Here’s a look at five things we learned from the first round of the high school football playoffs...
1. Defense leads the way into second round for most area teams
Yes, it is a cliche -- probably one nearly as old as the game itself -- but defense wins championships, and that certainly looked the case for area teams that took part in the first round of the state playoffs on Friday. Of the seven area squads that advanced -- Buford, Dawson County, Gainesville, Jefferson, Lanier, Mill Creek and Rabun County -- only one allowed more than 14 points from its opponent. And the one outlier, Dawson County, still made some big stops when necessary. For northeast Georgia’s programs the trick lies in doing that again this week in the second round against some teams that also know how to play defense. Lanier and Jefferson, in particular, face tough opposing defenses, as the Longhorns -- who are allowing just 8.3 points per game -- will face a Northgate team yielding just 6.5 points per contest. Meanwhile, Jefferson -- which is giving up 10.1 points per game -- will take on a Blessed Trinity squad allowing 8.8 per game. In other words two touchdowns could do it in what should be a pair of extremely tight battles.
2. Charlie Woerner flexes his muscles in playoff time
As hard as it may be to believe, Charlie Woerner did not enter the postseason as Rabun County’s leading receiver. That’s a testament not only to the Wildcats’ depth at the position but to the program’s improved ability across the board -- they didn’t need the Georgia-bound senior to be their leading receiver (as well as a top rushing option) this season, as he had in so many previous campaigns. Because it’s not like Woerner has faded in his abilities -- far from it. And he showed as much in the first round of the state playoffs on Friday, catching a team-high 8 passes for 186 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 49-14 win over Bremen. And it must be a comforting thought to the entire Rabun County program that it has someone of such ability and physical dominance to turn to in the heat of the postseason spotlight. Yes, the Wildcats have plenty other playmakers that will continue to shine in the playoffs, but you can expect Woerner to have a major impact on every game Rabun plays in the Class AA bracket.
3. Zack Boobas’ emergence can only mean good things for Dragons
Everyone in northeast Georgia knows about Colby Wood’s ability and his record-breaking exploits as Jefferson’s running back (2.027 yards rushing, 32 rushing TDs) so far this season. And now that the Dragons are in the playoffs, you can bet the competition will be well aware of it too and will do everything it can to slow the sophomore star. With that in mind, it’s a big plus for Jefferson to see another player stepping to the fore of late, one able to help spread the load and keep defenses from solely keying on Wood. That player is Zack Boobas. The junior running back is second on the team with 460 yards rushing and has elevated his game in the last two contests, rushing for 145 yards in the regular season finale against Hart County, and then leading the team with 189 yards on the ground in last week’s first-round defeat of Pepperell. Boobas’ work will force opposing defenses to pay attention to someone else and not allow them to relax should Wood not be in on the play -- and that can only be a good thing in the postseason.
4. Tucker Maxwell showing off AAAAAA ability at AAA level
All season the senior has shown off his abilities for the Tigers, displaying speed, precision and a pair of hands to make any quarterback drool. And as the level of competition has risen, so has Maxwell’s response. Just look at Friday’s performance in the first round of the playoffs, as he caught six passes for 224 yards and 4 touchdowns (that’s just over 37 yards per catch if you’re counting) in a 63-40 win over Ringgold. He also picked off a pass and returned it 27 yards to give him five total scores on the night. In short, Maxwell looked like a man among Ringgold’s boys. And that’s no shock considering he was good enough to play for Class AAAAAA Lambert from the beginning of his varsity career. And now that he’s in the playoffs, the rest of Class AAA is going to have plenty of fun (read, no fun at all) trying to slow down that top-level talent.
5. Buford looks set at quarterback for some time
Quarterback Mic Roof has done an impressive job for the Wolves this season, completing 70 percent of his passes for 1,136 yards and 12 TDs against just 3 interceptions. But, after Friday, it appears that Buford has two quarterbacks capable of leading the way. Roof won’t be looking over his shoulder, but, should he come down sick again -- as he did this past week -- he can rest assured that Will Westmoreland will be ready to take the reins. The sophomore played like a seasoned veteran in Friday’s first round playoff shutout of Fayette County, completing 4 of 6 pass attempts, including two touchdowns. It was quite a performance in an inaugural playoff appearance and should give coaches, players and fans plenty of confidence about the Wolves’ quarterback position both now and for the future.
FIRST ROUND STATE PLAYOFF SCORES FOR AREA TEAMS, NOV. 13
CLASS AAAAAA
Mill Creek 46, Northview 13
CLASS AAAAA
Allatoona 52, Winder-Barrow 3
Gainesville 25, Alexander 14
Lanier 27, East Paulding 13
CLASS AAAA
Buford 35, Fayette County 0
Carrollton 34, Stephens County 7
Sandy Creek 49, North Hall 0
CLASS AAA
Dawson County 63, Ringgold 40
Calhoun 34, West Hall 7
Jefferson 49, Pepperell 0
Sonoraville 49, East Hall 28
CLASS AA
Bowdon 56, Union County 55 OT
Rabun County 49, Bremen 14
SECOND ROUND PLAYOFF SCHEDULE FOR AREA TEAMS, NOV. 20
CLASS AAAAAA
Newnan at Mill Creek
CLASS AAAAA
Northgate at Lanier
Gainesville at Stockbridge
CLASS AAAA
Worth County at Buford
CLASS AAA
Spencer at Dawson County
Jefferson at Blessed Trinity
CLASS AA
Early County at Rabun County
CLASS A Public (first round)
Commerce at Charlton County
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/11/349940/5-things-what-we-learned-from-the-first-round-of-the-high-school-football-playoffs