Today we begin our previews of the first round of the GHSA Football playoffs. In this edition, our Class 7A previews feature McEachern-North Paulding, North Forsyth-Brookwood, North Gwinnett-Shiloh and Walton-Newnan. As always, thank you for reading. Please feel free to share and let us know if there are any errors. Best of luck to all teams competing in the playoffs.
The Skinny
The McEachern Indians claimed the Region 3-7A title this season in Coach Franklin Stephens first year at the school. The McEachern offense averaged 36.4 points per game during the regular season while the defense allowed 10 points per game. Quarterback Carlos Del Rio passed fro 1,581 yards and 14-TDs. Jordan Simmons (761 yards, 11-TDs) and Christian Mason (528 yards, 8-TDs) led the way on the ground for the Indians. Javon Baker hauled in 52 catches for 567 yards while Dacari Collins caught 30 passes for 587 yards and 6-TDs. Jamil Burroughs led the defense with 8 sacks.
North Paulding was awarded the At-Large bid in Class 7-A. Their reward is a rematch against McEachern. (A game that the Indians won handily on last Friday.) If nothing else, the Wolfpack have all the game film they need. North still passes the ball a little more than they’ve run it, although that’s balanced out since last season. Quarterback Kyle Bird has passed for 1,529 yards and 11-TDs and also run for 452 yards and 8-TDs. As a team, North has rushed for 1,479 yards, with Xavier Crocket adding 389 yards and 9-TDs. Jarrod Ray (46 receptions, 472 yards, 4-TDs), Tanner Bentley (33 receptions, 539 yards, 5-TDs) and Kellen Autenrieth (27 receptions, 384 yards, 4-TDs) lead the receiving corps for the Wolfpack. North Paulding is averaging 31.4 points per game on offense while the defense is allowing 26.3 points per game. We don’t think much will change from last weeks results, we like the Indians by four touchdowns.
The Skinny
The North Forsyth Raiders are in the post season for the 2nd time in three years. The Raiders best post-season finish was an appearance in the semifinals in 2001. North has a balanced offensive attack, with quarterback Brady Meitz who has passed for over 1,600 yards and 17-TDs while running back Jared Lucero has rushed for 868 yards and 6-TDs. Nicky Dalmolin (40 receptions, 531 yards, 8-TDs) and Anthony Herock (37 receptions, 506 yards, 5-TDs) are the team’s leading receivers. North is averaging 24.9 points per game while the defense is allowing 20.5 points.
Meanwhile, the Brookwood Broncos area no stranger to post season play. The Broncos are in the post season for the 16th time in 18 years. The Broncos have been up and down this season, but are still averaging 32.8 points per game while the defense is surrendering 27.2 points per game. Eli Kohl has been the bell cow for the Brookwood offense. He has the benefit of running behind an offensive line anchored by Sean Hill, Aiden Perkins and Quincy Jenkins. We believe the Broncos can get rolling behind that big offensive line this week. It should be close, but we’ll take Brookwood by 2.
The Skinny
The North Gwinnett Bulldogs have won nine consecutive games since losing their season opener to Colquitt County. The Bulldogs are outscoring their opponents this season 387-109. J.R. Martin has passed for 1,590 yards and 19-TDs while Devin Crosby has rushed for 996 yards and 11-TDs. Joshua Downs has hauled in 61 passes for 867 yards and 10-TDs.
The Shiloh Generals are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2003. Quarterback Vince Goffney has passed for 1,225 yards and 19-TDs, while Arthur Rodgers has rushed for 1,390 yards and 14-TDs. The Generals have recorded 32 sacks this season, led by Jasheen Davis with 9. Montae Boyd his picked off 4 passes as well. Shiloh is averaging 33.1 points per game while the defense is allowing 18.9 points. Shiloh has dropped three of their last 4 games to close out the season. We believe the Generals will be over matched most of the night. We like North Gwinnett by three touchdowns.
The Skinny
No one should be fooled by Walton’s .500 record. However, some might raise an eye to the results of last week’s loss to Woodstock. The result of the game had no impact on seeding, however. Walton is averaging 21.1 points per game on offense while the defense is allowing 18.9 points. Sophomore quarterback Zak Rozsman has done well in his first year as a starter. K.D. Stokes and Julian Bumper have helped eased the load for Rozsman. Teagan Bierria has been Walton’s go to receiver.
The Newnan Cougars are in the post season for the 17th time in 19 years. Newnan has been up and down this season, but is looking to get to the 2nd round for the first time since 2015. Michael Maginnis leads the Cougars with over 1,300 yards passing, while the team has rushed for over 1,400 yards. Newnan won the first meeting by three points back in September. We think the Raiders will do just enough to get by the Cougars this week. We like the Raiders by 3.