Second-round preview: Classes 3A and 2A

Class 3A

*Crisp County (7-4) at Mary Persons (10-1): Crisp County has averaged 50.6 points in its past three games, including a 61-22 victory over then-No. 10 Thomasville. The Cougars beat Hephzibah 45-20 in the first round. Hagan Slimp, a sophomore, was 13-of-19 passing for 169 yards and three touchdowns. Deshaun Fedd had six receptions for 146 yards. Fedd has had more than 140 receiving yards in four of his past six games. Mary Persons, ranked No. 3, beat Long County 35-19 last week. Mac Nelson, a sophomore, passed for 215 yards and two touchdowns, both to Seth Davis. Duke Watson (committed to Louisville) rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns. He’s rushed for 1,627 yards this season. Mary Persons’ only loss was against Spalding, an 11-0 Class 4A team. These programs have faced each other twice, with Crisp County winning in 2020 and 2021 while in the same region.

*Bremen (9-2) at Cedar Grove (6-5): This is a rematch of the 2022 first-round game that Cedar Grove won 48-7. This Bremen team has four more victories than the one before it and beat White County 40-14 in the first round by forcing five turnovers and rushing for more than 300 yards. Leading rushers were Kaleb Booker (123 yards with one touchdown), Parr Folsom (110 with two) and Trent McPherson (71 with three). A.J. Sanders had three sacks. Cedar Grove, ranked No. 2, beat Hebron Christian 30-27. Cedar Grove led 30-13 in the fourth quarter and didn't give Hebron a possession to take the lead. Cedar Grove has won eight straight second-round games. Boden Walker (committed to Georgia) has rushed for 1,013 yards. Elliott Colson (committed to Central Florida) has passed for 1,915. Devin Carter has 668 receiving yards.

*Thomasville (6-5) at Calvary Day (11-0): Thomasville has a chance to beat a No. 1-ranked opponent for the third straight opportunity. The Bulldogs beat top-ranked Rabun County and Brooks County in 2021. In this year’s first round, Thomasville beat Harlem 36-29. The game was tied 29-all when Thomasville downed a punt at the 7-yard line, recovered a Harlem fumble at the 1 and scored in the final minute. Cam Hill was 12-of-15 passing for 240 yards, his highest total since the opener. Cole Shaw had two receptions for 152 yards. Ant Anderson rushed for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Calvary Day, ranked No. 1 and seeking its first state title, beat Jackson 48-0 last week, scoring all its points in the first half. Jake Merklinger (committed to Tennessee) was 13-of-13 passing for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Caden Arnold had 127 yards receiving.

*Wesleyan (8-3) at Stephens County (10-1): This is a rematch of a 2022 first-round game that Stephens County won 51-14. Wesleyan, the runner-up this season to Lumpkin County in Region 7, beat Ringgold 35-14 in the first round. Ben Brown was 20-of-29 passing for 295 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown. Jamie Tremble (committed to Syracuse) had six receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Stephens County, the Region 8 champion, can reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2005. The Indians beat Carver of Atlanta 31-13 in the first round. Javin Gordon rushed for 197 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries. Gordon has rushed for 1,503 yards and 20 touchdowns this season.

*Oconee County (5-6) at Lumpkin County (11-0): This is a rematch of the 2022 first-round game that Oconee County won 49-21. Oconee went on to reach the semifinals. This year’s team, significantly retooled, defeated Douglass 28-14 in the first round. Caiden Wood rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns and caught four passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Titus Watkins passed for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Lumpkin County, in its 63rd varsity season and ranked No. 5, has achieved its first region title, 10-0 regular-season and playoff victory this year. The Indians beat Gordon Lee 52-6 in the first round. Cal Faulkner passed for 178 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Mason Sullens rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Sullens' season total is 1,964 yards, fourth-most in the state.

*Savannah Christian (9-2) at Morgan County (10-1): Fourth-ranked Savannah Christian defeated Peach County 48-46 in four overtimes in the first round. In the last overtime, Peach County celebrated a fourth-down stop inside the 1-yard line, but officials huddled and ruled that Savannah Christian had called a timeout. Savannah Christian scored on the next play. Blaise Thomas passed for 203 yards and two touchdowns. Kenry Wall had 138 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 18 touches. Zo Smalls rushed for 83 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. Morgan County beat Monroe 35-14, ending a seven-game losing streak in first-round games. Jaydon Dorsey rushed for 111 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. He’s run for 1,213 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. Starting quarterback Talan Fuller was injured, but backup QB Davis Strickland has almost as many passing yards this season. A victory would put Morgan County in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1990. Savannah Christian can make the quarters for the 11th time since 2009, all of that except last season in Class A.

*Gilmer (7-4) at Monroe Area (7-4): Both won road games as underdogs last week. Gilmer beat Region 6 champion Adairsville 35-28, scoring the winning touchdown in the final two minutes. Gilmer rushed for 310 yards and five touchdowns and attempted only three passes. QB Issac Rellinger rushed for 106 yards. It was Gilmer’s first playoff victory since 2013. Monroe Area beat defending Class 3A champion Sandy Creek 24-21. Ricky Vladivanos kicked a 39-yard field goal on the game’s final play after missing from 49 and 44 but moving closer each time after Sandy Creek penalties. Dylan Hamby was 9-of-11 passing for 161 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 60 yards. Darrion Manuel has rushed for 1,523 yards this season. A victory would put Morgan County in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2018. Gilmer hasn’t made the quarterfinals since a 1956 semifinal appearance. That represents the most seasons without a quarterfinal berth of any team in the second round.

*Upson-Lee (9-2) at Carver-Columbus (8-3): This is a rematch of the 2022 first-round game that Carver won 39-0. Upson-Lee has doubled its victory total while allowing half the points it did in 2022. In the first round, Upson-Lee beat Savannah Country Day 46-45, scoring three touchdowns and three two-point conversions in the fourth quarter to overcome a 45-22 deficit. Ja’Quan Bentley rushed for 91 yards, giving him 1,397 on the season, but the biggest offensive performance came from sophomore Niko Wells, who passed for a school-record 346 yards and three touchdowns. In only his second season of playing quarterback at any level, Wells had never thrown for more than 159 yards in a game. Carver beat Richmond Academy 40-2 last week and seeks its fourth straight quarterfinal berth. Jacobie Hunter was 12-of-17 passing for 245 yards and three touchdowns. De’Ante Childs rushed for 114 yards. He has run for 1,522 yards this season.

WRITTEN BY CHIP SAYE

Class 2A

*Fitzgerald (8-3) at Spencer (8-3): Fitzgerald, ranked No. 10, reached the second round for the sixth consecutive season with a 38-7 victory over Putnam County. The Purple Hurricane rushed for 349 yards. Tyson King had 108 yards rushing on three carries. Wilson Davis was 7-of-8 passing for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Fitzgerald has played in three straight state championship games, winning in 2021. Region 2 champion Spencer won a playoff game for the first time since 2015 when it defeated Vidalia 41-34 last week. Gary Gaither passed for 217 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score. He has 2,152 passing yards for the season. Gaither’s favorite target is Demarcus Horne, with 819 receiving yards. Justyn Williams (149) and Deandre Witherspoon (119) combined for 268 yards rushing and four touchdowns last week. Dray Duncan had a game-sealing interception. This will be the first meeting between these teams.

*Model (7-3) at Callaway (8-2): Model, a No. 3 seed, is one of three teams still alive from Region 7 (champion Rockmart and runner-up North Murray are the others). The Blue Devils are in the second round for the first time since 2020 after a 21-8 victory over Therrell. Model trailed 8-7 midway through the second quarter after a Therrell safety but reclaimed the lead with a touchdown just before halftime. Jake Sanders ran for one touchdown and passed for another. Callaway, ranked No. 5, beat upstart Providence Christian 49-7 in the first round and is one win away from its eighth straight trip to the quarterfinals. Cam Tucker scored five touchdowns (three receiving, two rushing) on just seven touches that went for 180 yards. He also had two sacks on defense. DeShun Coleman passed for 206 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score. The Cavaliers have won eight straight since a 21-13 loss to Class 4A Troup on Sept. 1.

*Laney (8-2-1) at Pierce County (10-1): Laney is 22-10-1 in three seasons under coach Ronnie Baker after going 1-8 the year before his arrival. The Wildcats led Worth County 52-14 at halftime last week and went on to a 67-31 victory, their first playoff win since 2013. Javaris Harris had touchdown runs of 66, 65 and 53 yards and threw a TD pass. Laney has won seven consecutive games since a 1-2-1 start. Third-ranked Pierce County beat ACE Charter 42-7 to reach the second round for the eighth straight year. Quarterback Caden McGatha rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns, putting him right at 1,200 yards for the year. He attempted just four passes, completing two for 41 yards, but he has thrown for more than 1,500 yards this season. The Bears led 21-7 after the first quarter, scoring touchdowns on a fumble return and an interception return.

*North Murray (8-3) at Fellowship Christian (9-2): North Murray ended a three-year losing streak in first-round games with a 35-12 victory over South Atlanta. Skyler Williams completed just five passes, but two went for touchdowns, including one to Hudson Hulett for 55 yards on the first play of the game. Williams has passed for 2,342 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. Judson Petty was the Class 2A leader (and No. 2 overall in the state) with 1,214 receiving yards in the regular season. Fellowship Christian has won five consecutive region titles, and a win this week would put the Paladins in the quarterfinals for the sixth straight year. In a 42-14 victory over Redan last week, Josh Milhollin scored four touchdowns, two on receptions, one on a punt return and another on an interception return. C.J. Givers, a 1,000-yard rusher, was held to 39 yards but scored two touchdowns.

*Union County (8-3) at Rockmart (9-2): Region 8 runner-up Union County beat Eagle’s Landing Christian 24-17 last week to reach the second round for the second consecutive season. Union County led 24-10, gave up a late touchdown, then stopped a late ELCA possession. Caden Tanner passed for 229 yards and a touchdown and ran for 84 yards and a score. Brayden Rader ran for 122 yards and a touchdown. Sixth-ranked Rockmart has won seven consecutive region championships and is 2-3 in second-round games in that stretch. The Yellow Jackets beat Washington 28-0 last week. Calliyon Thompson was 14-of-15 passing for 223 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 32 yards and a TD. Rockmart was held to 82 yards rushing but usually gets about 57% of its yardage from the running game. This will be the first meeting between these teams.

*Toombs County (10-1) at Thomson (10-1): Fourth-ranked Toombs County, in its first season under coach Buddy Martin, beat Southwest 64-6 to reach the second round for the first time since 2019. Dabvn Walley ran for a season-high 175 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries. T.J. Stanley passed for 201 yards, giving him 1,899 for the season, and two touchdowns. The Bulldogs are giving up just 8.5 points per game and have held seven opponents to six points or less. Thomson is the defending state champion and No. 1-ranked team. The Bulldogs advanced to the second round for the ninth straight season with a 40-0 victory over Jeff Davis. Anthony Jeffery ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. He has three 100-yard games this season, all in the past four weeks. Jahkiaus Jones passed for 125 yards and a touchdown and ran for 25 yards.

*Columbia (8-3) at North Cobb Christian (9-2): This is a rematch of last year’s first-round game, which North Cobb Christian won 14-6. Columbia advanced to this year’s game by putting up a staggering 659 yards rushing (674 total) in a 53-26 victory over Athens Academy. Lamaze Williams ran for 300 yards and five touchdowns on 23 carries, and Jadan Baugh had 295 yards and two scores on 13 carries. Those two players combined for four yards on two carries in last year’s game but are both over 1,200 yards this season. North Cobb Christian completed just four passes against Columbia last year but is more inclined to pass this season. Freshman Teddy Jarrard threw for 180 yards in a 33-27 victory over Fannin County in the first round and has 1,987 yards and 18 touchdowns for the season. North Cobb Christian is a region champion for the first time in the program’s 17-year history.

*Appling County (9-2) at Cook (9-2): Second-ranked Appling County is one of three champions from Region 3 (Pierce County and Toombs County are the other two) but was relegated to the No. 3 seed by a blind draw. The Pirates beat seventh-ranked Northeast 49-0 last week, and a victory against Cook would put them in their fourth consecutive quarterfinal. Jamarion Williams (17 carries, 102 yards, two TDs) and Trent Griner (14-100-1) reached 100 yards rushing last week. Dayson Griffis was 3-of-5 passing, but all three completions went for touchdowns covering 155 total yards. Cook, ranked No. 9, is a region champion for the first time since 2014. The Hornets reached the second round with a 25-14 victory over Washington County. Drew Folsom was 16-of-24 passing for 234 yards and three touchdowns, putting him over 2,000 yards for the season. Keshun McKever leads the running game with more than 1,100 yards. Cook leads the series 11-8-1.