And then there were eight.
Just a handful of area teams remain standing in the fight for a state championship, and each of them will climb back in the ring on Friday night for an exciting slate of contests.
Three of the showdowns will feature live on the airwaves of the Jacobs Media family stations, while AccessWDUN.com will have all the angles covered as programs gun for state quarterfinal berths.
Gainesville football won its eighth straight first round state playoff game last weekend, forcing six turnovers en route to a 25-14 victory over Alexander. This week the Red Elephants (8-3) face an even tougher task, traveling to take on a Stockbridge team that entered the playoffs as the No. 1-ranked squad in Class AAAAA. The contest will be broadcast live on 1240 AM ESPN Radio.
The Tigers (11-0) have run away from most foes this season, averaging 37.4 points per game -- meaning the Red Elephants’ defense must continue to be on top of its game if they want to progress to their fifth straight state quarterfinal.
The good news for Gainesville is that it continues to get healthy at the right time -- a facet that will only add momentum for a program that has made a habit of winning on the road in the playoffs, as Gainesville is 4-2 in road playoff battles since 2008.
Jefferson also faces a huge task away from home on Friday, as the Dragons trek to Roswell for a rematch with Blessed Trinity.
The Titans knocked Jefferson from the postseason in 2014 following a thrilling 28-21 showdown at Memorial Stadium, and the Dragons will be looking for a little payback in this year’s Class AAA second round showdown broadcast live on WDUN FM 102.9.
Jefferson (10-1) blew past Pepperell last week, 49-0, but faces a much bigger task if it is to notch its fourth straight state quarterfinal berth. Blessed Trinity (10-0-1) is looking for its third straight quarterfinal and has been consistent on both offense and defense this campaign, scoring 33.8 points per game while allowing just 8.8 points per game.
The Dragons, meanwhile, are coming off their fourth shut out of the season and are allowing 10.1 points per contest.
Speaking of defense, perhaps no program is as consistently stingy as Buford, and the Wolves (10-1) were the usually nasty selves in the first round, stonewalling Fayette County 35-0 for their sixth shutout of the season -- one in which they have allowed just 75 total points and all but 18 of those were scored by McEachern and Maryland’s Eastern Christian Academy.
Worth County (8-3) draws the unenviable task of finding a way past Buford in Friday’s Class AAAA second round contest in a game broadcast live on WDUN AM 550.
The Rams have put up some big numbers on offense this season, averaging 36.6 points per game but are also yielding 21.8 per game -- not a great sign when taking on a Buford program looking for its 16th straight state quarterfinal berth.
Dawson County has never reached a quarterfinal contest -- but there again, the Tigers have made a habit of claiming firsts this campaign (first region title, first home playoff game, first playoff victory since 1999...) -- so why stop now?
The Tigers (8-3) lit up Ringgold’s defense in a 63-40 first round win last week and will now gun for a second straight playoff success on Friday against Spencer (8-3) in Dawsonville in a game broadcast on northgeorgiasportslink.com.
The Tigers have one of the more prolific offenses remaining in Class AAA, scoring 30.9 points per game -- though the Owls can also throw up big numbers, as they proved in a 47-34 first round defeat of Washington County. The outcome also proved Spencer as road warriors, as it did something no other program has accomplished in four years, knocking out Washington County in the first round -- it was also the Golden Hawks’ first home playoff loss since 2001.
Rabun County will also be at home this Friday, looking for its first state quarterfinal berth since 1998 when the Wildcats (10-1) play host to Early County (7-3-1). Rabun overcame a slow offensive start to pull away for a 49-14 win over Bremen in the opening round and will be facing an inconsistent Bobcats defense this week. Early has pitched four shutouts -- including last week’s 28-0 win over Lamar County -- but has also yielded 30 or more points in its three losses. Early County also comes from a stout Region 1-AA that saw three of its four playoff representatives win in the first round.
Like Rabun, Mill Creek’s best ever playoff run saw the Hawks reach the quarterfinal round (in 2012). Mill Creek (11-0) believes it is ready to improve on that mark but must first win on Friday against Newnan (9-2) when the Cougars come calling in Class AAAAAA. The Hawks enter the battle allowing just 6.7 points per game and will tackle a Cougars offense scoring 25.2 points per game.
Speaking of defense, perhaps the top two units in all of Class AAAAA will face off on Friday when Lanier (8.3 points per game) plays host to Northgate (6.3 points per game) in Sugar Hill. Lanier (11-0) is gunning for its first ever state quarterfinal berth, while Northgate has not reached the quarterfinals since 2000.
And, in Class A, Commerce will commence its state playoff run when the Tigers (7-3) travel to Charlton County (7-2) in the public half of the state playoffs. Commerce is coming off a semifinal berth in 2014, while Charlton reached the quarterfinals last season.
SECOND ROUND PLAYOFF SCHEDULE FOR AREA TEAMS, NOV. 20
CLASS AAAAAA
Newnan at Mill Creek
CLASS AAAAA
Northgate at Lanier
Gainesville at Stockbridge -- Radio: 1240 AM ESPN Radio
CLASS AAAA
Worth County at Buford -- Radio: WDUN AM 550
CLASS AAA
Spencer at Dawson County -- Radio: northgeorgiasportslink.com
Jefferson at Blessed Trinity -- Radio: WDUN FM 102.9
CLASS AA
Early County at Rabun County
CLASS A Public (first round)
Commerce at Charlton County
