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.
R3 #2 Savannah Christian at R2 #1 Peach Co.
R1 #3 Dougherty at R3 #1 Calvary Day
R8 #2 Hebron Christian at R5 #1 Cedar Grove
R1 #2 Carver-Columbus at R4 #1 Harlem
R8 #3 Oconee Co. at R6 #1 Adairsville
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