Class A Blog: Quarterfinals previews

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Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (9-3) at Prince Avenue Christian (10-1). (Preview courtesy of Georgia High School Football Daily) The 2019 second-round game between these two, won by Eagle’s Landing Christian, 62-57, was epic. Prince Avenue’s Brock Vandagriff passed for 525 yards and six touchdowns while scoring two touchdowns. Logan Johnson had 13 receptions for 244 yards and five touchdowns. Landon Owens had 114 yards rushing, 143 receiving. Their team lost, but all three are back, having big seasons again. Also back is LB Davis Ridings, the region defensive player of the year who had six tackles for losses last week in a 42-6 victory over Darlington. ELCA’s top offensive threats have moved on, and scoring is down about eight points per game, but the Chargers continue to dominate Class A opponents, against which they are 58-1 since 2015 while winning five consecutive state titles and 22 straight playoff games. ELCA allows 12.4 points per game, second fewest in A Private. Philip Massengale has thrown for 957 yards and rushed for 654. Massengale, Josh Rogers and freshman Brandon Hood have multiple 100-yard rushing games.

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George Walton Academy (9-2) at Calvary Day (8-4). (Preview courtesy of Georgia High School Football Daily) Two freshman quarterbacks are in the spotlight. George Walton’s Gavin Hall has thrown for 1,072 yards and rushed for 616. He was 9-of-10 passing for 132 yards and a touchdown last week in a 28-25 victory over Christian Heritage. George Walton is typically more of a running team, and Jack Ellerbee rushed for 94 yards in the second round. He’s at 883 on the season. Calvary’s freshman quarterback is Jake Merklinger, who is more strictly a pocket passer. He’s thrown for 1,743 yards. Calvary is balanced on offense, but the Cavaliers rode Greg Daniel’s 268 rushing yards last week in a 14-7 victory over First Presbyterian. Daniel has rushed for 1,441 yards on the season. Calvary, after a first-round loss last year, is back in the quarterfinals for the fourth time in five seasons. The Cavaliers’ last semifinal was 2014. This is George Walton’s first quarterfinal since a semifinal finish in 2012. This is the first time the schools have met.

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Fellowship Christian (10-0) at Trinity Christian (10-2). (Preview courtesy of Georgia High School Football Daily) In the shadows perhaps of defending champion Eagle’s Landing Christian and No. 1-ranked Prince Avenue Christian, Fellowship has quietly been the classification’s most dominant team. The Paladins lead A Private in scoring (49.7 per game) and points allowed (10.0 per game). Fellowship blew out No. 4 Athens Academy 49-14 last week. Eli Hildebrandt was 3-for-4 passing for 109 yards and rushed for 154 yards on nine carries. Murphy Reeves rushed for 127 yards, his 10th straight 100-yard game and the 26th of his career. He has 1,715 rushing yards on the season. Trinity Christian beat Whitefield Academy 54-13 last week to reach the GHSA quarterfinals for the first time. Tyson Wall rushed for 171 yards, and David Dallas threw three TD passes. Trinity has scored more than 50 points, and Wall has rushed for more than 100 yards, and Dallas has thrown three TD passes, in both playoff games. This is the first meeting between the two schools.

PUBLIC

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Warren County at Metter. (Preview courtesy of Georgia High School Football Daily) Region 7 runner-up Warren County and Region 3 champion Metter are the only teams remaining in the Class A Public field that are not from Region 2 or 8. Warren County reached the final eight for the second consecutive season with a 56-26 victory over 21-point favorite Macon County. The game was tied 14-14 at halftime, but Macon County’s kickoff return team turned the ball over three times in the second half, and Warren County turned them into touchdowns to seize control. Kyree Evans rans for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and Travis Moss ran for 122 yards and a TD. Metter reached the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season with a 49-8 victory over Mitchell County. Metter rushed for 332 yards on 43 carries and never attempted a pass, and the Tigers’ defense scored its 13th touchdown of the season. Metter is giving up 4.17 points per game, best in Class A Public, and has held 11 of 12 opponents to a touchdown or less.

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Irwin County at Commerce. (Preview courtesy of Georgia High School Football Daily) Defending state champion Irwin County is in the quarterfinals for the eighth consecutive season after a 14-0 victory over Wilcox County. Irwin held Wilcox to minus-22 rushing yards. Kam Ward, rushed for 133 yards, scored just before halftime, and Cody Soliday ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 5:07 remaining. It was the third shutout for Irwin, which is allowing 10.9 points per game, fourth-best in the classification. Commerce ran for 219 yards on 42 carries in a 28-14 victory over Gordon Lee last week, but it was the Tigers’ only pass completion that was the pivotal play. Trey Huff’s 32-yard scoring strike to Sammy Brown late in the third quarter broke a 14-14 tie, and the Tigers held on to reach the quarterfinals for the fifth time in seven seasons. Brown, a freshman, also rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown, giving him 1,150 yards for the season. Dreylon Martin (809 yards rushing), Huff (595) and Tyelon Brock (414) also are significant parts of the running game. Irwin County won the last meeting, 26-23, in the 2018 Class A Public quarterfinals.

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Clinch County (8-3)at Lincoln County (7-4). (Preview courtesy of Georgia High School Football Daily) Clinch County is one win away from its sixth consecutive semifinal after beating Pelham 14-6 last week. Dillil Carter’s 3-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter made it 14-6, and the Panthers stopped Pelham at the Clinch 4-yard line with about two minutes remaining. Tyler Morehead rushed for 79 yards and passed for 71 for Clinch, which held Pelham to 77 yards of total offense. Lincoln County beat Hancock Central 28-6 to reach the quarterfinals for the second straight year. Tevin Gartrell ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. He has 916 yards rushing for the season. Keenan Lampkin was 2-of-2 passing for 32 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Wise, putting him at 902 passing yards for the year. This will be the schools’ 10th meetIng, all of which have come in the playoffs since 1984. Clinch County won 11-8 in the 1991 Class A final, but Lincoln County leads the series 5-4.

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Washington-Wilkes (9-1) at Brooks County (11-1). (Preview courtesy of Georgia High School Football Daily) Washington-Wilkes, in its first season under coach Sid Fritts, reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2005 with a 34-17 victory over Bowdon last week. Dalen Cobb was 7-of-7 passing for 158 yards and a touchdown and ran for 39 yards and two TDs. Cobb has passed for 1,241 yards and run for 582 this season. Zaikous Jackson ran for 137 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, putting him at a team-best 729 yards for the season. Brooks County avenged its loss to Dublin in the 2019 Class 2A championship game with a 41-7 victory last week. Dublin’s seven points were the first allowed by Brooks County in three games, but it marked the first time in two years that the Fighting Irish were held to less than 14. Ni’Tavion Burrus passed for 153 yards and a touchdown, putting him 1,716 yards passing for the season to go along with 439 yards rushing. Sophomore Jamal Sanders ran for 126 yards and three touchdowns on five carries. Brooks County won 21-14 in the second round of the 2014 Class A Public playoffs.