Weekend Preview: Top 10 games of first round of playoffs
Class 7A
Parkview at Colquitt County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tom White Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium, Moultrie
Records, rankings: Parkview is 7-3, the No. 4 seed from Region 4-7A and unranked; Colquitt County is 10-0, the No. 1 seed from 1-7A and No. 3.
Last meeting: Parkview won 40-21 in the second round of the 2019 Class 7A playoffs.
Things to know: This is perhaps the marquee game of the first round, a north-south Georgia matchup between an undefeated blue blood and a Gwinnett County team that played for a region title last week. The question is whether Parkview has fuel in the tank after losing to Grayson 41-14. The Panthers are still playing without elite running backs Khyair Spain and Trelain Maddox, both injured. Parkview was held to 33 yards rushing against Grayson. Jaiden Jenkins, a dual-threat quarterback, has been outstanding recently. He passed for 154 yards. Parkview still has five-star WR/DB Mike Matthews, a Tennessee commit. Colquitt County’s only soft spot might be defense. The Packers have allowed four touchdowns in games four times. The offense is a work of art. Neko Fann has thrown for 2,344 yards and 30 touchdowns. Dayshawn Brown and Ramsey Dennis both have more than 700 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. Ny Carr has 1,023 yards receiving for 18 touchdowns. Carr and tight end Landen Thomas are committed to Florida State.
Winner plays: Marietta/Westlake winner
Class 6A
Houston County at North Atlanta
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Eddie S. Henderson Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Houston County is 8-2, the No. 3 seed from Region 1-6A and No. 9; North Atlanta is 9-1, the No. 2 seed from 4-6A and unranked.
Last meeting: Houston County won 41-31 in the second round of the 2022 Class 6A playoffs.
Things to know: Both are top-10 teams in the computer Maxwell Ratings, Houston County at No. 9 and North Atlanta at No. 10, and Houston County is a one-point favorite. North Atlanta won its first playoff game in history in 2022. This season, the Warriors have set a school record for victories in a season, improving on last year’s 8-4 finish. North Atlanta is a balanced team. Ian Reynolds has passed for 1,514 yards. Demeitrus Barnes has rushed for 871. Junior DE Chase Linton has several mid-major offers and will be tasked with pressuring Houston County all-state QB A.J. Hill, who has passed for 2,223 yards and 26 touchdowns. The Bears' Ryan Taleb has rushed for 924 yards. Ricky Johnson has 969 receiving yards with 12 touchdowns. Houston County has beaten two ranked teams from lower classes this season (Perry, Warner Robins) and lost to No. 5 Lee County and No. 2 Thomas County Central from 6A. North Atlanta’s loss came against Marist. North Atlanta has never beaten a top-10 opponent.
Winner plays: Evans/Woodward Academy winner
Class 5A
Cass at Kell
When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, C.J. Kell Stadium/The Stockyard, Marietta
Records, rankings: Cass is 5-5, the No. 4 seed from Region 7-5A and unranked; Kell is 9-1, the No. 1 seed from 6-5A and No. 6.
Last meeting: Kell won 35-0 in 2019.
Things to know: Cass scored the biggest first-round upset of the 2022 playoffs when it defeated No. 4 Jefferson. It was the Colonels’ first playoff victory since 1983. This season, Cass needed to beat No. 10 Calhoun in the final week of the regular season to qualify for the playoffs and got it done, ending Calhoun’s streak of 23 consecutive playoff berths. Devin Henderson has rushed for 955 yards. Brodie McWhorter has passed for 1,683. Sacovie White (committed to Georgia) has 1,138 receiving yards. DL Kaden Ellis is his region’s defensive player of the year. Kell hasn’t lost since its opener to Parkview. Bryce Clavon has thrown for 1,608 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 373 in seven games. He’s missed three games for Team USA baseball duties. Kyle Vaka and Peyton Zachary have 21 TD receptions between them. DL Tyshawn Natt has 25 tackles for losses to lead a team with several college prospects.
Winner plays: Loganville/Mays winner
Dalton at Greater Atlanta Christian
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Spartan Stadium, Norcross
Records, rankings: Dalton is 7-3, the No. 3 seed from Region 7-5A and unranked; Greater Atlanta Chrisian is 9-1, the No. 2 seed from 6-5A and No. 8.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: These programs are back on the upswing. GAC was 9-13 the past two seasons after a streak of seven region titles. Dalton won its first playoff game in six seasons last year. Both played what amounted to region championship games this year. Dalton lost at No. 4 Cartersville 42-21 while Greater Atlanta Christian fell at No. 6 Kell 42-34. Dalton and GAC are similar offensively, each averaging about 36 points per game. Dalton’s Adriel Hernandez has rushed for 1,159 yards. Ethan Long has thrown for 2,417 yards. Bubba Tanner has 12 TD receptions, and Kenny London has eight. GAC’s Gianlucca Tiberia has rushed for 1,286 yards. Jack Stanton has thrown for 2,129 yards. Xavier Daisy has 10 TD receptions. Dalton has given up more points than GAC (22.9 per game to GAC’s 17.6) but has played a tougher schedule (12th-hardest in Class 5A to GAC’s 46th-hardest).
Winner plays: Flowery Branch/Creekside winner
Class 4A
Burke County at Perry
When, where: 4 p.m. Saturday, Herb St. John Stadium, Perry
Records, rankings: Burke County is 8-2, the No. 3 seed from Region 3-4A and unranked; Perry is 8-2, the No. 2 seed from 2-4A and No. 7.
Last meeting: Burke County won 35-7 in the first round of the 2012 Class 4A playoffs.
Things to know: Both teams have been in the top five this season. Perry remains in the top 10 after losses to Houston County and Spalding. Burke County lost to No. 1 Benedictine only 38-30 but got bumped out after losing to unranked New Hampstead 34-28 on Oct. 26. Both have impressive non-region wins. Perry has beaten Jones County. Burke has beaten Wayne County, Thomson and Class 6A region champion Effingham County. Thomson sophomore QB Sean Vandiver has thrown for 1,265 yards. RB Amerre Williams has rushed for 889 yards. WR/RET Ronderrius Gray has 950 all-purpose yards. For Perry, QB Cullen McDaniel has started the past three games for injured Colter Ginn. He’s thrown for 482 yards but five interceptions. All-state WR Dakarai Anderson has 780 receiving yards, but his four 100-yard games came before the change at quarterback. Ahmad Gordon has rushed for 1,223 yards.
Winner plays: Trinity Christian/Bainbridge winner
Wayne County at Spalding
When, where: 6 p.m. Saturday, Memorial Stadium, Griffin
Records, rankings: Wayne County is 7-3, the No. 4 seed from Region 3-4A and unranked; Spalding is 10-0, the No. 1 seed from 2-4A and No. 4.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: In its fourth season under coach Carl Kearney, Spalding is 10-0 for the first time in history. The Jaguars are trying to advance a round in the playoffs for the third straight season, which would be another first. Wayne County is another fast riser. The Yellow Jackets went from 0-9 to 10-3 and the quarterfinals last season in coach Jaybo Shaw’s first season. This season, both teams have leading candidates for Class 4A offensive player of the year. Spalding’s Curt Clark has passed for 1,527 yards and rushed for 980 yards and has 25 total touchdowns. Wayne County’s Matthew Fuller has rushed for a Class 4A-leading 1,837 yards and 24 touchdowns. Against similar schedules, Wayne County’s average score is 27-17. Spalding’s is 39-14.
Winner plays: Troup/Cairo winner
Class 3A
Carver (Atlanta) at Stephens County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Reservation, Toccoa
Records, rankings: Carver is 2-7, the No. 4 seed from Region 5-3A and unranked; Stephens County is 9-1, the No. 1 seed from 8-3A and No. 6.
Last meeting: Stephens County won 35-14 in the first round of the 2006 Class 3A playoffs.
Things to know: Carver isn’t an ordinary 2-7 team. The Panthers have made the quarterfinals, the final and the semifinals the past three seasons. They’ve played the 20th-toughest schedule in any classification this season, harder than most Class 7A schools. Eight of their nine opponents are in the playoffs, five from higher classes. The one playoff miss was Calhoun. One of Carver’s victories is against LaGrange of 4A, the other against Mundy’s Mill of 6A. Just last week, Carver lost to No. 2 Cedar Grove 24-14. It’s just a young team. Four of Carver’s 10 leading tacklers and its leading rusher, Lataious Stepp with 943 yards, are sophomores. Stephens County had been one of the state’s more dominating teams until a strange 37-6 loss to unranked Hebron Christian last week. Hebron led only 10-3 at halftime. Stephens County had clinched Region 8. A similar thing occurred last season when Stephens County lost to Hebron with the No. 1 seed clinched. The Indians then won their first-rounder easily before losing at home to eventual champion Sandy Creek.
Winner plays: Ringgold/Wesleyan winner
Monroe Area at Sandy Creek
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Battlefield, Tyrone
Records, rankings: Monroe Area is 6-4, the No. 3 seed from Region 8-3A and unranked; Sandy Creek is 7-3, the No. 2 seed from 5-3A and No. 8.
Last meeting: Sandy Creek won 35-0 in the 2012 Class 4A semifinals.
Things to know: Sandy Creek is the only defending champion among the eight that is not heavily favored in the first round. The Maxwell Ratings give Sandy Creek a nine-point edge. Sandy Creek is coming off a victory over good-but-unranked Douglass 22-21. Amari Latimore has rushed for 1,235 yards. Dalen Penson has passed for 982 yards and rushed for 694. Monroe Area has played the ninth-toughest Class 3A schedule and lost to three region champions. Monroe Area is a run-heavy team led by Darrion Manuel, who has rushed for 1,415 yards. Manuel rushed for 167 yards in last week’s 23-14 victory over Hart County that got Monroe Area in the playoffs. Monroe Area’s average score is 22-17. Against a similar schedule, Sandy Creek’s average score is 28-19.
Winner plays: Gilmer/Adairsville winner
Class 2A
Appling County at Northeast
When, where: 3 p.m. Saturday, Harry B. Thompson Stadium, Macon
Records, rankings: Appling County is 8-2, the No. 3 seed from Region 3-2A and No. 2; Northeast is 8-2, the No. 2 seed from 2-2A and No. 7.
Last meeting: Appling County won 35-13 in the second round of the 2022 Class 2A playoffs.
Things to know: Appling County earned this season’s cruel-draw award. The Pirates tied for first in Region 3 but got the No. 3 seed in a random draw. Appling beat the No. 1 seed, Pierce County, 17-14, but lost to the No. 2, Toombs County, 31-28. Appling’s other loss came to defending 5A champion Ware County in the opener. Appling is actually the consensus No. 1 team in 2A on GHSF Daily’s composite rankings. Of course, Northeast can’t love its draw either. This is the only game between top-10 teams in any class. Northeast could taste a region title until it let a 25-0 lead get away against Spencer in a 35-34 overtime loss Oct. 20. Northeast also is without all-state RB Nick Woodford because of injury. That has put the load on sophomore QB Reginald Glover, who has passed for 1,004 yards and rushed for 675. Appling County relies mostly on Jamarion Williams, who has averaged more than 125 yards rushing over the second half of the season. Appling County’s average score is 35-11 against the eighth-toughest 2A schedule. Northeast’s average score is 49-14 against the 29th-toughest.
Winner plays: Washington County/Cook winner
Providence Christian at Callaway
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Callaway Stadium, LaGrange
Records, rankings: Providence Christian is 8-2, the No. 4 seed from Region 8-2A and unranked; Callaway is 7-2, the No. 1 seed from 5-2A and No. 5.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: In one corner, there’s Providence Christian with 20 victories in its 10-year history of full varsity football. In the other, there’s Callaway with 21 victories in the playoffs alone over the past seven seasons. But Providence is suddenly 8-2 and averaging 46.6 points per game. Quinton Slaughter leads the GHSA in rushing with 2,089 yards and 22 touchdowns. Ben Klassen has passed for 2,498 yards. Caleb Lee has 1,187 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns. Matthew Miller has 10 TD receptions. The schedule? Well, the Maxwell Ratings rank it No. 53 in Class 2A, but Maxwell also puts Providence as the No. 13 team in the class. There’s no better 2A measure than Callaway, which hasn’t been stopped short of the quarterfinals since 2015. Callaway has won seven straight since starting 0-2. One of Callaway’s losses was a 27-10 victory overturned by forfeit because of an ineligible player. Callaway also lost to then-No. 3 Troup of Class 4A 21-13. The state’s leading rusher will face a Callaway defense that has allowed 99.6 rushing yards per game.
Winner plays: Model/Therrell winner