Second-round preview: Classes 4A and 3A

Class 4A

*Eastside (10-1) at Perry (8-3): This is the only Class 4A second-round game between top-10 teams. No. 7 Perry is the defending Class 4A champion, but Eastside is ranked higher at No. 5. Eastside’s only loss came to second-ranked North Oconee 40-35. Eastside hasn’t been tested otherwise since an opening 26-15 victory over Newton of Class 6A. Eastside beat Hampton 42-0 in the first round. Jayden Barr rushed for 90 yards and three touchdowns. Committed to Georgia Tech, Barr has 1,223 all-purpose yards. Perry beat St. Pius 38-13 in the first round. Ahmad Gordon rushed for 103 yards, giving him 1,028 on the season and 3,199 in his career. Reid Ginn, coming off the bench, was 17-of-24 passing for 222 yards. Dacorrion Daniels had 66 rushing yards and 76 receiving yards. Perry has beaten three top-10 teams this season (Peach County, Ware County, Benedictine). Eastside has beaten none. This is the first meeting between the two.

*Kell (7-4) at Creekside (8-2): Creekside was the 2023 Class 5A runner-up but dropped off the radar a bit after losing to national power DeSoto, Texas, 70-0 in August. The Seminoles re-entered the rankings at No. 10 after winning their final seven regular-season games, none closer than 31 points. They beat Harris County 39-3 in the first round. Cayden Benson, the Region 8 offensive player of the year, passed for 115 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown. Kell, a playoff regular since 2008, is trying to make the quarterfinals for the first time since 2016. Kell has won three straight games after a 4-4 start. That includes a win over Cambridge, the team that just eliminated sixth-ranked Cedartown. Kell beat Hiram 48-31 in the first round. Moonie Gipson rushed for 152 yards, giving him a Class 4A-leading 1,656 on the season. Kaleb Narcisse rushed for 126. These teams have met twice, each winning once, in 2013 and 2015. The head coaches are well-acquainted as Kell’s Bobby May faced Creekside’s Maurice Dixon three times, winning twice, while May was at Westlake.

*Jones County (10-1) at Marist (11-0): Marist, ranked No. 1, beat No. 10 Warner Robins 47-25 in the first round after taking a 30-6 halftime lead. QB Jack Euart rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns. Marist rushed for 345 yards and five touchdowns on 54 carries and completed just one pass, for 25 yards. Marist did give up 358 yards passing. More air attacks are in the forecast with Jones County, which beat East Forsyth 51-21 in the first round. Devin Edmonds passed for 352 yards and four touchdowns. He’s thrown for 2,871 yards this season, third-most in Class 4A. Jones County, in the playoffs for the 11th straight season, can make the quarterfinals for the first time since 2021. Marist, a Class 6A semifinalist last season, can make the quarterfinals for the seventh straight season. The last time that Jones County beat a No. 1-ranked team was in 2014 (Northside-Warner Robins). This is the first meeting between these schools.

*Cambridge (9-2) at Central, Carrollton (9-2): Cambridge can make the quarterfinals for the first time in the program’s 13-season history. Central was a quarterfinalist last season. Cambridge started 8-0, then lost to Kell and Blessed Trinity to get the No. 3 seed from Region 6, but defeated No. 6 Cedartown 51-44 on the road in the first round. Weston Taylor, the Region 6-4A player of the year, was 23-of-38 passing for 446 yards and six touchdowns. Craig Dandridge had 173 yards receiving, and Hudson Cocchiara had 162. Tyler Blalock rushed for 133 yards. Central would’ve won Region 3 if not for a 38-35 loss to Starr’s Mill last month. The Lions beat M.L. King 62-19 in the first round. Four-star recruit Jonaz Walton rushed for 168 yards, giving him 1,271 rushing yards on the season. J.R. Harris passed for 212 yards, giving him 2,379 yards on the season. Alanson Simmons had six receptions for 122 yards and two touchdowns. This will be the first meeting between these schools.

*Jonesboro (8-3) at Blessed Trinity (9-1): Jonesboro lost early games to a Florida team, Douglas County and Central of Carrollton but righted itself with a 29-24 victory over then-No. 7 Starr’s Mill to steal Region 3’s No. 2 seed in the final week of the regular season. Jonesboro then beat Jackson of Atlanta 35-7 last week. Jonesboro's best all-around player is probably Jonatvius Wyman, who is committed to Georgia and excels as a receiver, cornerback, punt returner and sometimes wildcat quarterback. Cortez Redding is a safety and a top-300 national recruit. Jamon Jones has passed for 1,548 yards and 17 touchdowns. Isaiah Davis has rushed for 800 yards. Jonesboro is aiming to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2015. Blessed Trinity, ranked No. 4, allowed just 91 total yards in a 41-7 victory over Cass last week. Adrian Forbes and D.J. Jacobs had three tackles for losses apiece. Caden Dawson returned an interception for a touchdown. Ahmontae Pitts rushed for 110 yards and three touchdowns. Blessed Trinity has reached nine straight quarterfinals when not playing in Class 6A, which the Titans escaped this season after a two-year run. Blessed Trinity’s has lost only to Milton, the No. 1 Class 5A team.

*Benedictine (6-4) at Ola (11-0): Ola, fresh off its first playoff victory in history, is home against Benedictine, the school with more Class 4A playoff victories than any other the past 10 years. That includes state title wins in 2021 and 2022. This Benedictine teamm ranked No. 8, has been dinged up with region losses to Perry and Ware County and non-region losses to Buford and Rabun Gap. Benedictine beat Southwest DeKalb 35-13 in the first round. Benedictine intercepted six passes. Wyatt Estabrook intercepted three. Bubba Frazier rushed for 84 yards and three touchdowns. Frazier has 1,357 all-purpose yards in 10 games, the bulk of it receiving. Ola is 11-0, though a 14-10 loss to Stockbridge was overturned by forfeit, giving Ola its first region title. Ola beat Flowery Branch 37-0 in the first round. Caden Waye rushed for 198 yards. Cayden Hutson rushed for 103. Both are sophomores, as is starting quarterback Caden Worley. Ola allows 7.3 points per game, second-fewest in Class 4A. No unranked team has more wins than Ola’s 11. No team top-10 team has fewer wins than Benedictine’s six. This is the first meeting between these teams.

*Starr’s Mill (10-1) at Cartersville (11-0): Both were Class 4A semifinal teams last season, and both were on pace to finish 10-0 this regular season, but Starr’s Mill, at 9-0, lost to Jonesboro 29-24 on Halloween, sending the Panthers to the No. 3 seed. Starr’s Mill then beat Mays 32-24 on the road in the first round. Logan Inagawa rushed for a career-high 142 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries and passed for 60 yards. Starr’s Mill normally passes a bit more as Inagawa, a three-year starter, has thrown for 1,478 yards. Lincoln DeLaere has 791 receiving yards. Cartersville beat Westminster 37-22 in the first round after leading 30-0 at halftime and reached the second round for the 13th straight season. Nate Russell passed for 153 yards in limited time, bringing his season total to 1,881 yards. Brady Marchese has 847 receiving yards. Cartersville won a region title for the 11th time in 13 seasons this year, but it was tight, with victories over Cedartown 19-14 and Hiram 45-43.

*Ware County (6-5) at North Oconee (11-0): North Oconee has completed a 10-0 regular season for the third consecutive year. Ware County, two seasons removed from a Class 5A title, is a five-loss team, but all losses within 10 points, two against Florida teams, two against top-10 Georgia teams and one against New Hampstead after Ware had clinched the No. 2 seed from strong Region 1 behind Perry. Ware County beat Tucker 38-0 in the first round. Ware has a balanced offense led by Luke Hooks (1,672 yards, 20 touchdowns) and Jamir Boyd (593 rushing yards). North Oconee has won 27 straight home game and 11 straight home playoff games. North Oconee beat Eagle’s Landing 49-0 in the first round. Harrison Faulkner, in limited work, was 11-of-14 passing for 139 yards, giving him 2,484 on the season. J.T. Doster rushed for 111 yards. Landon Roldan, who is committed to Georgia, had two TD receptions against Eagle's Landing and has 1,120 receiving yards on the season.

Class 3A

*Oconee County (7-4) at Jefferson (8-3): This is a rematch of the teams’ Nov. 1 game in the regular-season finale. Oconee County won 32-30 in overtime to create a three-way tie (including Cherokee Bluff) for first place in Region 8-3A, although Jefferson emerged as the region champion after tiebreakers. Titus Watkins threw two touchdown passes to Mason Hall, one to tie the game 24-24 in the final minute of regulation and another for a 32-24 lead in overtime. Gavin Markey rushed for 199 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 72 yards and a touchdown for Jefferson, which is the No. 1 seed in the Class 3A field. Markey ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns and in Jefferson’s 45-6 victory over Monroe in the first round. He has 1,163 yards passing and 1,051 rushing for the season. Oconee County, the No. 17 seed, was tied with Westside of Augusta 14-14 at halftime last week but pulled away in the second half for a 31-14 victory to reach the second round for the sixth consecutive season.

*Luella (6-5) at Cherokee Bluff (10-1): Luella was the biggest underdog in any class to win its first-round game and, at No. 24, is the highest remaining seed in Class 3A. The Lions advanced with a 25-24 victory over sixth-ranked Westover, a 21-point favorite according to the computer Maxwell Ratings. Luella trailed 16-14 heading into the fourth quarter, scored the next 11 points and then held on. Luella has won three straight first-round games but is seeking its first trip to the quarterfinals in the Henry County school’s 22-year history. Cherokee Bluff, the No. 8 seed, reached the second round with a 28-7 victory over Region 8 rival Monroe Area, which had lost to the Bears 52-24 in the regular season. Brooks Brien was 17-of-20 passing for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He has thrown for 2,270 yards and 25 touchdowns this season. Cherokee Bluff is 3-0 in first-round games but has never advanced to the quarterfinals in its seven-year history.

*Upson-Lee (8-3) at North Hall (9-2): Upson-Lee is in the second round for the third time in five seasons but is seeking its first quarterfinal appearance since 1993. The Knights advanced with a 35-23 victory over Long County last week. Upson-Lee trailed 17-15 entering the fourth quarter but outscored the Blue Tide 20-6 down the stretch. Nicholas Wells passed for a season-high 229 yards and threw two touchdown passes to Akeondre Chaney, who had 152 yards on nine catches. Long County finished 7-4, the best season in school history. North Hall, the No. 5 seed, escaped the first round with a 21-14 overtime victory against Gilmer. Smith McGarvey threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Justin Allen for the lead in overtime, and Buddy Clark stopped Gilmer on fourth-and-one to preserve the victory. Gilmer, using a backup kicker after an injury to the starter, missed a 26-yard field goal on the final play of regulation. McGarvey was 25-of-39 passing for 244 yards and three touchdowns.

*LaGrange (8-3) at Sandy Creek (10-1): This is a rematch of the Aug. 30 game that was the Region 2-3A opener for both teams. Sandy Creek won 27-7 and went on to claim the region championship and the No. 4 overall seed in the playoffs. LaGrange finished third and is the 20th seed. Sandy Creek’s Amari Latimer rushed for a season-high 194 yards, had 49 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns in the first matchup. He has rushed for 1,083 yards this season, including 80 in a 48-23 first-round victory against Adairsville last week. Sandy Creek was a state champion in 2022 but lost to Monroe Area in overtime in the first round last year. LaGrange’s only points in the first game against Sandy Creek came on a 70-yard run by Malachi Render-Fannin on the Grangers’ first play from scrimmage. In last week's 48-6 victory over Lumpkin County, Render-Fannin rushed for 201 yards, giving him 1,650 rushing yards this season. QB Dylan Barber rushed for 144 yards against Lumpkin County.

*Baldwin (7-4) at Peach County (10-1): Baldwin, the No. 14 seed in its first season under coach Kevin Patterson, is in the second round for the first time since 2020 after a 26-24 victory over West Laurens, avenging a 28-14 loss to the Raiders 10 days earlier in a Region 4-3A game. In the rematch, West Laurens had a first-and-goal at the Baldwin 1-yard line in the final minute, but the Braves eventually forced an 18-yard field goal attempt, which was blocked by Brandon Whisby. Sadur Salahuddin ran for three second-half touchdowns to help the Braves rally from a 17-6 halftime deficit. Peach County lost in the first round last year for the first time since 2008, but the No. 3-seeded Trojans are back on track after a 56-33 victory over Chestatee last week. D.J. Hudson threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns, all 40 yards or longer. Zion Hudson had 144 receiving yards. Scott had 125 receiving yards. Ashton Barton rushed for 164 yards.

*Douglass (8-3) at Calhoun (8-3): Douglass has been a top-10 team all season, but a loss to Stephenson in the regular-season finale cost the Astros the Region 5-3A championship and dropped them to the No. 11 seed for the playoffs. They barely escaped the first round, beating Cairo 14-13. Cairo scored a touchdown with one second left to cut the lead to one. The Syrupmakers went for two and converted, but a penalty negated the play, and Douglass stopped the second attempt. Douglass is led by the 5-3A offensive player of the year, QB John Wilson, and defensive player of the year, DB Jontae Gilbert (committed to Georgia). Calhoun, the No. 6 seed, has won seven straight games since starting the season 1-3 with losses to higher-classification teams Creekview, Cartersville and Cambridge. The Yellow Jackets beat Spalding 31-6 last week, pulling away in the second half after leading 10-6 at halftime. Calhoun missed the playoffs last year but has won 23 consecutive first-round games dating to 2001.

*Jenkins (9-2) at Stephenson (8-3): Jenkins, the No. 10 seed, improved to 9-2 with a 28-14 victory over Northwest Whitfield in the first round. Junior Demetrius Holloway passed for two touchdowns and ran for 33 yards on five carries. The Warriors’ two losses this season came against Class 3A-A private No. 6 Calvary Day in overtime and Class 6A No. 9 Lowndes. Region 5-3A champion Stephenson, the No. 7 seed, escaped the first round with a 44-37 victory over Whitewater. Romando Craddock scored the winning touchdown on a 25-yard run with 2:30 to play. The Jaguars had gotten the ball when Donterious McKenzie forced a fumble that was recovered by Tyler Little at the Whitewater 45. Stephenson’s Jayden Johnson led DeKalb County in rushing during the regular season with 1,204 yards. Jenkins and Stephens were both quarterfinalists last season, Jenkins in 5A and Stephenson in 4A.

*Southeast Bulloch (9-2) at Harlem (10-1): Southeast Bulloch, seeded No. 18, picked up just its second playoff victory since 1973 when it won 35-9 at Heritage of Ringgold last week. Junior Colby Smith rushed for season highs in yards (214), touchdowns (three) and carries (35). He has 1,379 yards and 17 touchdowns for the season. The Yellow Jackets rushed for 308 yards on 52 carries as a team and attempted just three passes for 41 yards. Southeast Bulloch led 14-9 at halftime but pulled away in the second half. Harlem reached the 10-win mark for the second time in three years and second time in school history with a 27-13 victory over Cedar Grove. Flinn Martin rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Harlem led 20-7 at halftime, and a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Baylor Davis with 7:09 to play in the third quarter put the game out of reach. Harlem completed just three passes. Cedar Grove had won five of the past eight Class 3A championships.