Semifinal preview: Classes 6A and 5A
Class 6A
Douglas County at Grayson
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Grayson Community Stadium, Loganville
Records, rankings: Douglas County is 11-2, the No. 2 seed from Region 2-6A and No. 4; Grayson is 12-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 4-6A and No. 6.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: Grayson has lost only to Collins Hill and avenged that opening-game defeat with a 38-14 victory in the quarterfinals. Douglas County’s losses are to Buford and Carrollton, Class 6A’s other two semifinal teams. Douglas County beat West Forsyth 20-14 in the quarterfinals. James Johnson (committed to Southern Cal) rushed for 100 yards and scored three touchdowns, one receiving. His third touchdown broke a 14-14 tie with 8:16 left, and Douglas County kept West Forsyth safely at bay from there. Other key Douglas County players are QB D.J. Bordeaux (2,645 yards passing), RB Zamarcus Lindley (1,183 yards rushing), WR Devin Carter (top-40 national junior prospect), WR Aaron Gregory (Texas A&M), LB Michael Hastie (Region 2 defensive player of the year committed to West Virginia) and DE/LB Jordan Carter (Texas A&M). Grayson led Collins Hill only 17-14 entering the fourth quarter before pulling away. Alex Sanchez had six receptions for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Grayson’s offensive leaders are QB Tyler Burgess (1,823 yards passing, 535 rushing), LB Tyler Atkinson (five-star junior prospect, team’s leading tackler), LB Anthony Davis (four-star junior prospect) and DE Andre Fuller (Georgia Tech). Grayson is in the semifinals for the sixth time in 10 seasons, the most in that time among any school in the highest class, and won state titles in 2020, 2016 and 2011. Douglas County was in the semifinals last season in 6A, then the second-highest class. This is the Tigers’ first semifinal in the highest class. A victory would put Douglas County in the finals for the first time since their 1964 Class 2A title.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Grayson 25, Douglas County 21
Carrollton at Buford
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tom Riden Stadium, Buford
Records, rankings: Carrollton is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 2-6A and No. 1; Buford is 12-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 8-6A and No. 2.
Last meeting: Buford won 21-6 in the 2021 Class 6A semifinals.
Things to know: Buford was No. 1 and Carrollton No. 2 in preseason, and they flipped after Buford lost its opener 13-10 to Milton, the No. 1 Class 5A team. Both teams are in the top 25 of every national poll. Buford’s average score in the playoffs is 47-8. Carrollton’s is 47-9. Both are city schools that joined the highest class in 2022. Carrollton is 38-3 in that time, and Buford is 34-4, but neither has won a state title in the highest class. Buford has 13 state titles this century in lower classes. Carrollton’s last state title came in 1998. Buford has beaten seven top-10 teams during its 12-game winning streak. Buford’s offensive leaders are Dayton Raiola (1,717 yards passing), Justin Baker (889 yards rushing) and Jordan Allen (771 yards receiving). Buford has 10 seniors committed to major Division I schools and three uncommitted juniors who are top-300 national prospects. Most play defense. The leading tackler is LB A.J. Holloway (South Carolina). Carrollton’s offensive leaders are Julian Lewis (3,272 yards passing), Kimauri Farmer (1,142 yards rushing) and Peyton Zachary (821 yards receiving). Lewis was injured early in last week’s 46-6 victory over Hillgrove and did not return, and his status this week is uncertain. Dylan Bishop was 10-of-14 passing for 123 yards and three touchdowns in relief. Carrollton’s Dorian Barney (Alabama), Zelus Hicks (Texas) and Shamar Arnoux (Southern Cal) are top-400 prospects who play in the secondary.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Buford 28, Carrollton 27
WRITTEN BY CHIP SAYEClass 5A
Coffee at Hughes
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Panther Stadium, Fairburn
Records, rankings: Coffee is 11-2, the No. 3 seed from Region 2-5A and No. 7; Hughes is 12-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 3-5A and No. 4.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: Coffee’s Tyrese Woodgett blew away the state record for rushing yards in a game when he put up 605 yards and seven touchdowns on 20 carries (30.3 yards per carry) in a 72-48 quarterfinal victory over Sequoyah. The previous record was 485 yards by Pepperell’s Devyn Collins in 2014. The Trojans attempted just one pass against Sequoyah, an 80-yard touchdown from Brayden Coe to Kentavius Debruce, while rushing for a school-record 697 yards as a team. Woodgett has rushed for 2.090 yards this season, including 1,022 yards and 17 touchdowns in three playoff games. Coffee, the state champion in Class 5A last season, is in the semifinals for the fourth time in eight seasons. The Trojans are the only team still alive in the Class 5A field that was not a region champion this season. Hughes reached the semifinals for the third time in four years with a 28-12 quarterfinal victory over Thomas County Central, which defeated Coffee 38-7 in the teams’ regular-season finale on Nov. 1. Christian Langford rushed for a season-high 180 yards and two touchdowns and was 10-of-11 passing for 150 yards and a score. He has passed for 2,809 yards and rushed for 554 yards with a combined 39 touchdowns on the season. Carsyn Baker ran for 105 yards to go over 1,000 for the season (1,039). The Panthers have won 10 consecutive games, none closer than 10 points, since a 21-14 loss to Class 6A semifinalist Douglas County on Sept. 6.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Hughes 24, Coffee 14
Lee County at Milton
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Eagles Nest, Milton
Records, rankings: Lee County is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 2-5A and No. 2; Milton is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 7-5A and No. 1.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: This game matches the teams that spent the majority of the season in the top two spots in the Class 5A rankings. Both are ranked in the top 25 of numerous national polls, with Milton as high as No. 2 (MaxPreps, NationalHSFB.com) and Lee County as high as No. 15 (Massey Ratings). Lee County, a state champion in 2017 and 2018, is in the semifinals for the fourth time in eight seasons after a 64-0 victory over Region 6 champion Sprayberry last week. It was the Trojans’ third straight playoff win by 40 or more points. Weston Bryan was 8-of-12 passing for 160 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 109 yards, two touchdowns and two two-point conversions. Ousmane Kromah (committed to Georgia) had 100 yards rushing and 96 receiving and scored two touchdowns. Bryan has 2,347 yards passing and 1,241 rushing. Kromah has 1,290 yards rushing and 693 receiving. Milton, the Class 7A champion last year, is in the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season and seeking its third state title in seven years. The Eagles got 327 yards passing from Luke Nickel (Miami), 163 yards rushing from T.J. Lester and 135 yards receiving from Tristen Payne in a 56-14 victory over Houston County, the only fourth-place team in any classification to reach the quarterfinals. Milton led 42-14 at halftime. Nickel went over 3,000 yards passing for the season and has 9,454 in his career. The Eagles held Houston County’s Antwann Hill, who came into the game averaging 302.2 passing yards per game, to 131 yards on 29 attempts.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Milton 30, Lee County 28