Region 1-6A, which put all four of its playoff teams in the quarterfinals last season but failed to get any of them through to the semifinals, will have two members of the final four this year.
Top-ranked Lee County (the Region 1 champion) and No. 6 Valdosta (the runner-up) advanced with victories Friday and will be joined in the semifinals next week by second-ranked Buford and No. 3 Westlake, both of which played in other classifications last season.
It’s a powerful group of teams remaining. Perennial title contender Valdosta won its most recent state championship in 2016, Lee County won titles in 2017 and 2018, Buford was the Class 5A champion in 2019, and Westlake won six consecutive region titles in the highest classification before moving down to 6A this year and winning a seventh straight.
Here’s how this year’s semifinalists advanced Friday:
- Valdosta reached the semifinals for the first time since its 2016 championship season and just the second time since 2003 with a 36-15 victory over No. 10 Carrollton, the Region 5 champion. Carrollton erased an early 14-0 deficit and led 15-14 after a 20-yard touchdown pass from James McCauley to Grant Briscoe with 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter, but Valdosta answered with three touchdowns in a six-minute span to pull away. Carrollton has been knocked out in the quarterfinals in five consecutive seasons.
- Buford moved up to 6A this year but still managed to reach the semifinals for the 13th time in 14 seasons with a 44-15 victory over Hughes. The Wolves have won state championships since 2001 in every classification from A to 5A and are now two wins from adding 6A to that list. Gabe Ervin and Victor Venn combined for close to 200 yards rushing. Hughes, playing in the quarterfinals for the first time in the school’s 12-year history, had not given up a point in the playoffs but surrendered a season-high 44 in the loss.
- Lee County, which had never reached the quarterfinals before winning the state title in 2017, is in the semifinals for the third time in four seasons after beating River Ridge 49-31. Caleb McDowell scored five touchdowns – three on rushes of 21, 22 and 62 yards, one on a 77-yard kickoff return, and one on a 49-yard punt return. Lee County scored on the third play of the game after recovering the opening kickoff at the River Ridge 10 and never trailed. The loss ended the best season in River Ridge’s 12-year history.
- Westlake won six consecutive region titles in the highest class from 2014 to 2019 but advanced to the semifinals only once in that stretch. Now the Lions are back for the first time since 2016 after holding off Allatoona 27-24. Westlake led 27-10 in the fourth quarter, but Allatoona got two touchdown passes from Elan Hall to cut it to a three-point game midway through the quarter. The Buccaneers never got the ball back, however, as Westlake ran the final 6:31 off the clock, converting two fourth downs along the way.
Here are the quarterfinal scores and the matchups for the semifinals:
Quarterfinals
Valdosta 36, Carrollton 15
Buford 44, Hughes 15
Lee County 49, River Ridge 31
Westlake 27, Allatoona 24
Semifinals
(R1 #2) Valdosta at (R8 #1) Buford
(R4 #1) Westlake at (R1 #1) Lee County
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