As rough as the first round of the playoffs was for Northeast Georgia area teams, the second round made up for it.
Five of the six teams advanced to the quarterfinals.
Buford demolished Lowndes County in Class 6A, Jefferson hammered Oconee County in Class 3A, and Cherokee Bluff and North Hall held off their opponents to advance.
The quarterfinals bring some massive matchups, including Buford playing rival North Gwinnett for the first time since 1999, Cherokee Bluff and Jefferson teeing it for the second time this season at Memorial Stadium, and North Hall facing a red-hot LaGrange team at The Brickyard.
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE FOR Nov. 29
(Games listed in alphabetical order of visiting team)
CLASS 6A
NORTH GWINNETT at BUFORD
Records: Bulldogs (12-0, Region 7, Seed 1); Wolves (11-1, R8, S1)
Last week: North Gwinnett beat Newton, 24-10; Buford beat Lowndes, 42-7
Where: Tom Riden Stadium, Buford
Radio: WDUN AM 550
Time: 7:30 p.m.
The Statisticals: It’s the first meeting since 1999. Buford leads the series 22-5-1 and beat the Bulldogs, 26-7 on Sept. 10, 1999. North Gwinnett’s last win in the series came at Tom Riden Stadium in 1998, a 21-6 victory. Buford left no questions, dominating Lowndes County 42-7 to advance ... RB Justin Baker rushed 10 times for 105 yards and three TDs to lead the Wolves in the win. QB Dayton Raiola was 5-of-12 for 159 yards and one TD. Newton gave the Bulldogs all they could handle last week and were only down 17-10 after the third quarter. The Bulldogs scored a TD in the fourth to preserve the win. RB Tommy Lafayette rushed for 188 yards, while QB Ryan Hall rushed for 86 yards and passed for 92 with a rushing and passing TD... Buford is seeking their first trip out of the quarterfinals since the 2021 season, the last time the Wolves won the state championship … North Gwinnett is looking for its first trip to the semifinals since 2019. This could be a game of which defense cracks first, as both teams held their opponents 30 points under their average last week. The Wolves typically have the edge on talent, but this game features Power 4 talent on both sides.
What to watch for: Which defense cracks first? With both teams scoring an average of over 38 points per game and both defenses playing well, something has to give … The Wolves are giving up just over 10 ppg, while the Bulldogs have given up 12. The Bulldogs' defensive stats are impressive, racking up 188 tackles for a loss, 47 sacks, 91 QB hurries, forced 19 interceptions and 11 fumbles. On the flip side, the Wolves' stats are pretty good as well, posting 68 tackles for the loss, 26 sacks, 62 QB hurries, 12 interceptions and 10 forced fumbles … Offensively, the Bulldogs favor the rushing attack, with three running backs with 200 or more rushing yards this season, including leading rusher Tommy Lafayette (121-788 yards and 11 TDs) … the Wolves also favor the rushing attack with four backs rushing over 400 yards, led by Justin Baker (93-889 yards, 11 TDs), and Ethan Ervin (79-650 yards, 6 TDs) … and both QBs Buford’s Dayton Raiola (96-for-165, 1,717 yards, 18 TDs, 3 INT) and North Gwinnett’s Ryan Hall (127-for-198, 1,851 yards, 24 TDs, 3 INT) can make plays downfield…
CLASS 3A
CHEROKEE BLUFF at JEFFERSON
Records: Bears (11-1, No. 8); Jefferson (9-3, No. 1)
Last week: Cherokee Bluff beat Luella, 21-14; Jefferson beat Oconee County, 42-6
Where: Memorial Stadium, Jefferson
Radio: FM 102.9 WDUN
Time: 7:30 p.m.
The Statisticals: Second meeting this year. Bluff held off Luella at home last week to advance to the program’s first quarterfinal. Jefferson handled Region 8-3A foe with ease at Memorial Stadium. The two Region 8-3A foes met back on Oct. 25 at Memorial Stadium … The Dragons handed the Bears their only season loss, 35-7, holding them to 156 total yards … The Dragons are giving up six points per game in the playoffs while averaging 43.5 … The Bears are giving up 10.5 ppg while averaging 24.5. Bluff scored on a third-quarter TD pass from Brooks Brien to KT Thompson to go ahead and hold on ... Meanwhile, Jefferson avenged the Nov. 1 loss to Oconee County behind QB Gavin Markey .. Markey rushed for 206 yards, passed for 75, and had four total TDs in the first game vs. Bluff.
What to watch for: Cherokee Bluff’s offense vs. Jefferson’s defense … In the first meeting, the Dragons held the Bears to 19 total yards in the first half – 156 for the game. They also forced two interceptions. If the Bears are going to have any success, they’ll need to crack possibly the best box in Class 3A on Friday … Linebackers Max Brown and Rett Hemphill have combined for 225 tackles, 20 for a loss and five sacks. DL Kelan Butler is also a pain, recording 74 tackles, 10 TFLs and five sacks … The Bears’ rushing attack, which only mustered 45 yards in the first meeting, will need to be more productive to keep the Dragons’ defense off-balanced possibly.
LAGRANGE at NORTH HALL
Records: Grangers (9-3, No. 20); Trojans (10-2, No. 5)
Last week: LaGrange beat Sandy Creek, 38-22; North Hall beat Upson-Lee, 27-20
Where: The Brickyard, Gainesville
Radio: 94.5 FM The Lake
Time: 7:30 p.m.
The Statisticals: First-ever meeting. It’s the second straight Region 2-3A opponent for the Trojans, as they knocked off the region’s No. 2 last week. The Grangers have been red hot since the playoffs, beating region foe Sandy Creek, ranked as high as No. 1 most of the season, last week. They also hammered Lumpkin County in the first round, 48-6, a team North Hall struggled to beat during the regular season … Grangers' RB Malachi Fannin-Render has been key in the playoffs, rushing for 224 yards on 29 carries and three touchdowns last week. He had 192 yards rushing on 17 touches and three TDs vs. Lumpkin County in the first round ... But the Trojans have found a way to continue winning in the playoffs dramatically, in OT in the first round and a late rally past Upson-Lee last week, which would make them hot as well … Smith McGarvey was 15-of-25 passing for 210 yards passing and two TDs ... Cole Cable led the receiving effort with three catches for 96 yards, including the game-winning 84-yard TD pass ... For the first time since 2012, they have won 10 games and made it out of the second round ... The Trojans are 16-2 in playoff games at home ... The Grangers also made it out of the second round for the first time since 2008 …
What to watch for: North Hall’s defense vs. LaGrange’s offense. The Grangers are averaging 43 ppg in the playoffs against higher-ranked opponents … the Trojans have given up 17. It’ll be the largest test for the Trojans’ defense this season against the brutal rushing attack of the Grangers … the Trojans’ front seven is physical and can get in the backfield, pressuring the QB 82 times, 49 tackles for a loss and 19 sacks … Parker Carlton has led the pressure with 84 tackles, three for a loss … Dawson Reed, Dalton Hulsey, Charlie House and Matthew Arceo have combined for 193 tackles and 41 QB hurries.
