The quarterfinals in Class 3A feature four of the best matchups the class has seen all season.
Three of the four games – No. 8 Appling County at No. 5 GAC, No. 3 Peach at No. 2 Oconee County and Carver-Atlanta at No. 6 Pierce County -- are first-time matchups.
But on paper, the best quarterfinal game features two-time defending champion and top-ranked Cedar Grove traveling to No. 4 Crisp County for a rematch of last season’s title game, which Cedar Grove won 21-14.
The Saints beat Crisp at Georgia State Stadium, just 13 miles from the Cedar Grove campus in Ellenwood. This time, Crisp welcomes Cedar Grove at the Cougar Den in Cordele and could become Cedar Grove’s biggest test of the season. The Saints are lucky to be playing after surviving a triple-overtime 30-27 victory against No. 8 Rockmart last week. Crisp County has not allowed a point in the playoffs; Cedar Grove gave up 12 points to Monroe Area in the first round before squeaking past Rockmart.
“That game was just a situation you have to fight through,” Cedar Grove coach Miguel Patrick said. “I got the most respect for my guys. They have fought through so much this year. To have an opportunity to play in the elite eight and go down to Cordele, even with the forfeits. Our guys could have hung their heads down, but we are still here.”
Cedar Grove entered the playoffs with a 4-3 record as the No. 3 seed from Region 5 after forfeiting four games due to the use of an ineligible player. Crisp County is hoping for its first-ever victory against Cedar Grove after a 55-0 loss in 2016′s semifinals and last year’s title game.
“The one constant we see with Cedar Grove is that they have a bunch of playmakers every year,” Crisp coach Brad Harber said. “This year is a little bit different, though. It looks like this year they are throwing the ball a bit more than they are running it.”
Crisp is coming off victories against Windsor Forest (35-0) at home and Richmond Academy (36-0) on the road. Its quarterfinal home game against Cedar Grove is welcomed after a long road trip last week.
“It does make it a bit easier with the advantage of being at home,” Harber said. “Because last week, that trip was better than 3 hours to get to Augusta, and then we did a quick turnaround. But this time of year, it’s a fun time wherever you play. The best you can do is play three more weeks, so it doesn’t matter how tired or dinged up the team is, you just have to go back to work on Monday and get ready for the next one.”
Crisp returned a majority of key players from last year’s runner-up team, while Cedar Grove retooled its lineup a bit after losing players to graduation.
“You’re liable to lose a battle or two during the night,” Harber said. “But what you want to do is wind up, at the end, winning the war. And our kids know that. We trying to get across to our guys, specifically on offense, that you just have to enter the game with the mindset to earn every yard. And (the Saints) are, too. We can’t get frustrated. We just have to keep plugging away and doing what we do. If we do that and play defense like we have been playing, while being sound on special teams, I’m happy with that.”
-- In the top-right quadrant of the bracket, Carver-Atlanta is the only unranked program left in the playoffs after dropping down from 5A last season, and the Panthers will travel to Pierce County with hopes for Carver’s first semifinal berth since 2017 and second semifinal berth since 1968 under head coach Clarence Fisher. The Panthers are the only Atlanta Public Schools program left in the playoffs in any classification.
The Panthers beat Region 7-3A No. 1 seed Cherokee Bluff 23-21 to earn its quarterfinal berth. Carver opened its season in the Corky Kell Classic, losing to 7A Cherokee 38-12, which began a four-game slide. One loss – 35-12 to No. 1 Cedar Grove – was overturned due to the Saints’ forfeiture.
Darren Myles is in his 16th season as Carver’s coach and turned the program around when he arrived. Prior, the Panthers had won 17 games in the 16. Carver has won 108 games since. Myles was featured in Wednesday’s Four Questions by Todd Holcomb.
Pierce County has been to the quarterfinals four times since 2013 and semifinals in 2018.
-- In the top-left quadrant, No. 7 Appling County will travel to No. 6 Greater Atlanta Christian. GAC is coming off a 33-0 victory against North Hall, and Appling beat Upson-Lee 61-7 last week. Appling leads the class in scoring (44.2 ppg) and is averaging 314 rushing yards per game. GAC is led by quarterback Deymon Fleming Jr., who is 121-of-205 passing for 1,651 yards and 20 touchdowns.
-- In the bottom-left quadrant, No. 3 Peach County will travel to No. 2 Oconee County. Oconee is coming off a 42-7 victory against Dawson County, and Peach beat No. 10 Thomson 59-7 in the second round. Oconee County was last season’s Class 4A runner-up after losing to Blessed Trinity in the championship game. Peach County exited in the quarterfinals last season after a 36-3 loss to eventual champion Cedar Grove.
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