Buford falls, but most favorites survive second round
The second round of the playoffs was expected to produce more upsets and top-10 carnage, but it didn't deliver much last week.
Well, Walton did beat Buford 42-35. That was noteworthy nationwide. It ended Buford’s 22-game win streak overall, 22-game win streak in second-round games, 16-game win streak in playoff games and 28-game win streak in home games against Georgia opponents. The Wolves were ranked in the top 10 of seven national polls and were No. 2 in one of them.
Otherwise, the favorites generally had their way. The Maxwell Ratings improved on its fine first-round playoff performance, when the computer picked 111 of 127 games correctly (87.4%). In the second round, Maxwell got 56 of 64 right (87.5%).
In addition to Walton, a 16-point underdog, Maxwell’s upset winners included North Gwinnett, Woodward Academy, Marist, Wayne County, Savannah Christian, Mount Pisgah Christian and Dooly County.
There were a few games that some people probably saw as upsets that the computer didn’t. Unranked Fellowship Christian, favored by 14, beat No. 8 (and preseason No. 1) Eagle’s Landing Christian 26-15 in Class 2A. It ended ELCA’s 12-game streak of reaching the quarterfinals, which had been second to Buford’s 22-year run.
Mount Pisgah was the biggest underdog to win. The Patriots beat Darlington, a 24-point favorite, 26-20 in Class A Division I.
Second to the Walton-Buford upset in significance was probably Wayne County’s 14-7 victory against No. 3 Perry in Class 4A. Wayne won as a 15-point underdog. The Yellow Jackets have gone to 10-2 from 0-9 under first-year coach Jaybo Shaw. The only other team in GHSA history to go from a full winless season to 10 victories was Monroe Area in 2012.
Also noteworthy were victories by unranked Savannah Christian over No. 5 Peach County 23-7 in 3A and Dooly County over No. 4 Charlton County 14-13 in A Division II. Peach fell short of the quarters for the first time since 2015.
Lee County’s streak of five quarterfinals also came to an end. Maxwell viewed Woodward’s 23-7 victory as an upset, though GHSF Daily had Woodward ranked No. 5 and Lee No. 9.
Only one team, St. Francis, made the quarterfinals for the first time. The Knights, in their 11th full varsity season, beat Trion 34-20. St. Francis (9-3) had won only one playoff game until this season.
Houston County is the only No. 4 seed remaining in any classification. The Bears advanced to the Class 6A quarterfinals with victories over previously unbeaten Brunswick in the first round and North Atlanta last week. Their success came as no surprise to Maxwell, which pegged the Bears as favorites in both.