Class AAAAAA
Region 7 was all it was cracked up to be. Maybe more.
The region with three Top 10 teams swept Region 6 in the first round Friday, and the games were not close. It was fifth-ranked Norcross over Etowah 28-0, seventh-ranked Collins Hill over Walton 41-7, top-ranked North Gwinnett over Milton 34-10 and unranked Peachtree Ridge over Region 7 champion Lassiter 59-20.
Makes you wonder how well that Region 7’s fifth-place team, Mill Creek, would have done. The Hawks didn’t make the playoffs, but were 6-4 and decisively defeated Dacula and Brookwood — teams that made the round of 16.
Other things we learned in AAAAAA and the other classifications in the first round of the state high school football playoffs:
- There were no major surprises Friday, but there was plenty of excitement in Lovejoy, where the 2012 runner-up and Region 2 champions trailed 23-21 after Marietta made a field goal with 53 seconds left. Quintarius Neely hit Preston Williams with a 47-yard touchdown pass in the finals seconds to secure the 27-23 victory. Williams caught seven passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns.
- Gwinnett County went 7-1. Aside from the four Region 7 victors, Gwinnett-filled Region 8 also had a strong night. Fourth-ranked Archer, Dacula and Brookwood won. Only South Gwinnett lost, falling to Region 5 champion Alpharetta 41-23. Archer (11-0) faces No. 1 North Gwinnett (10-1) next week in the second round.
- Hughes prevented a Region 1 sweep of Region 3. The two-time Region 1 champion beat Valdosta 34-20. That's three consecutive first-round losses for Valdosta, the longest streak of its kind since 1972-74. Region 1 was impressive otherwise as No. 2 Camden County, No. 3 Colquitt County and Lowndes won by wide margins. Lowndes travels to Lovejoy next week.
Class AAAAA
Some of the most highly anticipated matchups in the first round of the AAAAA playoffs were the four games between Region 6 and Region 8. It turned out to be a great night for Region 6, which went 3-1.
Tucker broke open a close game with a 21-point second half and beat Heritage-Conyers 31-14. Mays made a goal-line stand in the final minute to beat Clarke Central 14-10. And Stephenson’s defense shut down Flowery Branch 27-7.
- The only victory for Region 8 came from defending state champion Gainesville, which jumped to a 28-0 lead and held on to beat M.L. King 28-14. Gainesville has won six consecutive playoff games.
- The other region that won three games Friday was 5-AAAAA. Region champion North Paulding crushed Riverwood 50-14, South Paulding beat Sequoyah 48-21 for the first playoff victory in the program's eight-year history, and East Paulding held on to beat Creekview 34-33 on the road. Second-ranked Kell handed the region its only loss, beating No. 4 seed Allatoona 31-17.
- All eight No. 1 seeds won their first-round games, but Region 2 champ Warner Robins got a good scare. Whitewater had a first-and-goal at the 10-yard line in the final minute, but Warner Robins stopped four consecutive running plays, including the final one at the 2, to preserve a 34-27 victory.
Class AAAA
- In the final game of his prolific career, Cedartown running back Nick Chubb was held to 71 yards on 19 carries in a 63-10 loss to No. 1 Sandy Creek. Chubb finished his senior season with 2,710 yards and 39 touchdowns. He rushed for 5,431 yards combined in the past two seasons. Sandy Creek running backs Delvin Weems and Eric Swinney each rushed for more than 100 yards. Swinney had four touchdowns, and Weems finished with three. Javon Jackson returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown for the defending state champions. Sandy Creek will face Chestatee in the second round.
- Alexander pulled off the biggest upset of the first round. The Cougars, the fourth seed out of Region 5, knocked off Region 7 champion Dalton 13-10. Andrew Chandler's field goal as time expired gave Alexander its first playoff victory since 1996.
- No. 3 Monroe Area will host No. 4 Carrollton in the second round, after both teams advanced Friday. Monroe Area rushed for 501 yards in a 68-39 victory against Banneker. Carrollton held Northwest Whitfield to 55 yards rushing in a 52-10 victory.
- Quen Head intercepted a pass in the end zone with four seconds to play to help Mary Persons knock of Eagle's Landing 16-14. The Mary Persons defense forced four turnovers.
Class AAA
Region 6 is the real deal. All four teams representing the region — St. Pius, Woodward Academy, Blessed Trinity and Cedar Grove — won their first-round games, making it the only league in AAA to score a sweep. The victim was Region 8, which was considered to have a very strong playoff contingent. The breakdown:
- St. Pius 31, No. 7 Hart County 21. The Golden Lions (8-3) rushed for 463 yards. Dalton Wilson rushed for 141 yards and one touchdown, and Joey Connors rushed for 131 yards. St. Pius travels to Cartersville for a second-round game.
- Woodward Academy 53, North Oconee 21. The No. 8 War Eagles (9-2) scored their most points of the season against a Titans team that ranked as high as No. 8 this season. North Oconee's Kawon Bryant, the leading rusher in AAA, was injured in the second quarter and did not return.
- Blessed Trinity 41, Jackson County 14. The No. 10-ranked Titans were led by Chad Manthey, who ran for 228 yards and one touchdown. Connor Davis threw for 173 yards and one touchdown for the Titans (8-3).
- Cedar Grove 22, Elbert County 14 (OT). The Saints limped into the playoffs with a three-game losing streak, but upset the No. 6 Blue Devils in the Granite Bowl. Elbert's cause was damaged when standout quarterback Mecole Hardman was injured while returning a punt before halftime and did not return.
Class AA
- There were no major upsets in the opening round, with all eight No. 1 seeds advancing, although the Laney Wildcats (Region 3) slipped past Cook by the skin of their teeth 18-13. Overall, the top seeds outscored the opposition 364-120. No. 1-ranked Lamar County rolled 58-15 over Metter, and No. 2-ranked Lovett handled Union County 56-21. No. 4 Washington-Wilkes rolled to a 46-14 victory against Wesleyan. The most lopsided victory by a top seed was Benedictine defeating Macon County 63-12.
- Only one No. 3 seed has topped a No. 2. Kendrick, a No. 3 seed from Region 5, shut out Dade County (2-seed, Region 7), 12-0.
- There will be second-round matchups that are very critical to the state championship landscape, the most notable being Greater Atlanta Christian at Calhoun. The Spartans settled for a No. 2 seed after narrowly losing to Lovett 17-14 in the season finale, which acted as the Region 6 championship. The Spartans are 9-1 and the state's No. 3 ranked team. Calhoun (9-1) is the state's fifth-ranked team and it has reached the state finals the past five seasons.
Class A
The Class A playoffs for public and private divisions begin Friday. Here are two interesting matchups with historical significance:
- No. 9 Charlton County (6-4) at No. 8 Commerce (7-3). These storied programs have never met. After struggling a bit the past few seasons, Commerce won seven games during the regular season for the first time since 2006 under first-year coach Michael Brown. The Tigers went 2-2 in their non-region games, beating AAA East Jackson (1-9) and AAA Banks County (0-10), while losing to two AA teams, defending champion Jefferson (9-2) and surging Rabun County (8-3). Charlton County finished with a sub-.500 record last season for the first time in the 23-year tenure of coach Rich McWhorter. The team improved this season and looks to avoid another first round defeat, after losing to Marion County last season 31-12.
- No. 11 Mitchell County (8-2) at No. 6 Hawkinsville (7-3). This is also a first meeting for teams with proud traditions. Both missed the postseason last year. Mitchell County was 1-3, but won five in a row before losing to No. 1 public-school seed Seminole County (10-0) 18-12 for the Region 1 championship. The Eagles hope to advance past the first round for the first time since 2003, when the school was known as Mitchell-Baker High School.
The last time Mitchell County went past the first round was 1980. Hawkinsville is back in the playoffs after a two-year absence. The Red Devils are one of the hottest teams in Class A, having won their past four games, including a 14-10 victory against Region 4-champion Marion County, the No. 2 seed on the public side. The last time the Red Devils made it past the first round was 2006.
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