Class AAAAA first round preview

R6 T3 Mays at R5 T2 South Paulding

After an upset loss to Hiram last week, South Paulding was able to hang onto the second seed thanks to a tie breaking victory over Alexander two weeks ago. Jake Oglesby has thrown for 2,231 yards for the Spartans, including 20 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Kameron Watts has totaled 935 yards on the ground. Mays rolls in behind Region 6′s best defense allowing 10 points per game. Natrez Patrick is the anchor with 13 sacks.

R4 T4 Starr’s Mill at R3 T1 Ware County

New head man Franklin Stephens continues to breed excellence, this time leading the Gators through an undefeated regular season. The balanced rushing attack of Jarvis Belcher, Dedrick Mills, Raekwon Chatman, and Laban Faulk has steamrolled opposing teams averaging 248 yards rushing per game. Starr’s Mill won its last meeting with Ware in ’06 37-6. Dion Munerlyn is an elusive back that the Panthers will move around the field.

R2 T3 Jones County at R1 T2 Carver-Columbus

Averaging 39 points per game, the Greyhounds of Jones County have the chance to surprise people. They handed Northside-Warner Robins its only loss of the season in Week 5. Sophomore Bradley Hunnicutt has thrown for over 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns while Chandler Ramage has 12 rushing touchdowns. The jump from AAA to AAAAA has been smooth for the Tigers. D-1 commits are littered across Carver’s defense. Mekhi Brown (Alabama) and Khane Pass (Louisville) will help support 4-star quarterback Jawon Pass.

R8 T4 Winder-Barrow at R7 T1 Kell

With its first winning record and state playoff appearance since 2003, the Bulldogs have ridden the legs of CeCe Green who has over 1,600 yards rushing and 18 total touchdowns. Green hurt his wrist last week and did not return, putting his status in jeopardy for Friday. The Cardiac kids from Kell enter 10-0 with last second wins over Cambridge and Dalton. Cameron Rosendahl has taken care of the ball throwing 14 touchdowns and just 1 interception. Ivan Walls and Itabari Mason do the bulk of the work on the ground.

R5 T3 Alexander at R6 T2 Stephenson

Georgia commitment and defensive end Chauncey Rivers controls the trenches for the Jaguars. A trio of wide receivers all have decided on playing at the next level. Dexter Neal (S. Carolina), Nekyle Lundie (Nebraska), and Isaiah Zuber (Kansas State) all should find a way to impact the game. Baylor Whitfield has thrown for 1,800 yards and 19 touchdowns for Alexander. His favorite target Isaac Zico has caught 55 balls for 889 yards and 12 touchdowns. Mikell Lands-Davis is a threat running and receiving and is slated to attend Georgia Tech.

R3 T4 Brunswick at R4 T1 Stockbridge

Stockbridge’s only in-state loss came at the hands of Luella, falling in a 7-6 in an upset. The Tigers don’t pass often and instead look to feed running back Artemeus Mitchell who has over 850 yards rushing. Quarterback Malachi Brown is also a threat rushing for over 500 yards. Charles Wiley has double-digit sacks. The drop from AAAAAA to AAAAA has benefited Brunswick as the Pirates recorded their first winning record since 2010. Freshman quarterback Randon Jernigan has been a difference maker, throwing for over 1,000 yards and rushing for over 1,000 as well.

R1 T3 LaGrange at R2 T2 Houston County

Sophomore Jake Fromm leads Houston County’s offense with 2,552 yards, 25 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. One of AAAAA’s most prolific passers this season is flanked by Kenny Gant and Darion Anderson. Gant ended the season with 1,242 yards rushing and 28 total touchdowns. Anderson finished the season with 880 yards receiving and 13 scores. South Carolina commit Mon Denson powers the Granger offense. The powerful back is coming off a four-touchdown performance.

R7 T4 Sequoyah at R8 T1 Lanier

The Chiefs sneak into the playoffs after a 2-5 start to the season. Three straight wins including a surprising win over Sprayberry last week propelled them into state. Led by the rushing attack of Tre Mitchell, the Chiefs will try and move on without freshmen running back Cameron Gales who broke his foot last week. Tahj Tolbert has thrown for 17 touchdowns pacing the undefeated Longhorns. Juniors Derrick Brown and Derriyon Shaw have combined for 26.5 sacks.

R3 T3 Glynn Academy at R4 T2 Drew

In just its fifth year of existence, the Drew Titans are entering the playoffs for the second season. Drew does not throw the ball often but when they do they are successful. Joseph Newman had thrown 21 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions heading into last Friday’s game. Marquis Terry is Drew’s main weapon, rushing for over 1,400 yards. Terry recorded a 403 yard rushing performance against Starr’s Mill earlier in the season. Dual-threat quarterback Zach Lamper runs the show for the Terrors. He has thrown for 1,350 yards and rushed for 404.

R5 T4 New Manchester at R6 T1 Creekside

The reigning AAAAA champs rely on their running game headed by Bricen Terry. At 5-foot-7, Terry has rushed for over 1,200 yards to pace the Seminole’s attack. Creekside also boasts two SEC commits on the offensive line and wide receiver Rashad Blunt who has committed to Rutgers. Super 11 WR Jayson Stanley was lost to an early season injury. Tabashi Thomas runs the offense for the Jaguars. Tyler Simmons is a favorite target along with Georgia Tech commit Omahri Jarrett out of the backfield.

R8 T3 Salem at R7 T2 Dalton

The Catamounts were seconds away from sealing the  No. 1 seed in Region 7, but Kell stunned them late in the fourth. Payton Veraldi has excelled his senior year throwing 26 touchdowns compared to just 5 interceptions. Kelvis Rhodes has racked up 870 yards rushing and 10 total touchdowns. Peter Sigmon has 11 receiving scores. The Salem Seminoles re-enter the playoffs for the first time since 2007. They gave undefeated Lanier a scare losing by only seven, 42-35.

R1 T4 Northside-Columbus at R2 T1 Northside-WR

A 34-33 win against Houston County helped Northside clinch the number one seed last week, earning its 12^th region title in 17 years. Florida commitment Brandon Sandifer leads the way blocking up front for 1,440 yard rusher Willie Jordan. The senior tailback scored 23 times this season for the Eagles. The Patriots enter the playoffs for the first time since 2009, but still haven’t finished with a winning record since 2005. The heavy underdogs will look for an upset in the battle of the Northsides.

R4 T3 Mundy’s Mill at R3 T2 Coffee

The drop from AAAAAA has benefited Coffee as they have gone from 5-5 a year ago to 9-1 this season. The Trojans’ only blemish this season was a 24-21 loss against undefeated Ware County. Coffee has four players with over 400 yards rushing this season. Sophomore Demetrius Davis leads the pack with 812 yards. Quarterback Tyree Paulk can beat you with his arms and his legs. The two teams met a year ago with Coffee winning 18-14. Mundy’s Mill also has a crushing rushing attack that averaged 340 yards per game. Khalid Hylton has 1045 yards rushing.

R6 T4 Carver-Atlanta at R5 T1 Allatoona

Carver-Atlanta defeated last year’s state champs Creekside earlier this season. Gregory Payton is the catalyst for the Panthers offense rushing for over 1,000 yards. They don’t have much of a passing game and only averaged 24 points per game this season but the Panthers found ways to win close games, winning five games by eight points or less. Allatoona will look to stay undefeated and run past Carver. Russell Halimon has rushed for 1,681 yards this season and Conner Larson has thrown 17 touchdowns to just 1 interception.

R7 T3 Creekview at R8 T2 Gainesville

After falling to Tucker in the semifinals last season, the Red Elephants are back thanks to the aerial assault of Mikey Gonzalez. The senior has thrown for 2,454 yards and 29 touchdowns. Messiah Dorsey, Chris Williamson, and Rodney Lackey are Gonzalez’s favorite targets. Gainesville has 24 sacks and 10 interceptions and has allowed just 14 points per game. Creekview started the season 0-3 but has won its last four games. Quarterback Kyle Wilkie struggled to start the season but tossed 5 touchdowns in their upset win over Cambridge last week.

R2 T4 Warner Robins at R1 T1 Harris County

Harris County claims its second region title in three years after starting 0-2 this season. Georgia Tech commit TaQuon Marshall runs the show on offense with both his arm and legs. Tae Crowder is explosive on offense running the ball and catching. Warner Robins’ six wins is its lowest total since 2010. Jacquan Burns and Terry Harris have combined for over 1,200 yards rushing. Ivan Corbin has over 700 yards passing and 400 yards rushing.