FROM THE PREP ZONE BLOGS ON AJC.COM

Class AAAAAA

• The cities of Powder Springs and Suwanee faced off in two of the state's better quarterfinal games. They split 1-1, each scoring the winning points in the final two minutes. They'll go at it again in a rubber game and semifinal next week as North Gwinnett (Suwanee) plays McEachern (Powder Springs) at a home field to be determined by a coin flip. That game will be hard-pressed to match the suspense of the quarterfinals. North Gwinnett beat McEachern's closest Cobb County neighbor, Hillgrove, 35-31 on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Hayden Sphire to Daniel Imatorbhebhe with 1:13 left. McEachern beat Collins Hill 35-32 on an 85-yard punt return by Taj Griffin with 1:00 left. Collins Hill had come from 28-10 down to lead. Both winning teams then intercepted passes near the goal line in the final 10 seconds to clinch their victories.
• The No. 1 ranking in the regular season was shared by Norcross, North Gwinnett and Colquitt County. All lost the top ranking at some point. All three made the semifinals, as did McEachern, which got as high as No. 2 after a 7-0 start, only to be bounced from the Top 10 after a 1-2 finish.
• Colquitt County became the first team in history to reach the semifinals five consecutive times in the highest class with a 42-17 victory against Dacula. Colquitt has won 13 road playoff games in the past five years, as many as any other school over the past 25 years. The Packers will travel to Norcross next week.
• The last three games of the season-opening Corky Kell Classic at the Georgia Dome were won by North Gwinnett, Colquitt County and McEachern. Each is now one victory from returning to the Dome for championship games Dec. 14.

Class AAAAA

• There may have been a minor upset or two along the way, but the playoffs have gone according to form: The top four teams in the final regular-season poll are the four teams still standing for next weekend's semifinals.
• Top-ranked Tucker reached the semifinals for the fifth time in seven years with a 29-0 victory against Ware County. No. 2 Kell set a school record for victories in a season and advanced to the first semifinal in the program's 11-year history by knocking off Warner Robins 52-28. No. 3 Gainesville is one step closer to defending its 2012 state title after beating Mundy's Mill 42-28. And No. 4 Creekside advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 2000 by beating North Paulding 41-14.
• Tucker held Ware County to three first downs in its quarterfinal victory. It was just the second shutout of the season for the Tigers, although they have held 11 of 13 opponents to two touchdowns or less. … Creekside allowed 14 points in its victory against North Paulding, but it was the first time this season the Wolfpack had been held to fewer than 27 points.
• Kell's 52 points against Warner Robins were the most the Longhorns have scored in a playoff game. Jay Moxey ran for three touchdowns, and Julian Burris scored on a 6-yard run and a 97-yard kickoff return for Kell. … Gainesville QB Deshaun Watson suffered a slight shoulder injury, but passed for 344 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for two scores against Mundy's Mill. Gainesville has scored 28 or more points in 10 consecutive playoff games dating to 2011.

Class AAAA

• Marist defeated Burke County 42-20 without attempting a pass. The War Eagles rushed for 429 yards, led by quarterback Chase Martenson's 162 and four touchdowns, and advanced to the semifinals for the 11th time under coach Alan Chadwick. Marist had an 11-minute advantage in time of possession and did not punt. The War Eagles will host Carrollton in the semifinals. The teams met last season in the second round of the playoffs, with Marist winning 43-37 in five overtimes. The War Eagles are 50-2 at home in the playoffs since 1987.
• Few players, if any, are having a better postseason than Wayne County receiver Krenwick Sanders. The senior scored four touchdowns in the Yellow Jackets' 51-21 victory against Alexander and has 11 touchdowns (nine receiving, one rushing, one kickoff return) in the playoffs. Wayne County is in the semifinals for the first time in school history.
• Griffin quarterback Jaquez Parks completed 8 of 9 passes for 125 yards in the fourth quarter and orchestrated two scoring drive in the final seven minutes to lead the Bears to a 32-26 comeback victory at defending champion Sandy Creek. Nic Williams sealed the Bears' win with an interception on Sandy Creek's final drive. The Patriots, who had won four of the past five state titles, lost at home for the first time since 2007 and failed to hold a 26-17 lead.

Class AAA

• Buford (13-0) will meet No. 5 Callaway (12-1) in one semifinal, and Washington County (12-0) will play host to Ringgold (11-2) in the other.
• Few teams can commit four turnovers and a win a game. But Buford did it against Carver, winning 36-6 and handling the Tigers for the fourth consecutive time. The Wolves did it with defense, turning a blocked punt and an interception into points that gave Buford a 22-0 lead after the first quarter. Buford's Thomas Wilson ran for 78 yards and one touchdown and quarterback Taylor Mitchell threw for one score and ran for another. Carver (11-2) also had four turnovers. The victory puts Buford in the state semifinals for the seventh consecutive season.
• Callaway running back Eddie Culpepper rushed 16 times for 143 yards and touchdowns of 4 and 59 yards, and quarterback Tez Parks rushed for scores of 22 yards and 47 yards to go with 128 yards rushing in a 35-21 victory against St. Pius. Dre Martin returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown for Callaway.
• Melvin Hill rushed for 202 yards and five touchdowns to lead Washington County past Blessed Trinity 46-17. The Golden Hawks also got four interceptions from defensive back D.J. Sanders. Sanders also caught a touchdown pass from A.J. Gray.
• Ringgold quarterback Slade Dale ran for a pair of touchdowns, but suffered an injury on the second score and did not play in the second half of a 35-10 victory against Central-Carroll. Ringgold rushed for 351 yards, with D.L. Goins gaining 126 yards on 15 carries with one touchdown. The Ringgold defense had an important goal-line stand on Central's first drive that changed the momentum. The Tigers also recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass and held Central on downs.

Class AA

• Lamar County — the state's top-ranked team — pulled away from defending state-champion Jefferson 35-24. The Trojans (13-0) are in the semifinals for the second year in a row. The Trojans are coached by Franklin Stephens, who looks to repeat history by delivering the first state title to a program in his second season of coaching them. In his second year at Tucker, he led the Tigers to a Class AAAA title in 2008. He coached them to a second title in 2011, then departed for Lamar County the following season.
• The Benedictine Cadets (13-0) are in the semifinals for the first time in school history. They beat Calhoun 35-14 to continue an impressive run in which no team has drawn closer to the Cadets than three scores. Calhoun had reached the state finals the past five seasons.
• The No. 2-ranked Lovett Lions pushed their way past the host Laney Wildcats 35-33. The Lions won in the face of a 160-mile bus ride to advance to their first semifinal game since 2010. The Lions are seeking their first state title since 1970.
• Brooks County handed the Bowdon Red Devils their second loss of the season.

Class A