Seven of the 12 northeast Georgia area teams managed to crack the first round barrier last week in the GHSA football playoffs.
All seven will find the going much, much tougher in the second round, however. Only two teams -- Buford in Class 5A, Rabun County in Class 2A -- will be at home as the other five face daunting road trips.
Dawson County and North Hall face perhaps the toughest challenges, taking on top-ranked teams Monroe Area and Cedar Grove in an insanely tough Class 3A bracket. Both area teams have punishing ground games and have played tremendous defense down the stretch but face two of the state's best offenses.
Commerce may not face the toughest matchup among area teams but it certainly will have the longest road trip. The Tigers head to Camilla -- 244 miles and over four hours from Tiger Stadium -- in a big Class A Public battle.
Habersham Central, fresh off its first playoff win since 2010, will try to keep things going in a Class 6A showdown with Creekview in Canton. Buford plays host to an underrated Kell squad in Class 5A while Rabun County plays host to Chattooga in Tiger.
And Riverside Military Academy, which collected its first-ever GHSA playoff win last week, heads to Roswell to take on Fellowship Christian in Class A Private.
You can listen to the North Hall-Cedar Grove game on WDUN 102.9 FM and you can listen to the Buford-Kell showdown on WDUN AM 550 beginning at 6 p.m. with the Tailgate Show.
For a look at all of the night's 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, game stories and video highlights. You can also check for scores and highlights on our Twitter feed: @FridayGameNight
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE FOR Nov. 16
(Games listed by classification and in alphabetical order of visiting team)
CLASS 6A NOTES
Did this classification show its weakness or its strength in the first round last week? Eight lower seeds advanced and took down three No. 1 seeds in Stephenson, Johns Creek, and Grovetown in the process. ... Three regions -- 1-6A, 2-6A, 6-6A -- swept through into the first round while 8-6A sent three teams through, including area team Habersham Central. Region 5-6A champ Creekside, which knocked off Gainesville, was the only team outside of those four regions to advance in the classification.
HABERSHAM CENTRAL at CREEKVIEW
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Creekview Stadium, Canton
-- RADIO: 99.3 FM
-- HABERSHAM CENTRAL (R8, S3) (7-4): Defeated Douglas County 35-0 in the first round
-- CREEKVIEW (R6, S1) (11-0): Defeated Pope 38-14 in the first round
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two schools. ... Both teams are in unfamiliar territory. Habersham has not been to the second round since 2007 while the Grizzlies won their first-ever playoff game last week after going 0-6 all-time in the playoffs until last week. ... Raiders QB Tre Luttrell continues to be the offensive spark in a very balanced attack. He has passed for 2,146 yards (25 TDs, 5 INTs) and rushed for another 759 yards. Habersham (33.0 ppg) is averaging 183 yards passing and 177 rushing. ... But it was the defense last week that opened eyes. The Raiders came in yielding 30.5 ppg but recorded their first shutout in the Benjie Harrison-era and the first since a 21-0 win over Winder-Barrow in 2010. They held Douglas County to just 156 total yards. ... Creekview will be the biggest offensive test they’ve had probably since facing Dawson County in the season opener. The Grizzlies are averaging 33.4 ppg behind Cade Radam, who has 1,656 yards rushing on the season. Creekview also is 2nd in Class 6A in defense allowing just 139 points (12.6 ppg) and only once, in a 36-35 shootout win over Harrison, did they give up more than 17 in a game this season.
-- NEXT: Winner of Lee County/Effingham County in quarterfinals
CLASS 5A NOTES
Regions 7 and 8 showed their dominance sweeping out Region 5 and 6 in the first round while Region 2 took 3 of 4 from Region 3. ... Only 5 lower seeds won across the classification but managed to bring down three No. 1 seeds in Banneker, Starr’s Mill, and Southwest DeKalb. ... Cedar Shoals will be the first Region 8-5A team to see if it can bring down two-time defending state champion Rome. The Jaguars are 7th in defense (144 points, 13.0 ppg) while Rome leads 5A in offense (593 points, 53.9 ppg).
KELL at BUFORD
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Tom Riden Stadium, Buford
-- RADIO: WDUN AM 550
-- KELL (R7, S2) (9-2): Defeated Carver-Atlanta 48-8 in the first round
-- BUFORD (R8, S1) (9-2): Defeated Miller Grove 35-14 in the first round
-- NOTABLE: Buford leads series 1-0. The Wolves won 28-16 in 2016 in the Class 5A semifinals. ... Buford has now won 20 straight first-round games going back to 1997 when the Wolves fell to Manchester 29-3 in the Class A playoffs that season. The Wolves also are 18-0 in second round games since 2000. Their last loss in the second round was to Washington-Wilkes (28-0) also in Class A. ... Meanwhile, Kell is into the second round for the 8th time in 9 seasons and is 4-3 in 2nd round games in that span. ... This should be a battle between two of the state’s best running backs in Buford’s Derrian Brown (1,544 yards) and the Longhorns’ Ebony Jackson, who rushed for 243 yards and four touchdowns last week. Kell churned out more than 400 yards on the ground last week. ... Neither team has given up much on defense. Buford is 6th in Class 5A allowing just 138 points (12.5) but 48 of that was put up by Class 7A Archer. Kell is 10th yielding just 171 points (15.5 ppg) with 35 of that coming against No. 1 Rome.
-- NEXT: Winner of Wayne County/Bainbridge in quarterfinals
CLASS 3A NOTES
The dominant regions really stepped forward in the first round. Region 4 swept out Region 1, led by perennial power Peach County. Regions 5 and 7 (GAC, Dawson County, North Hall) pushed through three teams each. However, the power teams all moved through as 7 of the 8 region champs (Crisp County the only one to fall) advanced. There were only 4 lower seeded teams that managed to get past the first round, including North Hall. Only Jefferson in the top 10 in both offense and defense did not make it out of the first round. ... 12 of the top 13 defensive teams are left and 12 of the top 15 offenses are still playing. ... The two best matchups in the second round both involve area teams. Dawson County heads to Monroe Area as a pair of top 7 offenses and a pair of top 8 defenses square off. In Panthersville, North Hall takes on Cedar Grove. Both offenses and defenses are in the top 4. ... A compelling potential upset could be Westminster at GAC. The Wildcats took down Jefferson on the road and are one of the better road playoff teams in the state over the past 10 years. ... Calhoun’s top-rated offense (48.7 ppg) will match up against the Lovett defense, which has allowed more points than any team left (247, 22.4 ppg).
DAWSON COUNTY at MONROE AREA
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Legion Field, Monroe
-- RADIO: www.northgeorgiasportslink.com
-- DAWSON COUNTY (R7, S2) (10-1): Defeated Haralson County 44-22 in the first round
-- MONROE AREA (R8, S1) (11-0): Defeated Pace Academy 38-22 in the first round
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two schools. ... This is one of the super matchups in the classification that could easily be a quarterfinal or semifinal matchup. But with the depth of Class 3A they meet in the second round. ... Monroe Area is one of just three unbeaten teams in 3A (Calhoun, Pierce County) and have been dominating opponents all year. Dawson County is one of just three teams with only one loss (Cedar Grove, Benedictine). ... There will be key matchups all over the field no matter who has the ball. The Tigers are 7th in 3A in offense (40.7 ppg) while the Hurricanes are 6th in defense (115, 10.4 ppg). Monroe is 5th in offense (42.6 ppg) while Dawson is 8th in defense (135, 12.2 ppg). ... Both teams offer punishing ground games. The Tigers piled up 591 total yards of offense last week behind Sr. QB Sevaughn Clark, who had 278 total yards (123 rushing, 155 passing) and 2 TDs. Ahmad Kamara had 174 yards and a TD. ... Monroe Area QB Chandler Byron has been near unstoppable all season and may be the single key element for both teams. Byron rushed for 236 yards and 3 TDs last week. He has 2,371 yards rushing on the season, third-most in the state. However, the Hurricanes also added a second 1,000-yard rusher last week in Jakia Thompson, who has 1,006 yards. ... Whichever defense, both have been ballhawks, can steal a possession or two may turn the tide. The Hurricanes are plus-6 in turnover ratio and have racked up 54 TFL (4.9 per game) on the season. The Tigers are plus-12 in turnover ratio and have 84 TFL (7.6 per game) on the season. ... However, the Hurricanes defense has shown some cracks over the past three weeks. After giving up just 53 total points with 4 shutouts in their 8 games they have yielded 62 points (20.6 ppg) in their last three contests. ... Dawson County has been susceptible to the big play and will have to keep Byron and Thompson from being able to run loose in the secondary.
-- NEXT: Winner of Jackson/Pierce County in quarterfinals
NORTH HALL at CEDAR GROVE
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Panthersville, Ellenwood
-- RADIO: WDUN FM 102.9
-- NORTH HALL (R7, S3) (9-2): Defeated Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe 41-6 in the first round
-- CEDAR GROVE (R5, S1) (10-1): Defeated Hart County 49-0 in the first round
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two schools. ... ... Cedar Grove is one of just three teams with only one loss (Dawson County, Benedictine). ... This, too, will be a tremendous clash on both sides of the ball. The Trojans are No. 4 in Class 3A, averaging 42.9 points a game. While the Saints have been anything but on defense in 2018 allowing a classification-low 77 points (7.0) The Trojans are fourth in points allowed (107, 9.7 ppg) while Cedar Grove is second in offense scoring 44.6 ppg. ... The North Hall defense may be the key. They have created 13 turnovers with 64 TFL and 16 sacks and have not allowed more than 21 in any game this season. If they can create some turnovers, they could have a great chance to pull the upset. North Hall is plus-6 in turnover ratio. ... The Trojans also are looking for their first win in the second round since 2012. The Saints have advanced to the quarterfinals or better in each of the last three seasons. ... Sr. HB Daniel Jackson (950 yards, 17 TDs) and So. HB J.T. Fair (835 yards, 8 TDs) offer a solid one-two punch for North Hall. However, Cedar Grove has 6 shutouts on the season. Saints’ WR/DB Jadon Haselwood was named the Region 5-3A player of the year.
-- NEXT: Winner of Benedictine/Westside-Macon in quarterfinals
CLASS 2A NOTES
The top of this classification proved to be stout as only three lower seeds managed to break through and all 8 No. 1 seeds advanced. Regions 1, 3, and 5 all sent three teams through to the second round. Region 2, 4, and 8 only got their region champions into the second round. ... There is plenty of quality in the second round in 2A as well as 9 of the top 10 offenses, led by Rabun County (547 points, 49.7 ppg), and 9 of the top 10 defenses, paced by defending state champ Hapeville Charter (42, 3.8 ppg), all advanced. ... Perhaps the most intriguing second-round matchup will take place in Rockmart as Bremen visits the No. 1-ranked Yellow Jackets. Bremen (9-2) is the only team to knock off No. 2 Rabun County while Rockmart is a perfect 11-0 and is 2nd in offense (530, 48.1 ppg) and 2nd in defense (61, 5.5 ppg) in Class 2A.
CHATTOOGA at RABUN COUNTY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Frank Snyder Stadium, Tiger
-- CHATTOOGA (R7, S2) (9-2): Defeated Washington 7-6 in the first round
-- RABUN COUNTY (R8, S1) (10-1): Defeated Spencer 65-0 in the first round
-- NOTABLE: Rabun County leads series 2-0. Both of the previous meetings came in the playoffs. The Wildcats won 49-6 in 2017 and 24-20 in 2014, both in Tiger. ... Rabun brings the classification’s No. 1 offense into this one, scoring 547 points (49.7 ppg). The Indians are allowing just 15.5 ppg and held a Washington team that came in averaging 35.3 ppg to just 6 points last week. ... Neither team has had much luck in the 2nd round traditionally. The Indians are just 1-11 all-time in 2nd round games. Their only win came in 2016 over Washington County. Rabun County is just 2-2 in the 2nd round in its playoff history. ... Rabun Fr. QB Gunner Stockton continues to show why he could become one of the area’s all-time best. He engineered the Wildcats’ largest-ever playoff margin of victory last week in his first-ever playoff game and has thrown for 2,469 yards and 31 TDs to just 5 INTs so far this season. ... Jr. WR Braxton Hicks (48-844 yards, 22 TDs) and Sr. WR Austin Jones (38-723 yards, 9 TDs) have been Stockton’s favorite targets but 8 different players have caught TD passes for the Wildcats in 2018.
-- NEXT: Winner of Fitzgerald/Swainsboro in quarterfinals
CLASS A PRIVATE NOTES
Four lower seeds won in the first round out of eight games, and two were Region 8-A teams (Riverside Military, Hebron Christian). Region 8-A has four teams in the second round. Only Region 5-A (5) has more. ... No. 23 seed Riverside Military may have the toughest road left by far with the potential of having to face the Nos. 7, 2, 3, and 1 seeds to win the title. ... No. 1 seed Athens Academy has a clear path to Mercedes-Benz Stadium potentially having to face just one top 4 seed and only two top 8 seeds to reach the finals.
RIVERSIDE MILITARY at FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Paladin Field, Roswell
-- RIVERSIDE MILITARY (No. 23 seed) (6-5): Defeated No. 10 seed George Walton in first round
-- FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN (No. 7 seed) (9-1): Bye in first round; lost 20-7 to Mt. Zion-Carroll on Nov. 2
-- NOTABLE: Riverside Military leads series 3-1. Fellowship won 28-0 in 2015. ... Old GISA foes, the Eagles knocked off the Paladins in their 2005 championship season. They split a pair of games in 2014 (RMA, 20-10) and 2015 in GHSA play. ... The Eagles are flying high after collecting their first-ever GHSA playoff win last week. They also have won 5 of 7 overall after a 1-3 start. The Paladins will be their 5th ranked team on the season and RMA has fared well going 2-2 in their first four, with both losses coming to Prince Avenue. ... The Paladins lead the state in rushing (337/ypg) behind So. Murphy Reeves (1,702 yards, 18 TDs) but also are prone to the turnover with 19 on the season so opportunities could be there for the Eagles. RMA is plus-3 in turnover ratio. ... The RMA offense is more balanced than Fellowship (271 rush, 127 pass per game) and has a slew of playmakers (Khalid Duke, Isaac Teasley, Jordan Battles) to turn to. ... Both defenses are in the middle of the pack statistically but the Eagles have shown they can stop power rushing teams. They held Commerce to just 19 points in a win and shut out the Bulldogs last week in the second half.
-- NEXT: Winner of Hebron Christian/Savannah Christian in quarterfinals
CLASS A PUBLIC NOTES
The south Georgia teams dominate the bracket as a whole with 12 of the 16 teams from south of Atlanta in Regions 1, 2, 3, and 4. Only Trion and Commerce are north of Greene County. ... Montgomery County (No. 18 seed) was the only lower seed to break through in the opening round in a brutally tough Public bracket. ... Commerce and Trion may have the toughest roads to The Benz with the prospect of having to face 3 of the top 4 seeded teams to win the title.
COMMERCE at MITCHELL COUNTY
-- WHEN: 7:30 p.m.
-- WHERE: Centennial Stadium, Camilla
-- COMMERCE (No. 9 seed) (9-2): Defeated No. 24 seed Seminole County 42-6 in the first round
-- MITCHELL COUNTY (No. 8 seed) (8-2): Bye in first round; lost 34-13 to No. 4 seed Pelham on Nov. 2 in the regular season finale
-- NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two schools. ... A long road trip for the Tigers (244 miles, over four-hour drive). ... The two teams’ are mirror-images of each other. The Tigers are 6th in points allowed (119, 10.8 ppg) while the Eagles are 7th in defense, allowing just 109 points (10.9 ppg). Both teams can score. Mitchell County is 10th in scoring (37.5 ppg) while Commerce is 11th (384, 34.9 ppg). ... Offense will be the key for Commerce. In the Tigers' 9 wins, they have averaged 39.0 ppg. In their 2 losses, just 16.5 ppg. ... However, in the Eagles’ two losses to power rushing teams (Brooks County, Pelham) they allowed 77 points (38.5 ppg). The Tigers are averaging just under 300/ypg on the ground behind a quadruplet of attackers on the ground with Nate Ray (89 carries, 661 yards), Sam Roach (116-574), DaJuan Wood (60-518) and Caleb Mason (55-491). ... Commerce is 2-1 in second round games under Michael Brown.
-- NEXT: Winner of Miller County/Irwin County in quarterfinals
