Trinity's touchdowns (four rushing, one receiving) in a 35-7 victory over Dawson County.
*Cartersville QB Trevor Lawrence was 25-of-37 passing for 329 yards and touchdowns to four different receivers in a 38-14 victory over Jonesboro.
*Cedar Grove LB Mbem-bosse Elyssee had 13 tackles, four for losses, and two sacks in a 41-25 victory over Westside of Macon.
*Colquitt County LB Akivie Bailey had 13 solo tackles and intercepted two passes, one returned 76 yards for a touchdown, in a 49-31 victory over South Forsyth.
*Fitzgerald FB J.D. King rushed for 332 yards and three touchdowns on 45 carries in a 54-28 victory over Benedictine.
*Glynn Academy RB Garrison Hurd rushed for 205 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in a 24-21 victory over No. 1- ranked Stockbridge.
*Grayson RB Cameryn Brent rushed for a school-record 269 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-28 victory over Westlake.
*Greater Atlanta Christian QB Davis Mills was 11-of-21 passing for 160 yards and also rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-12 victory over Brooks County.
*Jefferson County PK Evans Hodges kicked a 31-yard field goal on the last play of the game in a 31-28 victory over Rabun County. Hodges kicked a 33-yarder with 3:20 left the previous week in a 23-21 win over Wesleyan.
*Mill Creek LB Sidney Otiwu made 11 tackles, intercepted a pass, broke up a pass and was credited with two QB hurries in a 23-0 victory over Archer that was Mill Creek's sixth shutout of the season.
*Ware County RB/LB Dedrick Mills rushed for 270 yards on 16 carries, had four knockdown blocks and made 13 tackles in a 46-21 victory over Drew.
*Westminster QB Rankin Woley passed for two touchdowns, ran for one and returned an interception 31 yards for another in a 51-21 victory over Adairsville.
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