Class AAAAAAA Playoffs at a Glance
Region Champions: Colquitt County, Carrollton, North Paulding, Grayson, North Cobb, Milton, North Gwinnett, Buford
Best First Round Matchup: North Paulding vs Parkview
Round 1 Upset Alert (for Region Champs): North Paulding & Milton
Toughest Road to the Title for a Region Champ: North Cobb
Our Final Four Picks: Colquitt County, Buford, Mill Creek Milton
The Dark Horse: Camden County
Our State Champion Prediction: Mill Creek
The Class 7A state tournament is one of the best in the country. If teams can make it to round two, there are some potential great matchups and we really can’t say there is an “easy” path to the state title for any team. Our upset alerts go to North Paulding, who has a tough draw with perennial power Parkview and Milton, who did get a big win last week to claim the region title. The Eagles will host an upstart Cherokee team who had a big win over Kennesaw Mountain just to qualify for the No. 4 seed. Milton will be favored and we believe if they get past Cherokee they are a dangerous team that has been flying under the radar. Some potential second round matchups that would be prime time games include Mill Creek vs. North Cobb and Buford vs Walton. We like Mill Creek in this bracket, if they can get past the first two games.
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Special thanks to the Georgia Helmet Project for providing each team’s helmet. You can find all of their work here: http://gahelmetproject.com
Special thanks to the Georgia Helmet Project for providing each team’s helmet. You can find all of their work here: http://gahelmetproject.com
Historical records are provided by the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. (ghsfa.org)
The Skinny
The Milton Eagles are back in the post season for the 6th consecutive season as first year head coach Ben Reaves Jr. has the Eagles playing at a high level at the right time of the year. Milton has won their last five games as they enter this week, and they have only lost to one team from the state of Georgia this season. They are averaging 23.7 points per game and are allowing 17.7. The Eagles have defeated five playoff bound teams this season including Class 6A Top-10 Roswell. First year starter at quarterback Luke Nickel has filled in nicely as the sophomore has thrown for 1,857 yards and 16-TDs. Debron Gatling and Marc Essley are the top receivers for the Eagles.
The Cherokee Warriors overcame some improbable odds to beat Kennesaw Mountain and win by enough points to earn the tie-breaker in a three way tie that advances them to the postseason for the 5th consecutive season. Coach Josh Shaw has guided the Warriors into the post season seven times in his eleven year tenure. The Warriors are averaging 18.5 points per game and allowing 29.8. However, last week Cherokee held Kennesaw Mountain to 20 points below their average. Sophomore quarterback Tanner Savasir has thrown for 1,428 yards and 12-TDs.
We put Milton on upset alert because we believe the Warriors might have tapped into something last Friday night. If Cherokee is going to beat their old region rival, they will need Kyan Simmons Javon Hobson and Chase Montgomery to really get pressure on Milton quarterback Jack Nickel. If they can do that we like their chances. However, that’s easier said than done. We like the Eagles by 10.
The Skinny
We feel like the Carrollton Trojans have been flying under the radar this season. It’s hard to believe we could say that of a 10-0 team with a freshman starting quarterback (Julian “Juju” Lewis), who has drawn comparisons to Trevor Lawrence with regards to his upside. Yet, here is a storied program in Carrollton that continues to win under head coach Joey King who is in his second year at the helm. Since 1990 Carrollton has only missed the post season one time. The Trojans are averaging 43.6 points per game and allowing 12.8. Carrollton has defeated seven teams headed for the post season. The aforementioned Lewis has thrown for 2,599 yards and 34-TDs and is completing 66.5% of his passes.
The Lowndes Vikings are in a bit of a rebuilding year as they slip down to the 4-seed this season and will be on the road. The Vikings are just as storied as the Trojans and have only missed the post season twice since 1996. Coach Zach Grage moved over from Thomasville to Lowndes to coach the Vikings this season. The Vikings are averaging 27.3 points per game and are allowing 23.7. Lowndes has a balanced attack, averaging 127.3 yards per game on the ground and 129.8 yards per game through the air. Sophomore quarterback Marvis Parrish leads the Vikings in passing, (1,242 yards, 8-TDs) and in rushing, (691 yards, 15-TDs).
The Lowndes defense will certainly be put to the test on Friday night as no one has been able to really derail Carrollton. Lowndes cannot afford to get into a track meet this week. Their path to victory looks to be one that involves ball control on offense to keep the potent Trojans on the sidelines. Even then, we believe Carrollton will be to tough at home. We like the Trojans by two touchdowns.
The Skinny
The Westlake Lions are in the post season for the 10th consecutive season, as they moved into the largest classification in 2022 and were guided by Coach Rico Zackery in his first year at Westlake. The Lions have won six of their last seven games entering the playoffs and have defeated five playoff teams this season. They are averaging 35.1 points per game and allowing 17.9. Their three losses this season are by a combined 23 points and all came at the hands of ranked opponents. Through their first nine games, Westlake is averaging 140 yards per game through the air and 112.9 yards per game on the ground. During those 9-games, quarterback R.J. Johnson has thrown for 1,320 yards and 13-TDs. Running back Jai’Den Thomas was at 845 yards rushing through 9-games and has also added 9-TDs.
The Valdosta Wildcats are back in the post season after a tumultuous 2021 which saw the school face a one year playoff ban. The Cats have responded resiliently, as they are back in the post season for 13th time in 14 years. Coach Shelton Felton has guided the Wildcats back to the post-season as they doubled their win total from last season. Valdosta had won their first eight games of the season before they were tripped up by region foes Camden County and Colquitt County to end the season. The Wildcats are averaging 27.4 points per game while their defense is allowing just 7.6 points per game. Valdosta does most of their damage on the ground as they are averaging 188.6 yards rushing and 98.8 yards through the air. As a team, Valdosta has rushed for 1,886 yards and are lead by backs Amhad Denson, Charles Williams and quarterback Todd Robinson as the trio has combined to rush for 1,377 yards and 13-TDs.
The big question that will be answered is whether or not Valdosta can bounce back from their last two games and find a way to win on the road. There is an old saying that “defense travels”, and the Wildcats will definitly need it to travel this week as they look to make a run into the post season. We believe the Wildcats will put up a valiant effort, but we like the senior quarterback R.J. Johnson to lead the Lions to victory. Westlake by 5.
The Skinny
The Lambert Longhorns are in the post season for the second straight year and for the first time under first year head coach Marc Beach. The Longhorns suffered their first setback of the season last week as they dropped their season finale to Milton. Lambert defeated six playoff teams this season. They average 34.2 points per game and area allowing 16.9 points per game. Through the first 9 games of the season the offense is averaging 169 yards per game through the air and 175.6 yards per game on the ground. Quarterback James Tyre has thrown for 1,459 yards and 15-TDs while it’s been running back by committee for the ground game with Ethan Terry, Tommy Lafayette, Cam Bland, and the aforementioned Tyre who are the top rushers on the team.
The Wheeler Wildcats are back into the post season for the first time since 2019. This is the second time Coach Brian Love has guided the Wildcats to the postseason in his four year tenure. Wheeler has defeated two playoff teams this season, but comes into this week winning only two of their last five games. The Wildcats are averaging 21.5 points per game and allowing 23.7. Wheeler gets the majority of their offense from the ground game as they are averaging 261.7 yards per game on the ground and just 75.4 yards per game through the air. Sophomore running back Josiah Allen leads the team with 1,701 yards and 16-TDs. Defensively, Ty Holiday leads the team in sacks with 6.
The formula for Wheeler seems pretty simple…feed the Lambert defense a steady dose of Josiah Allen. (He’s averaging 19 carries a game.) Then the Wheeler defense will have to find a way to get James Tyre and the Longhorns offense off the field. We believe Wheeler’s ability to run the game should help keep this game close, however, we believe Lambert has the edge playing at home. Longhorns by 6.