We have made it to the quarterfinals of the GHSA Football Playoffs. Our first preview this week features games between Milton – Lowndes, Collins Hill – Parkview, Norcross – Colquitt County and Grayson – West Forsyth.
Last week in our picks, we went 6-2 in Class 7A. West Forsyth and Parkview were the winners we did not expect to see in the round of 8. Way to go Wolverines and Panthers!
If we had to pick a 7A game to attend, it would definitely be Milton-Lowndes. But all four of these games should be great contests.
Best of luck to all of the teams competing on Friday night. As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share.
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The Skinny
The Milton Eagles are back in the quarterfinals for the second time in three years. The Eagles got another 100-yard game from junior running back Jordan McDonald to help advance last week. McDonald has now rushed for 1,241 yards and 23-TDs this season. Milton has been held to under 20 points only three times this season. They are averaging 31.1 points per game while allowing 12.9.
The Lowndes Vikings will pay a visit to Milton this week as they advanced to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in five years. Lowndes got past a stubborn North Cobb team last week. Jacurri Brown scored two touchdowns in the win, but was held to 42 yards passing and 81 yards rushing. On the season, Brown has now thrown for 1,296 yards and rushed for 926 yards. Lowndes is now averaging 30.6 points per game while allowing 16.5. The back-to-back long road trips should start to take a toll on the Vikings, but if Milton does not have Farrell this week at quarterback, Lowndes can really key in on slowing down Jordan McDonald. That’s going to be easier said than done, but nevertheless, we like the Vikings by 8.
The Skinny
The Collins Hill Eagles are on to the quarterfinals for the first time in five years as they beat Denmark last week. The Eagles have now won six consecutive games. Quarterback Sam Horn has now thrown for 2,975 yards and 34-TDs to lead an offense that is averaging 31.2 points per game. Meanwhile, James Smith leads the Eagles defense with 146 total tackles and 50 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. Collins Hill is surrendering 15.8 points per game this season.
The Parkview Panthers will come calling for Collins Hill on Friday night as they advanced to the quarterfinals for the third time in four years. Parkview has a formidable 1-2 duo at running back in Cody Brown and Tyler Curtis, but it was sophomore quarterback Colin Houck who tossed 4-TD passes last week to lead the way for Parkview. The Panthers are now averaging 29.3 points per game while the defense is allowing 21.7. We believe the running game will be crucial for Parkview this week. We did not mention Travis Hunter for Collins Hill earlier, but we understand he was a little banged up last week. If he returns at full strength this week, we like the Eagle’s chances. Yet, we are going to go with the Parkview ground machine. Panthers by 6.
The Skinny
The Norcross Blue Devils are in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2013, when they won their last state title. Norcross has answered the bell week in and week out. Offensively, they’ve scored 40 or more points in all but four of their games this season. Quarterback Mason Kaplan has now thrown for over 2,100 yards and 26-TDs. Last week however it was running back Jahni Clarke who carried the load for the Norcross with over 200 yards rushing and 3-TDs. Norcross is averaging 41.6 points per game while their defense has not allowing over 21 points in a game this season, holding opponents to an average of 15 points per game.
The Region -1 champion Colquitt County Packers will pay Norcross a visit on Friday. They advanced to the quarterfinal round for the eleventh time in twelve years. The Packers had a big night defensively last week and will need the secondary to step up again this Friday. The packers are holding opposing teams to 9.8 points per game this season and in their first two playoff games at home, allowed only 15 total points and just one touchdown. We’ve noticed Xavier Williams missing from the box score recently. If he is unable to play this week, that certainly does give a small advantage to Norcross…But perhaps not enough. Packers by 4 on the road.
The Skinny
The Grayson Rams are back in the quarterfinals for the third straight season and the fifth time in six years. Grayson is outscoring their opponents by an average of 39.7 to 8.9 on the season. In two playoff games, it’s an average of 36.5 to 3. Grayson will need to find more fluidity on offense with the absence of running back Phil Mafah. There are enough weapons on offense for Grayson, but they will need to be more-crisp this week.
They will host the West Forsyth Wolverines who are making their second quarterfinals appearance in school history. West edged out North Gwinnett in a defensive battle last week. It was the seventh win in a row for the Wolverines. West Forsyth is averaging 25.3 points per game and allowing 17.2. For what it’s worth, Mill Creek was the common opponent between the two teams, Grayson bet them by 7 while West Forsyth lost by 3. Coach Dave Svehla always seems to have his teams playing at their peak at playoff time. We believe the Wolverines will be in the game, but Grayson finds a way this week. Rams by 13.