Dougherty’s 7-0 win over Riverdale was the lone outcome on Friday that did not have a top seed in the win column. The Trojans will face Carver-Columbus in the next round and top seeds Cedartown, Perry, Marist, Benedictine, North Oconee and Bainbridge will also be gearing up for post-Thanksgiving football in the quarterfinals next Friday. Here’s a breakdown of the second round. As you will see outside of the Dougherty victory over Riverdale, the top seeds all won in convinsing fashion.
Dougherty ran in a touchdown midway through the first quarter and shutout host Riverdale to serve the No. 9 ranked Raiders their first loss of the year.
Powered by two Khalil Barnes first-half touchdowns — including a 53-yard screen pass for a score on the first play from scrimmage — the North Oconee Titans put together a 35-0 shutout win over Spalding to secure the school’s first state quarterfinals appearance since 2014. The Titans led 23-0 at halftime as the result of a Max Wilson touchdown pass to Jack Fabri. Rushing touchdowns from Rodrick Finch and Dominick Elder Jr in the second half were enough to set up a road matchup for North Oconee against Bainbridge next weekend.
No. 10 ranked Bainbridge took an early 20-0 lead with two Bo Smith touchdown passes and an interception touchdown return in its 48-7 win over Northwest Whitfield. Keenan Phillips added a Bearcats touchdown to push the lead to 27-0 and the Bruins cut into the deficit with a Owen Brooker 12-yard touchdown pass to Ray Morrison, but Bainbridge answered and Smith found Deyon Bouie for an 18-yard touchdown with just 10 seconds left in the half to make it 34-7. Phillips returned to the endzone on a 5-yard carry and Deyon Bouie had a 90-yard interception returned for a touchdown to give Bainbridge a comfortable 48-7 advantage heading into the final frame.
Seven different players scored Marist’s seven touchdowns as the War Eagles controlled the game against visiting LaGrange (48-7) from start to finish. They led 27-0 after one quarter, 41-0 at halftime, and 48-0 going into the fourth. A dominant first quarter saw Marist force two fumbles and grab an interception while getting touchdowns from Daniel Hollingsworth, Joseph Patin, Andrew Mannelly and Walker Richens. The War Eagles’ second half was highlighted by a 48-yard scoring strike from Hayden Richardson to Will Gerrick. Marist will face Benedictine in the quarterfinals.
No. 4 ranked Cedartown (10-1) extended its winning streak to 10-straight games and will return to the quarterfinals for the second-consecutive season following a 48-14 victory over Cairo. Cairo was held to minus 17 yards in the first quarter and Cedartown was able to build a 35-0 lead before the Syrupmakers scored late in the third quarter. Patrick Hardner rushed for two touchdowns, Harlem Diamond ran for a 51-yard score and caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Reese Tanner and Cedric Washington tallied a 7-yard touchdown run to build Cedartown’s 35-0 lead.
QUARTERFINALS MATCHUPS
Dougherty vs. Carver-Columbus
Cedartown vs. Perry
Marist vs. Bendectine
North Oconee vs. Bainbridge
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