We turn our attention to the quarterfinal round in Class 6-A GHSA Football Playoffs. There are five #1 seeds still remaining. Region-1 still has all four teams remaining, while Region-6 has two teams remaining. The matchups this week are Harrison-Houston County, Lee County-Dacula, Richmond Hill-Valdosta and Allatoona-Coffee. As always, please let us know if there are any errors. Thanks for reading and best of luck to all the teams competing this Friday night.
The Skinny
The Harrison Hoyas are in the quarterfinals for the second time in three years. The Hoyas are outscoring their opponents 96-44 in the postseason. The 25 points they surrendered to Winder-Barrow in the first round were the most they’d give up all season. Harrison quarterback Gavin Hall threw for over 1,400 yards and 12-TDs in the regular season, while David Roberts rushed for over 1,000 yards and 11-TDs. A win by the Hoyas would put them in the semifinals for the first time since 2000 and only the second time in school history.
The Houston County Bears are in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2015. The Bears are the only #4 seed remaining in the playoffs. Houston County has now won three straight games. In two playoff games, they are averaging 34.5 points per game while the defense is allowing 21.5 points per game. Quarterback Max Rigby has passed for 2,426 yards and 20-TDs while Corey Chaisson leads the ground game with 583 yards and 4-TDs. Isaiah Harris has caught 63 passes for 905 yards and 11-TDs. A win by the Bears would put them into the semifinals for the first time since 1993. We like Harrison this week by two touchdowns.
The Skinny
The Lee County Trojans are back into the quarterfinals for the third straight season. The Trojans are now 12-0 in their last three years in the postseason. Lee County has now won 9 consecutive games. They are outscoring opponents 100-7 in two postseason games. On the season, Lee County is averaging 39.9 points per game while the defense is allowing 13.2 points per game. Lee County has not lost a home game since October 21, 2016; that’s a span of 27 games. With a win, the Trojans will advance to their third straight semifinals.
The Dacula Falcons return to the quarterfinals for the second straight season. The Falcons are 12-0 for the first time since 1996. Since September 6th, Dacula has not scored less than 28 points in a game. They are averaging 45.5 points per game in the playoffs while the defense is allowing 19 points per game. The Falcons also shutout four opponents during the regular season. A win by Dacula would put them into the semifinals for the second consecutive season. We like Lee County this week in a nip and tuck battle. Trojans by 4.
The Skinny
The Richmond Hill Wildcats have advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1996. Richmond Hill has now won seven games in a row. During the playoffs, the Wildcats are averaging 38 points per game while the defense is allowing 23 points per game. The Wildcats have done most of their damage on the ground this season, primarily on the legs of Jalen Rouse who is over 1,700 yards. A win this week would put Richmond Hill in the semifinals for the first time in school history.
The Valdosta Wildcats are in the quarterfinals for the third time in four years. The Wildcats had to come from behind and then preserve the win in dramatic fashion last week. Valdosta has now won three consecutive games. The Wildcats are averaging 36.5 points per game in the playoffs while the defense is allowing 16.5 points per game. This will be the second week in a row that Valdosta will be on the road. A Valdosta win would put them in the semifinals for the first time since 2016, when the Wildcats won the state title. We like Valdosta’s chances this week…Wildcats by 10.
The Skinny
The Allatoona Buccaneers are in the quarterfinals for the sixth time in school history. The Bucs have now won five consecutive games. The Allatoona defense has been pretty staunch this season. In the playoffs, they are allowing 10 points per game. They have not allowed over 21 points in a game this season. Running back Alex Wilson has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark rushing and receiver Asante Das has over 900 yards receiving to help spearhead the Bucs offense. We also can’t forget special teams…Jude Kelly is averaging almost 44 yards per punt and has also connected on a career best 54-yard field goal this season. An Allatoona win would put them in the semifinals for the first time since 2015, when they won the State Title.
The Coffee Trojans advanced to the quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive season. The Trojans have won three of their last four games. They’ve also scored 119 points in the playoffs this season. Quarterback A.J. Wilkerson has passed for 1,214 yards and 14-TDs while Jamal Paulk (666 yards, 14-TDs) Maurice Turner (436 yards, 3-TDs) and Antonio Dawson (323 yards, 4-TDs) have helped pace the Trojans to over 2,200 yards rushing. This will be the third straight week that Coffee will be on the road. A win by the Trojans will put them into the semifinals for the second time in three years. We like Coffee this week by a touchdown on the road.