Rockdale County is enjoying a rags-to-riches story under second-year coach Mike Etheridge.
The Bulldogs (10-3) have reached the Class AAAA semifinals after pulling off three playoff upsets in a row, including Friday's 23-7 win over Westside-Macon. Rockdale entered the playoffs as a No. 3 seed.
"I do think every team we've played so far has been kind of surprised with us," Etheridge said. "Hopefully, we can surprise some more teams, but I don't think that will happen in our next game because Clarke Central knows all about us."
Both teams are members of Region 8-AAAA, and Rockdale County edged Clarke Central 26-23 in overtime Oct. 2. They will play again at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Athens, with the winner advancing to the state championship game.
Rockdale, after starting the season with a 1-3 record, has won nine games in a row. It is only the second 10-win season in the history of the Conyers school.
Last year, Rockdale was 5-5 in Etheridge's first season as coach. "Believe it or not, we were only a few plays away from going 9-1 or better. It just takes time to get our system in. This year, we felt like we were the best team in the region all year."
Etheridge has been coaching in the state for 37 years, including head coaching stints at Etowah (1991-92) and Jackson County (1984-87). He was defensive coordinator at Salem for seven years before moving to Rockdale.
Star-studded rematch
Gainesville coach Bruce Miller thinks someone should make a movie about his quarterfinals opponent, Flowery Branch. "They could call it ‘Road Warriors.' They don't play at home any, but they keep winning."
Flowery Branch, a No. 4 seed, hasn't lost since dropping a 49-17 decision to Gainesville in the final game of the regular season.
"They are a different team than they were four weeks ago, and the outcome of that game means nothing toward the one on Friday," Miller said. "Flowery Branch has corrected some things on defense and is playing with a ton of confidence. I know their coach, Lee Shaw, really well. I knew he would rally the troops."
It will be a rematch between two of the nation's top quarterbacks -- Gainesville's Blake Sims (committed to Alabama) and Flowery Branch's Connor Shaw (South Carolina).
Gainesville is ranked No. 1 in Class AAA, while Flowery Branch was last year's state runner-up. The unranked Falcons edged No. 2 Carver-Columbus 35-33 on Friday. "It just seemed like Connor Shaw willed them not to lose against Carver," Miller said.
More upsets
Friday's biggest overall surprises were in the state's biggest classification. Three out of four Class AAAAA quarterfinal games were won by lower-seeded teams, including the elimination of No. 1 Grayson and No. 2 North Gwinnett.
Camden County, the defending state champions, posted a 35-0 win over North Gwinnett. It was the first time the Bulldogs had been shut out since the 2006 season.
"We got beat by a pretty good football team," North Gwinnett coach Bob Sphire said Saturday. "Those three turnovers in the first half really hurt our scoring opportunities.
"We could've kicked some field goals in the second half to avoid the shutout, but who cares? We needed touchdowns. Our kids played their hearts out, and Camden may win it all again this year."
In Class A, No. 1 Wesleyan was knocked off 20-15 by No. 7 Wilcox County.
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