We move on to the second round of the 4A GHSA Football Playoffs. Last week, Americus-Sumter and Madison County scored the biggest upset in round one as they beat #1 seeds Burke County and Ridgeland. Region 8 advanced 4 teams into the second round. This preview features matchups between Blessed Trinity-Baldwin, West Laurens-North Oconee, Cartersville-Thomson, and Woodward-St. Pius. Please let us know if there are any errors. As always, thanks for reading. Best of luck to all the teams competing this weekend!
The Skinny
The Blessed Trinity Titans are in the second round of the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. The Titans are the defending back-to-back state champions. Last week’s win pushes their current win streak to 8 games. Blessed Trinity has defeated seven of the eight playoff teams they’ve faced this season.
The Baldwin Braves are in the second round of the playoffs for the third straight season. Baldwin has now won three straight and five of their last six coming into this week’s game. The Braves have beaten four playoff teams this seasons. They are undefeated when scoring 35+ points this season and 0-6 when scoring 28 points or less. Blessed Trinity is looking primed for another deep run in the state playoffs. We believe their defense will step up against Baldwin. We like the Titans by 21.
The Skinny
The West Laurens Raiders got a big win over Luella last week putting them into the second round for the fifth time in six years. West Laurens has now won seven consecutive games. Since their loss back on September 20th, they’ve allowed a total of 35 points over those seven games. The Raiders have now defeated seven playoff teams on the year.
The North Oconee Titans got back into the win column last week. The Titans had won nine straight before losing their season finale. Now the Titans have advanced to the second round for the second consecutive year. They are undefeated when they scored 23 points or more this season. North Oconee has defeated six playoff teams this season. We like West Laurens at home this week by a touchdown.
The Skinny
The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes are in the second round of the playoffs for the eight consecutive season. They are 11-0 for the fifth consecutive season. The Canes were held to a season low 14 points against Flowery Branch. Cartersville has now defeated seven playoff teams this season.
The Thomson Bulldogs are in the second round of the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. Thomson recorded their fourth shutout of the season. The Bulldogs have won four of their last five games. The Bulldogs have defeated three playoff teams this season. We expect Thompson to put up a good fight, but we like Cartersville to get back on track this week. Canes by 13.
The Skinny
The Woodward Academy War Eagles advanced to the second round for the 11th time in 12 seasons. The War Eagles have scored 40 or more points in their last 8 games. Woodward has only allowed opponents 83 points all season. The War Eagles have defeated six playoff teams this season.
The St. Pius X Lions are in the second round for the 12th time in 14 seasons. The Lions have now won three consecutive games. This is also the second consecutive week that the Lions have scored 42 points in a game. In the Lions five defeats, they were held to 14 points or less in those games. St. Pius has defeated four playoff teams. St. Pius cannot be taken lightly this week. We like Woodward by 11.