Here’s a look at five things we learned from the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs...
1. Mill Creek’s defense is championship-ready
We knew the Hawks were good, but this was something on a whole new level. Mill Creek’s defense has been its calling card all season, allowing just 6.7 points per game. But to shut out a Class AAAAAA foe in the quarterfinal round -- especially one as talented as Archer? That’s the play of a team ready for a title run. The Tigers, who were 2014 Class AAAAAA runner-up, entered Friday’s showdown with one of the nation’s top-rated wide receivers leading an offense that averaged 35.5 points per game -- and got dominated. The performance has pushed the Hawks two wins away from their first-ever crown. Now, Mill Creek also knows that the route to do so will only get harder. After knocking off last year’s second place team, the Hawks now face the defending champ in Colquitt County. But with a defense like Mill Creek boasts, you can bet the Hawks will enter their first ever semifinal with some confidence. Yes Colquitt’s offense has dominated this season, averaging 47 points per game -- including 41 in last week’s comeback win at South Forsyth -- but it’s safe to say the Packers have not have faced a defense like they are set to battle this week.
2. Wolves ready for biggest showdown since early September
Now Buford will find out just why it scheduled McEachern and Eastern Christian Academy in early season showdowns. Those battles that produced a narrow win and a tough loss and were set up with this week’s semifinal faceoff in mind. The Wolves will play host to Woodward Academy this Friday at Tom Riden Stadium, and the War Eagles are undoubtedly the best team on Buford’s schedule since McEachern. Woodward boasts stars like running back Elijah Holyfield (University of Georgia commit), linebacker Max Richardson (Boston College commit) and athlete J.R. Pace and averages just a shade under 40 points per game and is giving up 11.1 per game. In particular it should prove a mouth-watering battle between the Wolves’ defense, which is yielding a paltry 127 yards per game, and Woodward’s offense, which is averaging 340 yards per game. Something’s got to give.
3. Commerce continues to show up ratings system
It seems fair to say that the GHSA’s power ratings index system got it wrong in the Tigers’ case. Commerce entered the playoffs as a No. 9 seed in the Class A Public half of the postseason draw -- effectively dooming the Tigers to weeks of state trotting as one of the few teams in the bracket located north of Interstate 20. Not that the Tigers spent time fretting about the situation -- they’ve simply taken it upon themselves to go out and prove their worth, traveling almost 300 miles to knock off the No. 8 seed Charlton County in the first round and then trekking nearly 200 miles to upset the No. 1 seed. This week Commerce is set for yet another hike, busing the 252 miles to Homerville to face Clinch County in the semifinals. A win there would set up the relatively short trip to the Georgia Dome -- and show that Commerce’s No. 9 seed was a bit ridiculous (although the Tigers have pretty much already done that). Commerce’s postseason success should come as no shock, however -- not when you consider that their three regular season losses came against a Class AAA second round team (Jefferson), a Class A Private semifinalist (Prince Avenue Christian) and another state playoff team in Athens Academy.
4. Rabun County and Dawson County teams rightly set spots in history
There’s no doubt, Friday night’s losses were painful -- especially for the Wildcats, who saw their bid for a first ever semifinal appearance ripped away via a last-season field goal. But Rabun County and Dawson County football both proved their worth beyond a shadow of a doubt this season and made 2015 the year in which northeast Georgia football made perhaps its biggest statement yet about the quality top-to-bottom of its football teams. For programs like the Wildcats and Tigers to both reach the quarterfinals shows just how much quality is now in place throughout northeast Georgia -- not just at traditional powers such as Buford, Commerce, Gainesville and Jefferson. And their rise will only force other teams around them to get better -- which should be a scary thought for the rest of the state. Rabun and Dawson’s coaches and players laid down a gauntlet this season -- the Tigers reaching the quarterfinals for the first time and the Wildcats doing so for only the second (and first since 1998). And when the initial pain subsides, a pride will remain that will never be forgotten in either community.
5. The North-South rivalry faces intriguing battles this week
For years the debate raged between the northern and southern halves of the state as to who played the better high school football. Well, that debate -- which had been largely swung toward the northern half over the past decade -- will take on an intriguing new chapter this week in the semifinal round, as teams from both halves face off. There may not be a bunch of true north-south games -- Aquinas from Augusta will take on Stratford Academy of Macon in the Class A Private semifinals -- but there are plenty of north-metro Atlanta area schools set to take on schools from points south. And that will fuel the most heated debates. Particularly interesting are showdowns between Mill Creek-Colquitt County (Class AAAAAA), Bainbridge-Cartersville (Class AAAA), and Commerce-Clinch County (Class A Public). And there are some finals that are already assured of a north-south divide. The Class AAAAA semifinals see a split of Ware County-Glynn Academy and Allatoona-Northgate, while the Class AA semifinals pit Greater Atlanta Christian-Pace Academy and Jefferson County-Fitzgerald. It should be fun to watch it all play out.
STATE QUARTERFINAL SCORES FOR AREA TEAMS, NOV. 27
CLASS AAAAAA
Mill Creek 23, Archer 0
CLASS AAAA
Buford 49, Thomson 7
CLASS AAA
Blessed Trinity 35, Dawson County 7
CLASS AA
Jefferson County 31, Rabun County 28
CLASS A Public
Commerce 20, Marion County 7
STATE SEMIFINAL SCHEDULE FOR AREA TEAMS, DEC. 4
CLASS AAAAAA
Colquitt County at Mill Creek
CLASS AAAA
Woodward Academy at Buford
CLASS A Public
Commerce at Clinch County
