Class 3A blog: The cream of the class rolled to victories in Round 1

The who’s who of Class 3A performed as it should in the first round of the high school football playoffs with only a few lower-seeded teams sneaking past higher-seeded opponents.

All but one top-seeded team advanced to the second round -- Region 7 No. 1-seed Dawson County lost to Region 8 No. 4-seed Monroe Area 35-13 in the top-left quadrant.

Also in the top-left of the bracket, Liberty County beat Morgan 19-14 and will face Thomasville in the second round after Thomasville’s 42-21 victory against Jackson. Carver-Atlanta moved past Ringgold 44-28 and will play Monroe Area in the second round.

In the bottom-left quadrant, Sandy Creek defeated Coahulla Creek 70-14 to set up a premier matchup against Stephens County in the second round. Sandy Creek was ahead 49-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Stephens County beat Wesleyan 51-14 to advance. Quarterback Ben Stowe was 8-of-11 passing for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns – to Corey Richie and Cam’ron Lacy. Javin Gordon (two touchdowns) and T.J. Everett (one) added rushing touchdowns.

Savannah Christian will face Peach County on the road after beating Hephzibah 41-26. Peach defeated Crisp County 23-0.

In the top-right quadrant, Dougherty beat Mary Persons 39-23 to earn a trip to Calvary Day. Calvary Day defeated Salem 49-0 behind a five-touchdown performance from quarterback Jake Merklinger. Hebron Christian defeated Pickens 63-14 and will travel to Cedar Grove, which dispatched Bremen 48-7.

In the bottom-right quadrant, Carver-Columbus and Harlem will play in the second round after shutting out each of their first-round opponents. Carver defeated Upson-Lee 39-0; Harlem ran past Long County 35-0. Oconee County beat Lumpkin County 49-21 and will play Adairsville in the second round. Adairsville advanced after a 55-26 victory against Douglass.

Class 3A second-round schedule

R8 #4 Monroe Area at R5 #3 Carver-Atlanta

R3 #3 Liberty Co. at R1 #1 Thomasville

R5 #2 Sandy Creek at R8 #1 Stephens Co.