Most No. 4 seeds are given very little chance in the state playoffs and Cass, which emerged with the final seed from Region 7, certainly fell into that category. But the Colonels opened a lot of eyes in the first round by taking down No. 4-ranked Jefferson.
Cass has never gotten past the first round of the state playoffs. The Colonels did win two postseason games in 1983, back in the days when regions had playoffs and only two teams per region advanced to the state playoffs. Cass won the Region 7-3A regular season and two region playoff games but lost to Marist in the first round of the state playoffs to finish 12-1.
But history did not matter on Friday. The Colonels entered the game 4-6 overall and had beaten a team with a winning record all season. Jefferson, on the other hand, had won six straight games in Region 8, considered the deepest league in 5A.
Cass stunned the Dragons by scored 20 points in the first quarter on the way to a 27-17 win. They connected on a 61-yard bomb from freshman Brodie McWhorter to Sacovie White to get things started. White, who has committed to the University of Georgia, later intercepted a pass at the 1 to deny the Dragons.
“We had a great game plan on offense and defense and stuck to it,” Cass coach Steve Gates told the Georgia High School Football Daily. “Even when we got up 20-0, we kept throwing the football, and it was a fun night.”
Freshman quarterbacks typically struggle, but McWhorter continued to build on his excellent season. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns.
“The team did their part and everyone played great,” McWhorter said via Twitter. “Back to work for round two this week.”
Due to the success of Cass, Region 7 was the only league to sweep its four first-round games.
“I truly believe we have one of, if not the, toughest regions in the state, and it showed in round one,” Gates said.
Other first-round notables
No. 10 Loganville eliminated by Dalton: The Red Devils saw their dream season end with a 7-3 loss to visiting Dalton. Loganville couldn’t move the ball, running for only 103 yards and throwing for just 83 and finished the season 9-2.
Dalton finished the regular season at 5-5, which may have been misleading since four of the five losses came against ranked opponents. The Catamounts took the lead when Tyson Greenwade scored on a 10-yard run with 4:46 left in the game. Greenwade ran for 98 yards, giving him 1,937 yards for the season.
Chamblee ends playoff drought: Chamblee beat McIntosh 62-13 and won its first playoff game since 2007, when the Bulldogs wound up in the state semifinals. Larry Harris ran for three touchdowns and quarterback Fabian Walker ran for two scores. Walker also completed 17 of 27 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns.
Northside Columbus returns to second round: The Northside Patriots won their first-round game for the first time since 2008 when they eliminated Tucker 35-27. Northside (10-1) got stellar efforts for many people, including Malachi Hosley, who is looking more and more like a slam-dunk all-state player. Hosley ran 23 times for 198 yards – giving him 2,032 yards -- caught three passes for 34 yards and intercepted a pass. Quarterback Caden Clay completed 10 of 15 passes for 90 yards and ran 16 times for 96 yards and four touchdowns. On defense, Derrick Lockhart had three pass deflections and Dajwon Deloach came up with nine tackles.
No. 2 Creekside turns back GAC: The Seminoles (9-2) won their ninth straight game, rolling past Greater Atlanta Christian 54-16. Roderick McCrary kept piling up impressive numbers, running 10 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns. He now has 1,217 yards and 15 touchdowns and averages 7.6 yards per carry. Quarterback Vinson Berry completed 8 of 13 for 104 yards and one touchdown. On defense, Kaquari Kimber had 13 tackles and Khary Morrow had 11 tackles and Carter Hicks intercepted a pass and blocked a punt.
Second-round matchups
Kell at No. 9 Calhoun, Chamblee at Ware County, Cass at Mays, Northgate at Dutchtown, No. 8 Warner Robins at Northside-Columbus, Dalton at No. 2 Creekside, No. 6 Coffee at Decatur, No. 3 Cartersville at No. 5 Cambridge.
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