CLASS 5A (by Brian Jones)
It’s coming down to the wire as the quarterfinals take place on Friday. Lowndes will have to travel to Grayson to take on a dangerous Rams team. Both teams are undefeated and both teams like to run the Wing-T; we’ll see if Grayson’s Ean Pemberton can run through a very aggressive Viking defense led by Greg Reid. … The winner of that game will face the winner of the Coffee-Peachtree Ridge, contest and this game should be interesting as well. The Lions defense is playing great football right now, led by linebacker Kevin Minter. But the Lions will have their hands full with running back Melvin Long, who ran for two touchdowns against Chapel Hill. … Woodstock is the Cinderella team in the bunch as it has won its last six games, including upset wins over Walton and Norcross. But Camden County looks to be on a mission and this will be the toughest test for the Wolverines to date as they travel down to Kingsland. … The final quarterfinal game should be a high-scoring affair as North Gwinnett will take on Newnan. Bulldog quarterback Mike Tamburo will see if he can outduel Newnan quarterback Russ Powell, who passed for 322 yards for the Cougars last week.
CLASS 4A (by Ricky Dimon)
Semifinal spots are on the line as the state football playoffs plow through Thanksgiving weekend. Will Mt. Zion-Jonesboro, the lowly No. 4 seed out of Region 4-AAAA, feast on another favored opponent and survive to play in December? The Bulldogs (8-4) will have their hands full with Marist (11-1), which got past fellow Top 10 team Sequoyah last Friday night. … Marist could be on a collision course for the championship game with top-ranked Westside-Macon (12-0). The Seminoles have clobbered two playoff opponents by a combined score of 98-17 and they have won all 12 of their games by at least three touchdowns, but Tucker (11-0) could present their toughest test yet. The Tigers have had no trouble eliminating Whitewater and Hillgrove in postseason action. … Southwest DeKalb (9-3) and Griffin (9-3) are still alive in a quarter of the draw that has seen No. 1 seeds Sprayberry and Brunswick tumble out. Those two quarterfinalists will battle for a place in the last four alongside either Marist or Tucker. … The last semifinal spot comes down to Statesboro (11-1) and Rome (10-2), as both schools knocked off No. 1 seeds in the second round. Statesboro ousted North Clayton 14-12 and Rome edged Sandy Creek 19-13.
CLASS 3A (by Fletcher Proctor)
The Elite 8 will soon become the Final Four and the four winners of this week’s slate of games will have earned it. Gainesville Red Elephants quarterback Blake Sims will face yet another strong test this week in defending Class 3A champion Carver-Columbus. Gainesville has scored 42-plus points in each of the playoff games thus far, but the Carver-Columbus defense is allowing an average of just three points per contest. … Reggie Bryant was at it again last week against Burke County, and he will look to team with Ronnie Wooten to rush past Eastside. Eastside looked good in taking down Carrollton 21-9 last week and the Region 8 Champs will be ready for Angelo Pease and the Syrupmakers. … Flowery Branch, after knocking off Ridgeland, will now face off against Baldwin. The Braves have a fierce defense, led by Corico Hawkins (11 tackles and one sack last week). Meanwhile Conner Shaw and the Falcons can score in bunches. This is truly a case of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. … Finally, Dunwoody continued to impress last week with an 18-13 win over North Hall. This week traditional power LaGrange is the foe and Wildcat running back Treavor Scales will look to run over the Grangers.
CLASS 2A (by Corey Mitchell)
The quarterfinal games in Class 2A will feature the defending champs facing their toughest test to date. Buford will play host to Dublin in a battle of No. 1 seeds Friday night. The Wolves have outscored their first two playoff opponents 100-28 and will be trying to run their winning streak to a ridiculous 28 against the Fighting Irish. … Brad Taylor will try to duplicate his four-touchdown performance for Fitzgerald as the Purple Hurricanes travel to face the Pepperell Dragons. Both teams ended their regular season with losses, but have their offenses clicking for this clash. Pepperell has scored 78 points in its two playoff games while Fitzgerald has scored 74. … The lone Pepperell loss this season was to Calhoun, which will face the surprising Toombs County outfit this Friday. After a three-game losing streak earlier in the season, the Bulldogs are on a seven-game uptick and will try to ride the momentum to an upset of the Yellow Jackets of Calhoun. … Lovett is riding high after beating one of Class 2A’s unbeatens (Jefferson) with the other one (Buford) in its sights for a championship rematch. The Lions will have to navigate a tough encounter with the Trojans of Brooks County for their trip to the semifinals.
CLASS A (by Derek Wiley)
Defending state champion Emanuel County Institute got one step closer to a repeat last week by defeating one of its toughest challengers, Clinch County, 33-21. This week the Bulldogs play Bremen, which has not been this far in the playoffs since 2005 when the team lost to Johnson County 17-14 in the quarterfinals. … Lincoln County has won 14 state championships. Its opponent, Wilcox County, is looking for its first after losing to ECI last season 41-21 in the championship game. Lincoln County is 4-1 against Wilcox County, with all of these matchups coming in the playoffs with the latest being last season in the quarterfinals when Wilcox won 34-24. Lincoln County will utilize a stout defense that has yet to allow a single point in the playoffs against the Patriots offense that has scored 34 points in each of its playoff games. … The Wesleyan Wolves are on a roll, winning nine straight, while outscoring their opponents 317-78. But the Wolves haven’t been this far in the playoffs since 2003 when they fell to Charlton County 44-13. And their opponent, Miller County, will be their toughest test this season. Miller County has played a stronger schedule with impressive wins over Clinch County and Savannah Christian. … Wilkinson County has been mighty impressive in the playoffs, defeating Commerce 21-7 in Round 1 and Whitefield Academy 38-8 last week. But WilCo hasn’t fared well against the teams remaining, having already suffered a 17-point loss to Wilcox County and a 20-0 loss to Lincoln County. Wilkinson’s quarterfinals opponent, Turner Counter, has been impressive all season and has only lost to Wilcox County, 21-20.
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