It’s a record-breaking shame that Georgia Tech commitment Aaron Philo won’t have five games during the playoffs to chase down the state passing record.
The playoffs haven’t begun, but Prince Avenue has advanced after earning a forfeit victory over Athens Christian in the opening round.
Athens Christian cited “safety” for its 23 underclassmen for the forfeit. Prince Avenue has been ranked on top of the class all season and has had few issues with in-class opponents.
Philo is 1,445 yards behind Trevor Lawrence’s state career passing record – 12,457 to Lawrence’s 13,902 yards. Philo would need to pass for over 361.3 yards per game through a state championship to surpass the Cartersville and Clemson great.
Here’s a breakdown of the Class A brackets:
A Division I
Top-left quadrant
-- If Prince Avenue Christian does not advance through this quadrant, it will take an earth-shaking upset. Bleckley County, however, is upset-minded, and if the Royals outlast Claxton and then Irwin/Temple, that would make for a quality semifinals matchup.
R4 #3 Temple at R1 #2 Irwin County
R3 #4 Claxton at R2 #1 No. 5 Bleckley County
R7 #3 Pepperell at R6 #2 Mount Vernon
R5 #1 No. 1 Prince Avenue Christian wins via FF over R8 #4 Athens Christian
Bottom-left quadrant
-- No. 3 Commerce is the favorite. The Tigers should have little issue with Jasper County and Mount Pisgah/Dade County before a possible meeting with No. 10 Bryan County in the third round.
R1 #3 Pelham at R4 #2 Heard County
R2 #4 East Laurens at R3 #1 No. 10 Bryan County
R6 #3 Mount Pisgah Christian at R7 #2 Dade County
R5 #4 Jasper County at R8 #1 No. 3 Commerce
Top-right quadrant
-- There are four ranked teams in the quadrant and with first-round games seemingly predictable -- Trion over St. Francis, Elbert over Oglethorpe County -- a game between No. 2 Trion and No. 4 Elbert in the second round would be state-championship worthy. Swainsboro is ranked, but on the road to an unranked Metter in the opening round.
R5 #3 Oglethorpe County at R8 #2 No. 4 Elbert County
R6 #4 St. Francis at R7 #1 No. 2 Trion
R2 #3 No. 8 Swainsboro at R3 #2 Metter
R1 #4 Bacon County at R4 #1 No. 9 Lamar County
Bottom-right quadrant
-- If No. 6 Rabun County advances on the road against Social Circle, it would face Darlington/Whitefield Academy and could have a relatively easy path to the quarterfinals. In the bottom part of the quadrant, No. 7 Dublin will need to advance past Screven County, then would face Brooks County or Crawford County. A meeting between Rabun and Dublin in the quarterfinals is likely.
R8 #3 No. 6 Rabun County at R5 #2 Social Circle
R7 #4 Darlington at R6 #1 Whitefield Academy
R3 #3 Screven County at R2 #2 No. 7 Dublin
R4 #4 Crawford County at R1 #1 Brooks County
A Division II
Top-left quadrant
- Could No. 2 Manchester and No. 4 Clinch County meet in the quarterfinals? That seems likely. Manchester will host Mount Zion-Carroll and then the winner of Johnson County/Washington-Wilkes. Clinch hosts McIntosh County Academy and then will play Wilcox or Seminole County. The ranked teams are favored in the opening and second rounds.
R4 #3 Wilcox County at R1 #2 Seminole County
R3 #4 McIntosh County Academy at R2 #1 No. 4 Clinch County
R7 #3 Mt. Zion-Carroll at R6 #2 No. 2 Manchester
R8 #4 Washington-Wilkes at R5 #1 Johnson County
Bottom-left quadrant
-- Macon County, the highest-ranked team (No. 3) in the quadrant, will travel to Christian Heritage in the first round. The Bulldogs are favored and should face No. 7 Aquinas in the second round. Portal is ranked No. 8 and will host Turner County to open the playoffs and might face Telfair County or Randolph-Clay in the second round. The quadrant hinges on the possible meeting between Macon County and Aquinas in the second round.
R1 #3 Randolph-Clay at R4 #2 Telfair County
R2 #4 Turner County at R3 #1 No. 8 Portal
R6 #3 No. 3 Macon County at R7 #2 Christian Heritage
R5 #4 Glascock County at R8 #1 No. 7 Aquinas
Top-right quadrant
-- Defending champion Bowdon is ranked No. 5 and is joined by three other ranked opponents. If the ranked teams win first-round games, Bowdon will play No. 6 Greene County in the second round. In the bottom part of the quadrant, No. 10 Dooly County could face No. 9 Jenkins County if both teams win the opening round.
R5 #3 Hancock Central at R8 #2 No. 6 Greene County
R6 #4 Taylor County at R7 #1 No. 5 Bowdon
R2 #3 Charlton County at R3 #2 No. 9 Jenkins County
R1 #4 Miller County at R4 #1 No. 10 Dooly County
Bottom-right quadrant
-- Top-ranked Schley County enjoyed a first-round BYE and will meet the Lincoln County/Wilkinson County winner. By luck of the draw, Schley is the only ranked team in the quadrant. Led by senior quarterback Jay Kanazawa, Schley is the favorite for the championship.
R8 #3 Lincoln County at R5 #2 Wilkinson County
R6 #1 No. 1 Schley County BYE
R3 #3 Emanuel County Institute at R2 #2 Lanier County
R4 #4 Hawkinsville at R1 #1 Early County
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