Trojans look to chop down Giant-killer Sandy Creek

MURRAYVILLE - Call North Hall football coach Bob Christmas and his coaching staff geniuses, prophetic, clairvoyant, or anything else you can think off.

But the Trojans staff had a feeling when looking at the Class AAA playoff bracket that their team could see giant-killer Sandy Creek in the second round of the playoffs.

After the Fighting Patriots, the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AAA, knocked off No. 8 Hart County 23-8 last week in the first round their visions became a reality. The two teams meet Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at The Brickyard with the winner advancing to play the winner of the Worth County-Perry matchup next week.

"It's funny but we thought Sandy Creek would beat Hart County last week," Christmas said. "They upset Carrollton when they were No. 2 in the state. They have a good football team. Athletically they may be the best team we've faced this season."

Sandy Creek (7-4) has won three straight and is the only team in the playoffs to beat two teams ranked in the top eight. The Patriots have done their latest damage behind a stingy defense that has allowed just 29 points in that span. Hart County came into its game last week averaging 24 points a game. The Patriots also have averaged 33 points a game during their win streak.

But Sandy Creek has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, North Hall (11-0) is looking for its second 12-0 record in school history and its third trip to the state quarterfinals in the past four years.

Despite the big win last week Christmas said his team will have to make some improvements.

"I was pleased with the first half but not with the third quarter," he said. "We haven't really had to play a tough third quarter this year and I thought we had a letdown at the beginning. We will need to play a full four quarters this week."

North Hall's punishing ground game behind Fabian Jackson, Hunter Wolf, and Bobby Epps was devastating last week piling up more than 300 yards rushing.

Epps had 149 yards and three touchdowns, Wolf had 110 yards, and Jackson finished with 86 yards and three scores.

The Trojans also have been virtually unbeatable at The Brickyard going 6-0 this year and are 22-4 at home since 2004 with two of those losses coming to Washington County in the playoffs and the other two against Gainesville.

North Hall will stay at The Brickyard as long as it keeps winning until the semifinals, which will be played at The Georgia Dome.

SANDY CREEK FIGHTING PATRIOTS at NORTH HALL TROJANS

North Hall: 11-0, No. 1 seed from Region 7-AAA; beat McNair 41-20 in first round

Sandy Creek: 7-4, No. 3 seed from Region 6-AAA; upset No. 6 Hart County 23-8 in first round

Last meeting: first-ever meeting

NOTES: The Trojans are looking for their third trip to the quarterfinals in the past four years and just looking at the records this looks like a mismatch on paper. But the Patriots have been in playoff mode the past four weeks. They had to win their last two regular season games just to get in the playoffs and then stunned Hart County last week. They have allowed more than 17 points in a game just twice all season while averaging 28 ppg over their last nine games, going 7-2 in that span. The Patriots have never advanced past the second round making it twice in their history in 2000 and 2004. North Hall has been nearly unstoppable all year scoring 40 or more points 10 times, 50 or more five times, 60 or more twice, and a school-record 73 against East Hall earlier this month. Defensively McNair was able to move the ball last week and put up 20 points but most of that came in the second half against the second string when the game was already decided.