Sports
FROM THE PREP ZONE BLOGS AT AJC.COM
The high school bloggers at ajc.com include Todd Holcomb (Class AAAAAA), Chip Saye (AAAAA), David Purdum (AAAA), Stan Awtrey (AAA), Adam Krohn (AA) and S. Thomas Coleman (A).
Class AAAAAA
The state playoffs are heading into the quarterfinals, but seven No. 1 seeds have been eliminated in AAAAAA.
The only survivor is Norcross, a 32-9 winner against Brookwood. Norcross, the defending state champion, is the top seed from Region 7, which also sent Collins Hill and North Gwinnett to the quarterfinals.
Region champions eliminated Friday were Camden County (Region 1), Lovejoy (2), Hughes (3), North Cobb (4), Alpharetta (6) and Archer (8).
Here are some other things we learned Friday in AAAAAA and the other classifications:
- In the game of the night, No. 1-ranked (but No. 3-seeded) North Gwinnett ended the season of the classification's only unbeaten team, Archer, 34-32 on a 27-yard field goal by Michael D'Angola with seven seconds left. D'Angola's 29-yarder was partially blocked on North Gwinnett's previous drive.
- Hillgrove stunned second-ranked Camden County for the second time in four seasons, winning 34-21. Hillgrove beat Camden 28-26 in the 2010 second round when Camden County was ranked No. 1. Hillgrove is the only school with two road victories at Camden since 2000.
- Collins Hill, a co-region champion in Region 7 but seeded No. 2, beat Alpharetta 48-0. That is the largest margin of victory against a region champion in the first two rounds of the playoffs since the field went to 32 teams in 1996. Colquitt County's 52-6 victory against North Cobb on Friday ranks second.
- The Cinderella teams are Dacula and McEachern. Dacula, a 28-21 winner against Peachtree Ridge, was 1-9 last season and a lightly regarded No. 2 seed from Region 8. McEachern, a 22-21 winner over Hughes, was written off after losing its starting quarterback, Ty Clemons, to injury two weeks ago.
Class AAAAA
- Seven of the eight region champions advanced to the quarterfinals. The only No. 1 seed that failed to win in the second round was Region 1 champion Lee County, which lost to Region 4 runner-up Mundy's Mill 41-35. The Tigers have won a school-record eight consecutive games since starting the season 0-4. Mundy's Mill picked up the first playoff victory in the program's 11-year history when it beat Houston County in the first round.
- Stephenson entered Friday's game against North Paulding allowing just 9.3 points per game, best among the remaining playoff teams, so the Jaguars had to be shocked to find themselves behind 28-0 less than eight minutes into the first quarter. Chase Noonan threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Mac Seagle on the first play from scrimmage, then threw a 67-yarder to Seagle on the next possession. Brandon Townsend scored on interception returns of 26 and 32 yards in a two-minute stretch. North Paulding won 35-7.
- Gainesville quarterback Deshaun Watson continues to add cushion to his state record for career passing yards. Watson threw for 432 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 107 yards in a 51-12 victory over South Paulding, according to the Gainesville Times. He surpassed 3,000 yards for the season and has more than 13,000 yards in his career.
Class AAAA
- No. 1 Sandy Creek and No. 2 Griffin rolled to easy victories, setting up a quarterfinal showdown between the top ranked teams in AAAA. Defending champion Sandy Creek hammered Chestatee 55-7 behind three Eric Swinney touchdowns. Griffin eliminated Statesboro 42-7 to advance to the third round for the first time since 2009. Griffin running back Devontae Freeman ran for two touchdowns and blocked a punt that resulted in a score.
- Three of the remaining eight teams in the AAAA bracket are from Region 5, including the only remaining fourth seed, Alexander. The Cougars knocked off Lanier 42-28 to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in school history. Sandy Creek and Carrollton are the two other remaining Region 5 teams.
- Stockbridge, Marist and Burke County each posted shutouts to advance to the quarterfinals. Stockbridge blanked Westover 35-0 to advance to face Carrollton. Marist shut out Gilmer 38-0 to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season. And Burke County topped Mary Persons 20-0 and will take on Marist in the next round.
- Carrollton prevailed at Monroe Area 44-27 in a game that featured more than 900 yards of offense. The difference may have been field position. Carrollton's average starting field position was its 35. Monroe Area's average starting position was its own 19. All seven of Carrollton kicker Tyler Newsome's kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.
Class AAA
- The Central-Carroll Lions and Ringgold Tigers have been unranked and under-appreciated all year. Now one of them is assured of a spot in the semifinals. Central went on the road and stunned No. 9 Appling County 46-13, while Ringgold stayed home and eliminated Cedar Grove 37-12. The two Cinderellas meet in the quarterfinals next week. Central won a regular-season meeting between the two teams, 19-15 on Sept. 13 in Ringgold.
- Unranked St. Pius (9-3) defeated No. 2 Cartersville 31-19. St. Pius stuck to its traditional game plan of pounding the football and scored on drives of 73 and 63 yards. St. Pius got 100 yards and two touchdowns from fullback Dalton Wilson.
- No. 3 Washington County (11-0) scored its first victory against Peach County, ending a 10-game losing streak to their Middle Georgia rival. Washington County's A.J. Gray ran 20 times for 248 yards and scored six touchdowns in the 56-16 victory.
- No. 5 Callaway (11-1) set a school record with its 11th victory and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2009. Eddie Culpepper scored four touchdowns to lead Callaway, but the momentum-changer was a 99-yard interception return for at score by Terry Godwin.
- No. 10 Blessed Trinity beat White County 38-0. Seniors Chad Manthey and Carter McManes each ran for two touchdowns in the first half as Blessed Trinity built a 28-0 lead. The Titans are in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.
Class AA
- The No. 5-ranked Calhoun Yellow Jackets' hopes of reaching the state finals for a sixth consecutive season are alive after they edged the No. 3-ranked Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans 31-30. The Spartans missed what would have been a game-winning 26-yard field goal as time expired. The Yellow Jackets (11-1) will play the No. 6-ranked Benedictine Cadets (12-0), one of two remaining teams with an undefeated record. The Cadets have yet to be challenged, outscoring opponents 113-19 in the first two rounds, including a 52-7 second-round victory against Fitzgerald.
- Two No. 1 seeds were eliminated Friday. The previously undefeated and No. 4-ranked Washington-Wilkes Tigers were absolutely stunned by the unranked Bowdon Red Devils, a No. 2 seed from Region 5. It was only last season that the Tigers defeated the Red Devils 66-28 in the first round. The Red Devils (11-1) ended the Tigers' 11-game winning streak and will travel to play the No. 7-ranked Brooks County Trojans (11-1), who averaged nearly 55 points in the first two rounds. Brooks defeated Bleckley County 55-28 in the second round.
- The other No. 1 seed to lose was the No. 10-ranked Heard County Braves. The No. 8-ranked Jefferson Dragons edged them in a high-scoring contest 61-57. Although the Dragons have dealt with injuries this season and are a two-loss team, their hopes of repeating as state champions are still alive — at least for this week. Now they must travel to play the state's No. 1-ranked team, the 12-0 Lamar County Trojans.
Class A
- No. 1 Seminole County 21, No. 16 Wilkinson County 14: Seminole County got one of its better players back just in time and thwarted an upset bid by the Warriors. Thomas Aiken, Seminole County's 6-0, 230-pound sophomore running back, missed the entire regular season serving a lengthy suspension in alternative school. He returned to the field with a vengeance, rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown to lead a running attack that gained nearly 400 yards, according to the Albany Herald.
- No. 1 Eagle's Landing Christian 41, No. 16 Athens Christian 3: The defending private-school champions dominated the Eagles, as running back Lane Timpson ran for three touchdowns.
- No. 10 Dooly County 37, No. 7 Lincoln County 13: The Bobcats sent legendary coach Larry Campbell and his team home after the first round for the first time since 1996. Dooly County, which beat Lincoln County in the semifinals last season, scored 28 consecutive first-half points. Quarterback Kereon Merrell threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score.
- No. 10 Holy Innocents' 27, No. 7 Landmark Christian 17: Senior Clay Pfohl ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns, and Trey Wright added a 65-yarder to help the Bears defeat Landmark Christian for the second time this season. Holy Innocents' won 29-28 on Nov. 1.
