Round 1 passed without any major upsets, however a No. 4 won its first-round matchup. The Berrien Rebels, the No. 4 seed from Region 1, defeated Region 2 champions Spencer 43-36 on Friday.
The Rebels entered as 13-point favorites according to Maxwell’s projections, so the win can’t be considered an upset. Buried in a deep Region 1 that includes defending champions Fitzgerald, the Rebels were 6-4 heading into the playoffs, with all four losses coming to ranked teams — three in their region (Fitzgerald, Cook and Worth County).
The Rebels saved one of their best offensive performances for the first round, with their 43 points their second only to what they put up in a 56-46 loss to Worth County on Sept. 23. Conversely, the Owls had only given up an average of 9.1 points against 1A and 2A schools this season heading into the game, and they saw their seven-game win streak snapped.
The Rebels’ win was one of five games I got wrong in Round 1 of my annual predictions.
Here’s a look at how my predictions are faring thus far:
Credit: Predictions by Adam Krohn
Credit: Predictions by Adam Krohn
In the upper-left quadrant, I incorrectly surmised that Columbia’s tougher schedule was the overriding variable that gave it an advantage over North Cobb Christian. In a defensive battle, NCC emerged a 14-6 winner. Aiding NCC in the win was a bizarre special teams play in which Columbia blocked a NCC 42-yard field goal attempt, then fumbled an attempted return, and that was recovered by an NCC lineman who ran it in for a touchdown.
Staying in the upper-left quadrant, I also incorrectly picked Toombs County to advance. Putnam County reached the quarterfinals last season and were a 10-point favorite heading in, but won 30-6.
The War Eagles now face Fitzgerald, which beat Central 41-0 in one of two Round 1 shutouts. North Cobb Christian faces Rockmart, which beat East Jackson 65-7.
Berrien’s win in the lower-left quadrant has already been discussed some, but it’s just the second playoff win for the Rebels in program history, and the first since 1991. The Tifton Gazette’s Skeeter Parker reports Friday’s win advanced several milestones for the Rebels this season, including most wins since 1993, most road wins (5) in a season, overall points scored in a season, and road points scored in a season.
The Rebels’ playoff win comes after three consecutive losing seasons and 27 non-winning seasons. They are led by Tim Alligood, who is 20-31 in five seasons at Berrien.
For Round 2, they’ll travel to a Pierce County team coming off a 42-14 win over Laney. In the quadrant’s other games, ELCA beat Mount Paran 52-22 and will travel to Fellowship Christian, which beat North Murray 49-28.
In the upper-right quadrant, in what has become an annual tradition, Fannin County has again outlived my prediction. This year, they beat Athens Academy 28-13 as a No. 3 seed. As FYN Sports’ Tim Towe notes, it was the Rebels’ first road playoff win in a program that dates back to 1976.
The Rebels will travel to Callaway, which beat Washington 42-20. Also in the upper-right quadrant, Northeast beat Worth County 41-27 and will travel to Appling County, which beat Washington County 65-14.
Finally, in the lower-left quadrant, I picked Model to beat Union County, but the Panthers won 28-14. They’ll advance for just the second time in program history and travel to South Atlanta, which beat Landmark Christian 44-21.
Thomson posted the tournament’s other Round 1 shutout, beating Tattnall County 26-0. The Bulldogs will play Cook, which posted a Round 1-high for points in a 77-35 win over ACE Charter.
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