We’re down to the "Final Four" in all eight classifications in the Georgia High School Association football playoffs, and northeast Georgia contains three teams still alive for possible berths in next week’s state title round at the Georgia Dome.
All three -- Buford, Jefferson and Mill Creek -- face their biggest challenges of the season Friday, however, as they gear up for their semifinal matchups.
Mill Creek, despite being ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAAAA most of the season, is viewed as an underdog when its travels to No. 3 Grayson, which has been ranked as high as No. 6 nationally in some polls. The Hawks (13-0) are the only undefeated team left in the state’s high classification, but the Rams (12-1) have won 12 straight since a season-opening loss to national power IMG Academy out of Florida. It should be a hard-hitting affair with two of the state’s best defenses trying to stop two of the state’s best offenses.
AccessWDUN's Friday Game Night will be on hand to give live updates and a full game story and video highlights once the smoke clears.
In Buford, the Class AAAAA No. 2-ranked and Region 8-AAAAA champion Wolves will play host to Kell, the only team left in all of the GHSA playoffs that is not a No. 1 or No. 2 seed. Buford (12-1) is looking for its 10th straight trip to the Georgia Dome. The Longhorns (11-2) were among a group of three teams to tie for the Region 7-AAAAA title and have knocked off three higher-seeded teams in the first three rounds.
AccessWDUN/Friday Game Night also will be on hand to give live updates and video highlights of the action from Tom Riden Stadium. Also, WDUN AM 550 will broadcast the game live, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
And in Thomson, Jefferson, the Region 8-AAAA champion, will hit the road in a rematch with the Bulldogs in the Class AAAA semifinals. Thomson (13-0) handed the Dragons (12-1) their only loss of the season in Week 3, 42-20, in Jefferson. Now the Dragons, who are a perfect 6-0 away from Memorial Stadium, will try and turn the tables on the Bulldogs, who are undefeated at home.
AccessWDUN/Friday Game Night will be on hand to give live updates and a full game story at the conclusion of the game. Also, 102.FM will broadcast the game live beginning at 7:30 p.m..
For a look at all of the night's playoff action involving area teams, simply scroll down. And be sure to check back with AccessWDUN's Friday Game Night throughout the night for score updates and game stories and video highlights. You can also check for scores and highlights on our Twitter feed: @FridayGameNight
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE FOR Dec. 2
(Games listed by highest classification and in alphabetical order of visiting team)
CLASS AAAAAAA
The top three teams in the final poll -- Mill Creek, Grayson, Roswell -- all advanced to the semifinals while unranked Westlake, the Region 2 champion, beat two ranked teams in the last two rounds to get to its first-ever semifinal. ... The Westlake-Roswell game, originally to be hosted by Westlake, was moved to Lakewood Stadium south of downtown Atlanta because neither school met the 6,000-seat requirement at their on-campus stadiums. ... The most anticipated game in the state this season, however, will be Grayson when the No. 3 and nationally-ranked Rams play host to No. 1 and undefeated Mill Creek. ... It’s hard to decide how these two games will go as the top three defensive teams -- Roswell, Grayson, Mill Creek -- are all still alive. Meanwhile, Grayson, Mill Creek, and Roswell are also Nos. 2, 3, and 5 in offense in AAAAAAA. Something will have to give somewhere. ... The home teams are 22-6 in the AAAAAAA playoffs. However, Grayson and Mill Creek both picked up road wins last week to advance. ... Roswell and Westlake both played the first three rounds at home and will be facing their first road trips of the 2016 playoffs.
MILL CREEK at GRAYSON
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Grayson Community Stadium, Grayson
-- MILL CREEK (13-0, Region 6, No. 1): Defeated McEachern 31-28 last week in the quarterfinals
-- GRAYSON (12-1, Region 8, No. 1): Defeated 2015 state champion Colquitt County 49-21 in Moultrie last week in the quarterfinals
-- NOTABLE: Grayson leads series 1-0. The Rams won 24-6 in the first round of the 2014 Class AAAAAA playoffs in Hoschton. ... Grayson is loaded with seven potential Division I signees. Mill Creek has just one, OL Tyler Fannin, who is committed to Virginia. Mill Creek QB Cameron Turley has committed to Georgia Tech for baseball. ... The battle to watch in this one is the Mill Creek defense vs. the Rams offense. Mill Creek has allowed just 304 yards rushing this season (23.4 per game) while Grayson last week rushed for 373 yards. Grayson RB Kurt Taylor (Michigan-commit) rushed for 204 and Jamyest Williams (South Carolina-commit) ran for 103 on five carries. Grayson QB Chase Brice (Clemson-commit) gives them balance. Brice has thrown for 2,385 yards and 25 touchdowns. The Hawks allowed ZERO yards to McEachern in last week’s quarterfinals ... Turley, RB Joe Thomas, and WRs Edmond Graham and Ace Williams, will have to control the ball and keep the Rams offense off the field. ... The Grayson defense, however, yielded just 31 yards rushing against Colquitt County. ... The winner will play the Westlake-Roswell winner at 8 p.m. Sat. Dec. 10 at the Georgia Dome in the finals
CLASS AAAAA
The top two teams in the final poll, Stockbridge and Buford, are still on a collision course for a state finals matchup. Stockbridge is only undefeated team left in AAAAA. Buford is the only 1-loss team but that came against AAAAAAA No. 2 Roswell in the season-opener. Rome and Kell, both from Region 7, have just 2-losses each. ... After a rough second round for home teams, going just 4-4 in that road, the home teams righted the ship last week going 3-1, with only Kell netting a road win. ... All four teams left are in the top seven in offense and in the top 10 in defense in AAAAA. Rome has yielded the fewest points (138, 10.6 ppg) and scored the most (586, 45 ppg) of the four teams left. ... Rome, which plays host to No. 1 Stockbridge, is 8-0 at home while Stockbridge is 6-0 on the road in 2016. ... Stockbridge, Rome, and Kell each are looking for their first-ever state championship appearances. Meanwhile, Buford, which is playing host to Kell, is seeking its 10th straight state championship game. The Wolves are 9-0 in semifinal games during that streak.
KELL at BUFORD
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Tom Riden Stadium, Buford
-- RADIO: WDUN AM 550
-- KELL (11-2, Region 7, No. 3): Defeated Woodland (Stockbridge) 52-29 last week in the quarterfinals
-- BUFORD (12-1, Region 8, No. 1): Defeated Carrollton 34-27 last week in the quarterfinals
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two schools. ... Buford is in its 10th-straight semifinals spanning four classifications. Kell is in its first semifinals since 2013. Buford is 9-0 in the semifinals during its streak while the Longhorns are looking for their first-ever state championship appearance. ... Kell is one of two Region 7 teams (Rome) to make the semifinals and is the only No. 3 seed or lower still left in the entire GHSA playoffs. But, they were part of a three-way tie for the Region 7 championship with Rome and Carrollton. ... The key matchup will be the Buford offense (547 points, 42 ppg) led by perhaps the best junior RB tandem in the state in Anthony Grant (1,382 yards, 23 TDs) and Christian Turner (942, 16 TDs). Turner had a career-high 273 yards and 4 TDs last week. ... Kell’s strength is on defense allowing just 192 points (14.7 ppg) behind LB Solon Page, a Tennessee commit who has 111 solo tackles, 22 for losses. DL Ismail Dabdoub has 10 sacks. ... The Longhorns are tough road warriors going 7-1 away from home this season. Buford, however, is 9-0 at Tom Riden in 2016. ... The winner will play the Stockbridge-Rome winner at 4:30 p.m. Fri. Dec. 9 at the Georgia Dome in the finals.
CLASS AAAA
Only Woodward Academy, which lost to No. 1 Cartersville, did not make the final four as one of the top four ranked teams in the final poll. However, four region champs -- No. 1 Cartersville (Region 5), No. 2 Thomson (Region 3), No. 4 Jefferson (Region 8), No. 7 Mary Persons (Region 2) -- advanced to the semifinals. ... Defending AAAA state champion Cartersville is working on a school-record 28 game winning streak, only one of which was decided by less than 10 points. The Purple Hurricanes last loss was to Buford in the Class AAAA 2014 semifinals. ... The Hurricanes also are led by QB Trevor Lawrence, the nation's No. 1 recruit among juniors. ... The home team is 21-7 in the AAAA playoffs and 10-2 in the last two rounds. Jefferson pulled off the only road win in the quarterfinals with its win over Cairo. ... Cartersville and Thomson, who play host to the semifinal matchups, are 16-0 at home combined in 2016. ... Mary Persons is looking for its first state championship appearance since 1993. Thomson is looking for its first state championship berth since winning the AAAA title in 2002. Jefferson is looking for its first state championship berth since winning the 2012 AA title.
THOMSON at JEFFERSON
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: The Brickyard, Thomson
-- RADIO: 102.9 FM
-- JEFFERSON (12-1, Region 8, No. 1): Defeated Region 1 champ Cairo 17-13 last week in the quarterfinals
-- THOMSON (13-0, Region 3, No. 1): Defeated Region 2, No. 3 seed Spalding 30-7 last week in the quarterfinals
-- NOTABLE: Thomson leads series 7-2-2. The Bulldogs won 42-20 in Week 3 of the regular season. ... The two teams had not met since 1963 when they tangled back in September. Now, they will play for the second time in three months. ... The first meeting was closer than the score indicated with Thomson using its special teams to produce two kickoff returns for touchdowns, each time after a Jefferson score. The Bulldogs sealed the win with a sack of QB Bryce Moore and a scoop-and-score fumble return for a TD on the play in the fourth quarter. ... The Dragons are a different team since then with Fr. QB Colby Clark taking the reigns and they are undefeated (10-0) since then. Clark gives them another weapon in their power running game, something they did not have in the first meeting as the Bulldogs keyed on Jr. RB Colby Wood and limited the 2015 leading rusher in Georgia to just 49 yards and no touchdowns. ... The Dragons will need to contain Bulldogs leading rusher Michael Thomas, who had 182 yards and 3 TDs in the first meeting, though the Bulldogs ran for a season-low 192 yards overall in the first game. The Dragons finished with 127 rushing yards, their second-lowest total of the season. ... Also, something will have to give. Jefferson is 6-0 on the road while the Bulldogs are a perfect 8-0 at The Brickyard in 2016. Thomson’s last loss at home was to Buford in the quarterfinals of the 2015 playoffs. ... The winner will play the Cartersville-Mary Persons winner at 4:30 p.m. Sat. Dec. 10 at the Georgia Dome in the finals.
