Seven region champions will be joined by a No. 2 seed as they go head to head this weekend in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A football playoffs.
Region champions Thomas County Central, Woodward Academy, Marist, Douglas County, Rome, Roswell and Gainesville have rolled through the first two rounds, winning their games by an average of 32.3 points, with no games closer than 17-point victories by Woodward Academy (31-14 over Evans) and Marist (38-21 over Northside-Warner Robins) in the first round.
Rome recorded what is likely the most noteworthy victory of the first two rounds when it defeated defending state champion Hughes 42-14 last week, avenging a 42-3 loss to the Panthers in the semifinals last season.
Lee County, which finished in second place behind Thomas County Central in Region 1, is the only remaining team in the Class 6A field that did not win a region championship, but the Trojans come into this week’s game against Douglas County ranked No. 5. Lee County has beaten Dunwoody and Lovejoy in the playoffs by a combined score of 101-20.
Here’s a look at Friday’s four quarterfinal games:
*Lee County (10-2) at Douglas County (12-0): No. 5 Lee County is the only Class 6A team remaining that is not a region champion (Lee finished second to Thomas County Central in Region 1). The Trojans reached the quarterfinals for the sixth time in seven seasons with a 50-6 victory over Lovejoy. Ousmane Kromah ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries in one half. Braxton Honer ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns and had four catches for 77 yards. Weston Bryan passed for 166 yards and ran for 40. Lee County had 557 yards of total offense. Region 5 champion Douglas County, ranked No. 3, is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1988 and 12-0 for the first time in its history after a 48-14 victory over Sequoyah. Sire Hardaway was 13-of-18 passing for 164 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 36 yards. He has 2,425 passing yards and 394 rushing yards for the season. Zamarcus Lindley ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. The Tigers have held their last seven opponents to 14 points or less.
*Gainesville (12-0) at Woodward Academy (10-2): Both teams had their seasons ended by Hughes last year, Woodward Academy 56-28 in the quarterfinals and Gainesville 35-28 in the final. Gainesville, the No. 1-ranked team this year, advanced to its second straight quarterfinal with a 35-12 victory over Blessed Trinity last week. Gainesville led 14-5 at halftime but got three third-quarter touchdown runs by Gavin Hall to pull away. Hall also scored on a 26-yard pass from Baxter Wright, who passed for 143 yards and ran for 74. Wright has 2,045 passing yards and 417 rushing yards this season. Hall has run for 1,554 yards and 24 touchdowns. The Red Elephants are 26-1 in two season under coach Josh Niblett. Tenth-ranked Woodward Academy beat No. 9 Houston County 27-7 last week to reach the quarterfinals for the seventh time in 10 seasons. The War Eagles got touchdown runs from Griffin Marshall, Lucas Farrington and Landon Walker. Farrington ran for 146 yards on 23 carries, and Ben Grice had all seven of the team’s receptions for 83 yards. Houston County had been averaging 39.7 points per game. Woodward Academy has held eight of its last nine opponents to eight points or less.
*Marist (11-1) at Roswell (11-1): Seventh-ranked Marist defeated Brunswick 41-14 to reach the quarterfinals for the seventh consecutive season and 11th time in 12 years. Marist used 10 ball carriers in rushing for 300 yards and four touchdowns on 46 carries. Brayden Lewis ran for 85 yards on five carries, and Jack Euart ran for 54 yards and was 3-of-6 passing for 28 yards. Jackson Hughes had two short touchdown runs, and Whit Blackburn returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown. Eighth-ranked Roswell was tied 7-7 with Lanier last week but broke the game open with a 24-point second quarter on its way to a 59-27 victory, which put the Hornets in the quarterfinals for the third straight season. Wide receiver Dylan Williams (committed to Marshall) had 156 yards and three touchdowns on eight receptions. Nykahi Davenport (South Florida) had 117 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 10 carries, and K.J. Smith passed for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Davenport has 1,670 yards rushing for the season, and Smith has 2,199 yards passing. Roswell is the highest-scoring team in the state at 52.25 points per game. Marist and Roswell last met in a 1985 region playoff game.
*Thomas County Central (12-0) at Rome (11-1): Second-ranked Thomas County Central ran for four touchdowns in the first half in building a 35-0 lead and went on to a 56-6 victory over Jonesboro last week. The Yellow Jackets average 44 points with an offense led by Jaylen Johnson (1,595 passing yards in the regular season) and Trey Brenton (1,046 regular-season rushing yards). Thomas County Central is 24-1 in two seasons under head coach Justin Rogers, who inherited a program that had not had a winning record in any of the previous five years. Sixth-ranked Rome avenged a 42-3 loss to defending state champion Hughes in last year’s semifinals with a 42-14 victory that put the Wolves in the quarterfinals for the fifth time in eight seasons. Quarterback Reece Fountain, the Region 7 player of the year, threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to D.K. Daniel and scored on a 9-yard run as Rome built a 28-0 lead in the first quarter. Daniel also had one of the Wolves’ four interceptions. Rome is No. 2 in the state in scoring (50.1 points per game) and No. 1 in Class 6A in points allowed (7.58).
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