GHSA A-Private Quarterfinal Football Previews

The Athens Academy Spartans are in the quarterfinals for the third year in a row.  They are also undefeated for the third year in a row. The Spartans overwhelmed Brookstone last week. Their defense has been dominant this season as they have only allowed 7 points per game. The Spartans have played most of the season without standout back, Len’Neth Whitehead, but Kurt Knisley has filled in nicely in the backfield and is now over the 1,000-yard mark on the season. The Spartans are averaging 43.6 points per game. A win this week would put Athens Academy in the semifinals for the third year in a row.

The Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy (ELCA) Chargers are in the quarterfinals for the tenth consecutive season. The Chargers have won their last seven games. Last week, they won a shootout with Prince Avenue Christian as the two teams combined to put 119 points on the board. Keaton Mitchell and Gabe Wright both had big nights as Mitchell rushed for 226 yards and 5-TDs while Wright passed fro 269 yards and 2-TDs. On the season, Wright has passed for 1,736 yards and 22-TDs while Mitchell has rushed for 1,566 yards and 38-TDs. The 57 points allowed by the defense was the most since allowing 42 points against Holy Innocents back in September. Even with those games, the Chargers are only allowing 12.9 points per game. A win this week would put ELCA back into the semifinals for the ninth straight year. ELCA has defeated Athens Academy the last two seasons to claim the Class A-Private title. This game is worthy of a state title matchup. We think this one will be much closer than the previous two meetings, but we like the Chargers to prevail again. ELCA by 4 on the road.

The Holy Innocents Golden Bears are in the midst of a special season. They are in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2013. They are 11-0 for the first time in school history. The defense has held opponents to seven points or less seven times this season. On offense, they have not scored less than 28 points in a game. The Golden Bears are averaging 40.2 points per game while the defense is allowing 9 points per game. Holy Innocents relies primarily on the run and back Michael Cox has continued to deliver week in and week out to lead the Bears rushing attack. Cox is a bruising back who rarely goes down after the initial contact. A win this week would put Holy Innocents in the semifinals for the first time in school history.

The Mount Paran Christian Eagles are in the quarterfinals for the sixth time in seven years. The Eagles are winners of their last four games. Both of their playoff wins have been close games, with a combined margin of victory of 5 points. Quarterback Niko Vangarelli has shown the ability to beat teams with his arm and with his legs, extending plays while keeping his eyes down the field. The Eagles are now averaging 28.8 points per game while the defense is allowing 21.6 points per game. A win this week would put Mt. Paran back into the semifinals for the second time in three years. We like the Golden Bears this week at home. Just too much Michael Cox…Holy Innocents by 14.

The Fellowship Christian Paladins have advanced to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in five years. The Paladins are 11-0 for the second time in school history. Last week they recorded their third shutout of the season. Fellowship Christian’s defense is only allowing 10.4 points per game this season. As a team, the Paladins have rushed for over 3,800 yards. They are led by Murphy Reeves, with 1,425 yards and 15-TDs. Jayven Hall (700 yards, 11-TDs) and Josh Cole (644 yards, 13-TDs) have also been great compliments to Reeves in the backfield. A win this week would put the Paladins in the semifinals for the second time in four years.

The Hebron Christian Lions are in the quarterfinal round for the first time in school history. The Lions have now won two games in a row after losing two Athens Academy in consecutive weeks to close out their regular season. The Lions defense has buckled down in those two playoff games and is only allowing 6.5 points per game. On the year, Hebron Christian is allowing 20.8 points per game. The teams that Hebron Christian lost to this season are all still alive in the playoffs. A win this week would put the Lions into the semifinals for the first time in school history. We like Fellowship Christian by 3 this week at home.

The Wesleyan Wolves are in the quarterfinals for the second time in four years. The Wolves have won 10 games for the first time since 2010. They are also winners of their last six games entering this Friday. Sophomore quarterback J.C. French has now passed for 2,282 yards and 27-TDs on the season. Fellow sophomore Cooper Blauser leads the team in receptions (58) and receiving yards (829) while Micah Smith leads the team in receiving TDs with 12. The Wolves are outscoring their opponents 69-41 in the playoffs. A win this week would advance Wesleyan into the semifinals for the first time since 2010.

The Savannah Christian Raiders are back into the quarterfinals for the second year in a row. Savannah Christian won their last four games and got revenge on rival Savannah Country Day last week to advance. The Raiders offense attack is tilted a little more towards the run, as Marquell Brown has rushed for 1,205 yards and 12-TDs to lead the way for a team that’s run for over 2,300 yards on the season. Quarterback Spencer Robicheaux has now thrown for 1,415 yards and 8-TDs. In two playoff games, the Raiders are averaging 33 points per game while allowing 17.5 points per game. A win this week would put Savannah Christian back into the semifinals for the second year in a row. We like Wesleyan at home this week by 8.