Could three be the charm for northeast Georgia teams in the semifinals of the Georgia High School Association football playoffs?
Three northeast Georgia teams forced their way into the semifinals last week with two taking huge road wins and another holding on at home in a wild shootout.
North Gwinnett held off a furious fourth-quarter charge by Marietta to advance in Class 7A, while Buford and Rabun County made long road trips worthwhile with impressive wins.
Only Jefferson saw its season ended, falling to Mary Persons in Forsyth in Class AAAA.
For Rabun County, it was the Wildcats’ first-ever quarterfinal victory after exploding for 35 second half points in a 56-14 rout of Screven County in Class AA. They will now get their first shot at a state championship berth against Brooks County in Tiger.
Buford, meanwhile, won its 10th consecutive quarterfinal game fighting back to knock off Stockbridge 20-17 to advance in Class 5A. The Wolves will get a rematch against Rome, which beat Buford in last year's 5A finals, on the road.
North Gwinnett won a 51-41 shootout over Marietta to move into its first semifinal since 2013 in Class 7A. The Bulldogs will take on McEachern at Tom Robinson Stadium in Suwanee.
It has been a wild playoffs overall as just three of the eight defending champions -- Eagles Landing Christian in Class A Private, Cedar Grove (AAA), and Rome (AAAAA) -- are still alive statewide.
For a look at all of the night's semifinals playoff contests 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 SEMIFINALS, DEC. 1
(Games listed by highest classification)
CLASS AAAAAAA
The state’s largest classification continued to show its depth as only two region champs -- North Gwinnett (Region 6) and Brookwood (Region 7) -- advanced to the semifinals. Region 3 No. 2 seed McEachern and Region 1 No. 3 seed Colquitt County moved through last week. ... Five of the last seven champions in the largest classification have come from Gwinnett (Grayson twice, Norcross twice, and Brookwood), and with Brookwood and North Gwinnett on opposite sides it’s possible to have the first all-Gwinnett final since 2013, when Norcross beat North Gwinnett. ... Colquitt County is looking for its third state championship berth in four years after winning the 2014 and 2015 titles. ... McEachern is in the semifinals for the first time since 2014, seeking its first state title. North Gwinnett also has never won a state title and is in the semifinals for the first time since that 2013 season. Brookwood is making its first semifinal since winning the 2010 state title. ... North Gwinnett has the longest active win streak in 7A at 12 after dropping its season-opener to Walton. ... Colquitt County, which travels to Brookwood, is looking for its 12th win on a region champion's home field in the playoffs since 2009, which is more than any other school in that span. The Packers also may have the best secret-weapon on the field in PK Ryan Fitzgerald, who hit four field goals, including a 60-yarder, in a 12-7 victory over Archer last week in the quarterfinals.
McEACHERN at NORTH GWINNETT
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Tom Robinson Memorial Stadium, Suwanee
-- McEACHERN (10-3, Region 3, No. 2 seed): Defeated Parkview 43-28 in the quarterfinals
-- NORTH GWINNETT (12-1, Region 6, No. 1 seed): Defeated Marietta 51-41 in the quarterfinals
-- NOTABLE: North Gwinnett leads the series 2-1. The Bulldogs won the last meeting 52-49 in 2014 in the Corky Kell Classic. ... It has a slight feeling of deja vu for the Bulldogs. They beat the Indians in the 2013 semifinals on the way to their second-ever state championship game appearance. ... North Gwinnett is 2-0 all-time in the semifinals while the Indians are 1-2 in the semifinals, making the 1998 finals before falling to Valdosta in the title game. Neither team has ever won a state title in football. ... The key matchup could be the Bulldogs ground game vs. the Indians run defense. McEachern gave up 201 yards last week to Parkview's Christian Malloy. North Gwinnett’s Jr. RB Tyler Goodson has rushed for 295 and 165 yards the past two games. The Bulldogs amassed over 300 yards rushing last week behind a strong offensive line that includes Georgia commit Warren Ericson (6-4, 317 pounds). ... The McEachern defense has allowed the fewest points of the semifinal teams (208, 16 ppg), but the Bulldogs are averaging 39.3 ppg. The Indians have not yielded more than 31 in any game this season. ... McEachern gave its fans a glimpse of the future turning to freshman QB Carlos Delrio-Wilson the last two weeks. He torched Lowndes County for 313 yards and 3 TDs but struggled last week while splitting reps with Malik Evans. The Bulldogs defense is giving up just 16.4 ppg on the season but has surrendered 69 points (34.5 ppg) in the last two rounds of the playoffs. McEachern is averaging 39.3 ppg in the playoffs after scoring just 28 ppg during the regular season. ... North Gwinnett Sr. QB Jimmy Urzua is a perfect 12-0 as a starter and has thrown for 2,108 yards in that span and 649 yards and 7 TDs in the playoffs.
-- WINNER PLAYS: Colquitt County (R1, S3) at Brookwood (R7, S1) winner in the championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium
CLASS AAAAA
One of just two classifications (AAA) that had four region champs advance to the semifinals, which should make for two blockbuster contests. Buford and Rome are restaging their 2016 state title matchup as the top two offenses and defenses in the classification. A stout Carver-Atlanta defense (14.2 ppg) will try to slow down a high-flying Warner Robins offense (37 ppg). ... Warner Robins is in the semifinals for the first time since 2011. The Demons are led by QB Dylan Fromm, brother of Georgia’s Jake Fromm, who has 3,233 yards and 33 TD passes, both school records. ... Carver is in the semifinals for the first time since 1968 but lost a coin flip for home field and has never won a road playoff game. ... Rome is in its second straight semifinals after making just one appearance in its first 24 seasons of play. ... Buford is making its 11th straight semifinals, a state record. Buford is 10-0 in the semifinals in that span. ... Home teams are 25-3 in AAAAA in the 2017 playoffs. Buford, however, snagged the only road win amongst 5A quarterfinalists last week.
BUFORD at ROME
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Rome
-- RADIO: WDUN AM 550; 1029 FM
-- BUFORD (11-1, Region 8, No. 1 seed): Defeated Stockbridge 20-17 last week
-- ROME (13-0, Region 7, No. 1 seed): Defeated Starr’s Mill 59-10 last week
-- NOTABLE: Rome leads series 1-0. Rome won 16-7 in the 2016 Class AAAAA state championship game. ... Rome, the defending AAAAA champion, is working on a 25-game winning streak. The 56 points was the sixth time they have hit that mark this season. Rome did a lot of damage on big plays last week with TD passes of 77 and 63 yards by QB Knox Kadum. WR/KR Xavier Roberts-Donaldson had the 63-yard TD catch and also returned a punt for a touchdown. ... Buford gave up a pick-6 on the first play of the game last week but the defense yielded just 10 points the rest of the way and hemmed in Stockbridge's ground-based offense, allowing just 98 yards rushing. PK Hayden Olsen had two FGs last week for Buford. ... Buford will have to try and solve a stout Rome defense, led by DE Adam Anderson (9.5 sacks), and Tennessee-commit DL Jamarcus Chatman, that gave up just 112 total yards to and 8 first downs the Wolves in last year’s finals. ... Buford will need to get a running game going behind seniors Anthony Grant (960 yards rushing) and Christian Turner (801) to give Fr. QB Aaron McLaughlin some help, though the freshman has made plays this season, passing for 1,713 yards and 16 TDs against 6 interceptions. Isaiah Isaac (30 receptions, 381 yards, 4 TDs) and Tyler Gillis (25 receptions, 374 yards, 8 TDs) have been his top two targets.
-- WINNER PLAYS: Carver-Atlanta (R6, S1) at Warner-Robins (R1, S1) winner in the championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium
CLASS AA
With defending champion Benedictine going down last week at the hands of Hapeville Charter, this classification is literally up for grabs. Rabun County is the only undefeated team remaining in AA. ... For all the offensive firepower of teams like Rabun (638, 49.1 ppg), Jefferson County (558, 46.5 ppg), and Benedictine (523, 40.2 ppg) the defenses were the key in the quarterfinals. The top three defensive teams left in AA -- Hapeville Charter (88, 6.7 ppg), Brooks County (122, 9.4 ppg), and Rabun County (125, 9.6 ppg) -- all moved through with only one team in the top 6 in offense, No. 1 Rabun County, advancing. ... After going 2-22 in the first two rounds, the road teams were a stunning 3-1 in the quarterfinals last week. Brooks County was the only home team that managed to move on. ... Three region champs -- Heard County (5), Hapeville Charter (6), Rabun County (8) -- and one No. 2 seed, Brooks County (1), advanced. ... Hapeville already is in its second semifinals in just its seven-year history. Meanwhile, Heard County (began play in 1972) and Rabun County (began play in 1949) both are into the semifinals for the first time in their histories. In fact, Rabun is the first school from the northeast Georgia mountains area to ever make the semis.
BROOKS COUNTY at RABUN COUNTY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Frank Snyder Stadium, Tiger
-- BROOKS COUNTY (12-1, Region 1, No. 2 seed): Defeated Callaway 31-0 last week
-- RABUN COUNTY (13-0, Region 8, No. 1 seed): Defeated Screven County 56-14 last week
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two teams. ... Brooks County has been here before but is 0-4 in semifinals since 2008. The Trojans won their only state title in 1994 beating Manchester in the Class A championship. ... It’s the first-ever semifinal appearance for Rabun County, which had been 0-4 all-time in the quarterfinals until last week. ... The Trojans have been tested in 2017. The Wildcats are the sixth ranked team, and third straight in the playoffs, that Brooks County has faced this season. The Trojans went 4-1 in the first five with their only loss to Thomasville (which lost in the quarterfinals). ... It doesn’t take much to find the key in this one. Sr. Rabun County QB Bailey Fisher has been unstoppable all season with 4,030 total yards and 64 combined TDs rushing (25) and passing (39). If the Trojans can’t slow him down it could be a long night for the visitors -- who are trekking 278 miles for the game. ... Screven County held Fisher and the Wildcats in check for part of the first half but Rabun still led 21-14. The Wildcats exploded for 35 second half points and finished with 523 total yards. ... The Trojans defense has been stout, posting their fifth shutout of the season last week. They held Callaway to just 51 total yards and minus-16 yards rushing on 24 carries and recovered three Callaway fumbles. ... Rabun County is plus-21 in turnover-ratio and has forced 32 turnovers (19 INTs, 13 fumbles). The Trojans are plus-6 in turnover-ratio and has turned the ball over just 10 times all season. ... The Trojans are averaging over 200 yards a game on the ground behind Sr. RB Jonathan White (1,029 yards rushing, 14 TDs), and quarterback Mac Perry is also a threat to run with 1,150 yards passing and 10 TDs against 5 interceptions, along with 319 yards rushing and 2 TDs.
-- WINNER PLAYS: Hapeville Charter (R6, S1) at Heard County (R5, S1) winner in the championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium
