Second-round preview: Classes 5A and 4A
Class 5A
*Ware County (8-3) at Warner Robins (8-3): This is a rematch of the 2022 Class 5A championship game won by Ware County 38-13. These teams have played each other each of the past four seasons, each winning twice. In the 2022 title game, R.J. Boyd rushed for 138 yards. He’s back this season and ran for 90 yards in Ware County’s 49-0 victory over Decatur in the first round. Luke Hooks threw two TD passes. Ware led 42-0 and halftime and advanced to the second round for the 17th consecutive season. Warner Robins beat McIntosh 48-15 last week. Judd Anderson, who is committed to Miami, was 18-of-22 passing for 302 yards and four touchdowns, two each to Isiah Canion and Cam Flowers. Canion has 1,057 yards receiving this season. Anderson had thrown for 2,454 yards.
*Dalton (8-3) at Creekside (10-1): Dalton beat No. 8 Greater Atlanta Christian 39-17 last week as part of a Region 7-5A sweep in the first round. Adriel Hernandez rushed for 171 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. He’s run for 1,330 yards this season. Bubba Tanner had six receptions for 180 yards and a touchdown. Creekside, ranked No. 2, beat Flowery Branch 63-6 to advance to the second round for the sixth straight season. Roderick McCrary rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns. He’s run for 1,463 yards this season. Vinson Berry was 11-of-13 passing for 161 yards. He’s thrown 32 TD passes. Shane Kelley had seven receptions for 140 yards, giving him 847 yards on the season. Creekside’s only loss is to national power Mater Dei of California.
*Statesboro (4-7) at Harris County (10-1): Statesboro won its first playoff game since 2013 last week with a 49-28 victory over Tucker. Kamron Mikell, a top-100 national prospect and one of the state’s fastest players, rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries and was 6-of-16 passing for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Harris County is ranked No. 10 and achieved the first 10-win season in program history, which dates to 1956, with its 42-20 victory over Ola last week. Mataye Youman rushed for 200 yards and four touchdowns. He’s rushed for 1,294 yards this season. Harris County can make the quarterfinals for the first time since 2012 and second time in history with a victory. Statesboro last made the quarters in 2010.
*Hiram (9-2) at Jefferson (11-0): Hiram, ranked No. 7, beat Cambridge 31-24 after leading 24-7 at halftime last week. Kaden Hamilton rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Hamilton has rushed for 1,057 yards this season. Hiram was just 1-of-5 passing, though the line completion went 54 yards for a touchdown to Southern Cal-committed tight end Walter Matthews. Hiram has never reached a state quarterfinal. Jefferson, ranked No. 3, beat Jackson of Atlanta 48-14 in the first round. Gavin Markey was 8-of-15 passing for 206 yards and four touchdowns, three to Zay Minish. Sammy Brown, committed to Clemson as a linebacker, rushed for 92 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries. Brown has rushed for 1,542 yards this season. Jefferson has never played Hiram but lost to Hiram’s region rival, Cass, in last year’s first round.
*Eastside (8-3) at Cartersville (11-0): Fourth-ranked Cartersville beat Centennial 40-0 last week for its 12th straight first-round victory. The Purple Hurricanes are 8-3 in the second round in that time. Nate Russell passed for 158 yards and two 48-yard touchdowns. Cartersville is usually more of a running team. Khristian Lando has rushed for 960 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. Eastside beat Chapel Hill 38-14 last week. Sophomore QB Payton Shaw passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns, both season highs. Michael Kenon had five receptions for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Eastside has reached the second round five of the past 10 seasons and made the quarters twice. Eastside’s last victory over a top-10 team in the playoffs came in 2009 against Jackson.
*Jenkins (4-7) at Dutchtown (6-5): Dutchtown was a 2022 semifinal team. This season, the Bulldogs have lost four games by seven or fewer points, another by 14 points, all against teams still in the playoffs. In the first round, Dutchtown beat Northgate 42-31 after trailing 31-28 entering the fourth quarter. QB Michael Johnson was 6-of-11 passing for 97 yards and rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns, one a 66-yarder, on six carries. Jayden Hollis returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Jenkins, survivor of an even more brutal schedule, upset region champion Arabia Mountain 14-13 in the first round largely on defense. Lorenzo Cowan, who is committed to Kentucky, had three sacks and a tackle for a loss. Jeremiah James had 12 tackles, two sacks and 94 yards from scrimmage on offense. Sylvester Harris returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown. Jenkins has played the toughest schedule in Class 5A. Opponents include No. 1-ranked Benedictine and Coffee along with Carrollton and Ware County.
*Cass (6-5) at Mays (7-4): This is a rematch of a 2022 second-round game that Mays won 34-27. Mays scored the winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter after trailing 27-26. In last week’s first round, Cass defeated No. 6 Kell 28-14. A year ago, Cass beat No. 4 Jefferson in the first round. Based on rankings, those were the biggest first-round upsets the past two years. Cass is led by Brodie McWhorter (1,796 passing yards), Devin Henderson (1,043 rushing yards) and Sacovie White (1,210 receiving yards). Mays beat Loganville 65-7 in the first round while rushing for 317 yards and six touchdowns on 30 carries. Mays also returned three interceptions for touchdowns against Class 5A’s leading passing team. Mays started 1-4 but has won six straight games and has shut out four opponents and held four others to two touchdowns or fewer.
*Jones County (8-3) at Coffee (11-0): No. 1-ranked Coffee is seeking its seventh quarterfinal in the past 10 seasons. Jones County is seeking its sixth. Coffee beat Chamblee 56-0 in the first round. Fred Brown rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Maurice Hansley passed for 160 yards. Coffee has shut out five opponents and not allowed a touchdown in a competitive game since Sept. 8. Jones County beat Northside of Columbus 42-21 in the first round. Devin Edwards was 15-of-18 passing for 302 yards and five touchdowns. Tyler Stewart had six receptions for 161 yards and three touchdowns. Zion Ragins, a wide receiver, rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown on four carries.
WRITTEN BY CHIP SAYEClass 4A
*Troup (9-2) at Spalding (11-0): Troup, a semifinalist last year but a No. 3 seed this season, defeated Cairo 14-10 last week. Cairo drove deep into Troup territory twice in the final nine minutes, but interceptions in the end zone by Jayland Reed and Tyreon Smith ended the threats. Noah Dixon scored both Troup touchdowns. Quarterback Logan Sinkfield, who became the starter when original starter Taeo Todd was lost to a season-ending injury earlier this year, left the game with an injury in the fourth quarter, and his status for this week is undetermined. Fourth-ranked Spalding, the Region 2 champion, is 11-0 for the first time in school history after beating Wayne County 34-21. Spalding scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns after trailing 21-14. Dwight Terrell ran for 105 yards and a touchdown, and Cedric Evans caught two touchdown passes. Wayne County’s Matthew Fuller, the leading rusher in 4A during the regular season, ran for 249 yards and three touchdowns to finish the year with 2,086 yards and 27 TDs.
*Westminster (8-3) at Stockbridge (9-2): Westminster won a playoff game for the first time since 2018 when it beat Heritage of Ringgold 27-17 last week. A 32-yard field goal by Will Simpson and a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown by Lane Healy gave the Wildcats a 10-0 midway through the second quarter, and Heritage never got closer than seven points. Heritage has made eight straight playoff appearances but hasn’t advance since 2016. Sixth-ranked Stockbridge built a 41-0 halftime lead against North Hall last week and went on to win 48-0. Jayden “Duke” Scott ran for 179 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 1,666 yards and 28 TDs for the season. Cobey Thompkins passed for 131 yards and three touchdowns and had 47 yards and a touchdown rushing. The Tigers have outscored their opponents 447-56 since opening the season with losses against undefeated, higher-classification teams Colquitt County and Douglas County.
*LaGrange (9-2) at Benedictine (11-0): Tenth-ranked LaGrange, the No. 2 seed from Region 4, reached the second round for the third time in four years with a 45-6 victory over Westover. Malik Kemp threw two touchdown passes to Steven Hill and scored on an 18-yard run. Malachi Fannin-Render, back in the lineup after tearing his ACL in the spring, scored a first-quarter touchdown. The Grangers forced four turnovers, three in the first half as they built a 35-0 lead. Top-ranked Benedictine is the two-time defending state champion, and the Cadets’ 41-0 victory over Baldwin last week was their 11th consecutive playoff win. Luke Kromenhoek (committed to Florida State) passed for 256 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 31 yards and a TD. Na’Seir Samuel ran for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Wilkes Albert had 10 tackles and two tackles for losses.
*Cedartown (8-3) at North Oconee (11-0): This is a rematch of last year’s semifinal game that Cedartown won 28-20. The Bulldogs led 21-7 in the third quarter, and North Oconee never got closer than the final margin. Cedartown advanced to this year’s second round with a 21-7 victory over Holy Innocents’. Juelz Davis rushed for 145 yards on 15 carries. Tae Harris ran for 55 yards, had 12 tackles and scored two touchdowns, one on a fumble return. No. 2 North Oconee is the only team remaining from 8-4A, the state’s largest region. Last week, the Titans fell behind Pace Academy 6-0 in the first quarter but scored the game’s next 52 points in a 52-13 victory. Max Wilson passed for 166 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 135 yards and a TD. Wilson threw for 161 yards and ran for 42 against Cedartown last year, accounting for 80% of the Titans’ total offense.
*Lovett (6-5) at Central, Carrollton (11-0): Lovett reached the second round for the fourth consecutive season with a 31-24 victory over Madison County. Lovett recovered a fumble near midfield midway through the fourth quarter and scored the winning touchdown with about four minutes left. Kalil Townes had 203 of the Lions’ 268 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. Preston Lusink passed for 144 yards and ran for 42. Lovett is 8-1 in first-round games since 2015 but 0-7 in the second round. Central, under first-year coach Umbrah Brown, is 11-0 for the first time since 2014 after a 41-33 victory over Hapeville Charter. Freshman J.R. Harris was 10-of-15 passing for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Jonaz Walton (16 carries, 63 yards, two TDs) led the running game. He has 1,342 yards rushing on the season. Eric Moore had seven tackles, two assists, two sacks and a forced fumble against Hapeville. Central won three of the previous four meetings with Lovett, but the teams haven’t faced other since 2003.
*New Hampstead (6-4) at Starr’s Mill (8-3): New Hampstead, playing a postseason game at home for the first time in the school’s 10-year history, picked up its first playoff victory since 2018 with a 40-12 win over Westside of Macon. Junior quarterback RaShawn Truell passed for 231 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 53 yards and two TDs. He led Class 4A in passing during the regular season with 2,692 yards. Eighth-ranked Starr’s Mill, the Region 4 champion, missed the playoffs last year but beat Shaw 48-0 last week to reach the second round for the seventh time in nine seasons. Starr’s Mill is led by Logan Inagawa, who passed for 1,065 yards in the regular season, and Dorsey Benefield, who ran for 694 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Panthers have given up just 7.2 points per game since opening the season with losses to East Coweta and Northgate by a combined 10 points.
*Luella (6-5) at Stephenson (9-2): Luella won a playoff game for the second time in three years (and second time in school history) when it beat East Forsyth 26-21. East Forsyth, a 3-year-old school, was making its first playoff appearance. Luella trailed 21-20 until Kylen Hart scored his third rushing touchdown, a 36-yarder, late in the third quarter, and the Lions stopped East Forsyth inside the red zone with less than two minutes left to preserve the win. Stephenson advanced past the first round for the second consecutive season when it beat Northwest Whitfield 62-15. A 50-yard touchdown run by Devin Ingram jump-started a 41-point half for the Jaguars. Ingram rushed for 221 yards and four touchdowns. That put him at 2,033 yards and 30 touchdowns on the season. Stephenson won five of six games against Luella when they were in Region 2-5A together from 2006 to 2011, but they haven’t met since.
*Perry (9-2) at Bainbridge (9-2): No. 7 Perry’s 35-14 victory over Burke County las week was its seventh playoff win in coach Kevin Smith’s seven-year tenure. The Panthers had won just three state-playoff games in the 63 seasons before his arrival. The game was tied 14-14 midway through the third quarter, but Ahmad Gordon scored three touchdowns in the final 18 minutes to put the game away. Gordon ran for 158 yards on 30 carries, giving him 1,381 yards and 26 touchdowns for the season. Third-ranked Bainbridge, the Region 1 champion, built a 28-0 second-quarter lead and rolled past Trinity Christian 49-14 to reach the second round for the eighth time in nine seasons. Keenan Phillips and Antavious Murphy scored three touchdowns each. Phillips rushed for 200 yards on 15 carries and has 1,444 yards for the season. Murphy had 96 yards rushing and 61 yards receiving.