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CLASS AAAA BLOG

  Today, we look at Class AAAA's loaded slate of first round matchups. Also, we give you the first-round pairing for all eight playoff fields. CLICK HERE for updated brackets for each classification.

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Thursday, November 10, 2016

CLASS AAAA BLOG
By Craig Sager II
 

Class AAAA First-Round Breakdown

R8 #3 Oconee County at R6 #2 Northwest Whitfield
Northwest Whitfield rebounded from three-straight losses in September to close the season with five straight victories and home field in the first round. The Bruins have used an explosive 39.8 points per game on offense the past five games to help a leaky defense that has surrendered 22.6 points per game this season. Oconee County comes in battle tested out of the top-heavy Region 8 with Jefferson and Stephens County. Oconee County has had a strong season at 7-3, but will need to get the taste of a 31-7 loss to Jefferson in the season finale out of its mouth and return to form.
 
R2 #4 Upson-Lee at R4 #1 Woodward Academy
Upson-Lee faces No. 3 ranked Woodward Academy for the third time in school history on Friday. The Knights won the last matchup 6-3 in 2011, but this Woodward offense has the explosiveness to light up the scoreboard at a record pace, while keeping opponents to the same single-digit standard defensively that Upson-Lee saw five years ago. The War Eagles have held their last eight opponents to single digits, including four shutouts and a 3 points per game average.
 
R1 #3 Northside-Columbus at R3 #2 Burke County
Burke County boasts a solid defense, that was good enough to be the only team that held No. 2 Thomson to less than 35 points this season (20-7). Veteran coach Eric Parker is in his 20th season as a head coach and is in the playoffs for the 17th consecutive year. Northside-Columbus has posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in school history and will look for its first playoff win since a 41-32 win over Monroe in November of 2005.
 
R7 #4 Chestatee at R5 #1 Cartersville
After plowing through the first nine games of the regular season, Cartersville faced Troup last Friday night with the Region 5 No. 1 seed up for grabs. With the stakes high, the Purple Hurricanes looked more dominant than ever, cruising to a 68-0 victory, the largest margin of victory in school history for a school-record 25th straight win. Trey Creamer punched in six touchdowns, five rushing and one receiving, while the defense forced five turnovers in the shutout.
 
R6 #3 Heritage-Catoosa at R8 #2 Stephens County
Heritage-Catoosa is one win away from posting a school-record eight victories and makes its first-ever playoff appearance. The Generals closed the season with their biggest win, traveling to Pickens to defeat the Dragons 48-35. This is the first meeting between the two schools, but Stephens County head coach Frank Barden has led his teams into the playoffs 15 times over his impressive 23-year career. Junior Bell Jackson is an athletic two-sport athlete that Stephens County will look to spark plays under center.
 
R4 #4 North Clayton at R2 #1 Mary Persons
Mary Persons and North Clayton is another first-time matchup slated in the opening round. North Clayton sits at 5-5 which marks its largest win total since a 7-4 finish in 2011. The Eagles are led by first-year head coach Cap Burnett, who will need his team to regain its footing after a 34-0 blowout loss against Eastside to close the regular season. Mary Persons went 5-0 in Region 2 to take the top seed and hasn't lost to a Class 4A opponent this season. The Bulldogs defense has held five offenses scoreless this season if you include the 14-2 victory over West Laurens.
 
R3 #3 Cross Creek at R1 #2 Carver-Columbus
From 2006-2013, Carver-Columbus won 96 games over that eight-year span. The Tigers have failed to advance past the first round in the two seasons since, and enter this postseason with a 6-4 record. Carver-Columbus earned the No. 2 seed out of Region 1, which is the biggest region in the classification and was the most competitive region this season. A competitive 35-28 loss at region champion Cairo proved the Tigers are not far from picking up a stride that could lead to playoff success. Cross Creek was dominated by Burke County and Thomson in Region 3, but so were the other three region opponents. As a result, the Razorbacks put together victories over Hephzibah, Richmond Academy and Baldwin in region play to clinch the school's first playoff appearance since 2007. Cross Creek posted back-to-back 1-9 seasons and eight straight years without a winning record before this year's turnaround.
 
R5 #4 Chapel Hill at R7 #1 Blessed Trinity
After going 2-18 the past two seasons, Justin DeShon leads the Panthers into the playoffs with a 5-4-1 record. Chapel Hill has already faced Starr's Mill, Troup, Sandy Creek and Cartersville this season, so the Panthers know what type of challenge they face with a talented team like Blessed Trinity. The Titans are back in the playoffs and motivated to make another run to the Dome after last year's last second heartbreaker to Westminster. The Titans' two losses this season came in Tennessee and Dublin, Ireland and they have compiled an 8-0 record against Georgia opponents. A 28-26 win at Marist on Oct. 21 already gave this year's Titans a taste of a playoff atmosphere.
 
RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRACKET
 
R4 #3 Luella at R2 #2 West Laurens
Luella and West Laurens will meet for the first time on Friday. West Laurnes has advanced to the second round of the playoffs the past two seasons, while Luella is making its first and only playoff appearance since 2008.
 
R6 #4 Pickens at R8 #1 Jefferson
Pickens and Jefferson get set for the fifth Dragon vs. Dragon game in state history. The two programs have split the all-time series 2-2 with Pickens winning the most recent matchup 17-6 all the way back in 1989. Chris Pittman leads Pickens on the ground with a team-high 1,014 yards and 11 touchdowns. Jefferson's potent rushing attack is spearheaded by Colby Wood and Zach Boobas. Wood has compiled 1,111 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Boobas has added 526 yards and 12 touchdowns.
 
R5 #3 Sandy Creek at R7 #2 Marist
Marist and Cartersville are the only teams in the state that hold a 4-0 all-time record against Sandy Creek, however the War Eagles haven't faced Sandy Creek since 1995. Marist will look to control the clock and keep the ball out of the hands of the more athletic Patriots offense. Sandy Creek quarterback Bryant Walker has passed for at least 100 yards in every game this season while running back Jaelen Greene paces the ground game with 102.2 rushing yards per game.
 
R3 #4 Baldwin at R1 #1 Cairo
Cairo quarterback John Michael Owens has thrown 13 touchdowns in the Syrupmakers' last five outings. Cairo's only loss of the year came in a 23-17 battle with 5A's Thomas County Central. Cairo followed the loss with a 17-14 win over Class 5A Bainrbidge, before averaging 38.3 points per game and posting a 7-0 record in Region 1 play. Baldwin limps into the playoffs with a 4-6 record after earning the No. 4 seed out of Region 3, which houses Burke County and Thomson. Baldwin's offense has been held to single digits five times this season.
 
R2 #3 Spalding at R4 #2 Eastside
Spalding's impressive 10-2 season last year ended with a 48-21 loss to Woodward Academy in the second round. It was a tough draw to face the War Eagles last year, but Spalding has a tough opening round matchup with Eastside, which has beaten the Jags in both of the school's meetings. Eastside (7-2-1) missed out on the playoffs with a 7-3 record last season and has finished with seven wins three of the past four seasons.
 
R8 #4 St. Pius at R6 #1 Ridgeland
After finishing fourth in Region 8 with a 2-8 record, St. Pius faces a tough draw with No. 1 seed Ridgeland. At 8-1, Ridgeland's only loss came in a 35-34 game with Pickens. In that game, the Panthers nearly pulled off the comeback but missed the potential game-tying PAT. Ridgeland's offense has lit up the scoreboard for at least 32 points every game this season. Leading the charge is junior running back Jalyn Shelton, who has taken 126 carries for 1,081 yards and 19 touchdowns this season (8.6 yards per carry).
 
R7 #3 West Hall at R5 #2 Troup
Friday is a defining moment for Troup, which saw its 8-2 season end with a humbling 68-0 loss to Cartersville in the Region 5 championship. The Tigers have been on a roll before the Cartersville game and with plenty of speed and experience can grab the school's first playoff win since 2011. West Hall closed its season with a 34-13 loss to Blessed Trinity and it has been since 2000 that the Spartans last won a playoff game.
 
R1 #4 Americus-Sumter at R3 #1 Thomson
Americus-Sumter earned the final playoff spot out of the competitive eight-team Region 1 race. The Panthers played competitively with Cairo (36-21) and closed the season with a 17-14 must-win game against Columbus. Thomson, on the other hand, has been unchallenged this season. The Bulldogs take a 10-0 record into the postseason with a 486-86 scoring advantage. Thomson has bullied opposing defenses with its unstoppable running game and has scored 69 points or higher in three games this year to fuel the 48.6 points per game average. Thomson has averaged 299.5 rushing yards per game this year, with a defense that has shortened the field and held defenses to 8.6 points per game. 



FIRST ROUND PAIRINGS
 

Football State Playoff First Round Pairings 2016
 
Class AAAAAAA
 
R8 #3 Archer at R6 #2 Peachtree Ridge
R2 #4 Pebblebrook at R4 #1 Roswell
R1 #3 Tift County at R3 #2 North Cobb
R7 #4 Central Gwinnett at R5 #1 Lambert
R6 #3 North Gwinnett at R8 #2 South Gwinnett
R4 #4 Etowah at R2 #1 Westlake
R3 #3 Hillgrove at R1 #2 Lowndes
R5 #4 Milton at R7 #1 Norcross
R4 #3 Woodstock at R2 #2 East Coweta
R6 #4 Mountain View at R8 #1 Grayson
R5 #3 West Forsyth at R7 #2 Brookwood
R3 #4 North Paulding at R1 #1 Colquitt County
R2 #3 Wheeler at R4 #2 Cherokee
R8 #4 Newton at R6 #1 Mill Creek
R7 #3 Parkview at R5 #2 South Forsyth
At Large Lassiter at R3 #1 McEachern
 
Class AAAAAA
 
R8 #3 Gainesville at R6 #2 Harrison
R2 #4 Bradwell Institute at R4 #1 Tucker
R1 #3 Lee County at R3 #2 Evans
R7 #4 Cambridge at R5 #1 Mays
R6 #3 Allatoona at R8 #2 Lanier
R4 #4 Jonesboro at R2 #1 Glynn Academy
R3 #3 Grovetown at R1 #2 Northside-Warner Robins
R5 #4 Langston Hughes at R7 #1 Johns Creek
R4 #3 Stephenson at R2 #2 Effingham County
R6 #4 Sequoyah at R8 #1 Dacula
R5 #3 Northgate at R7 #2 Centennial
R3 #4 Lakeside-Evans at R1 #1 Valdosta
R2 #3 Richmond Hill at R4 #2 Lovejoy
R8 #4 Winder-Barrow at R6 #1 Dalton
R7 #3 Alpharetta at R5 #2 Alexander
R1 #4 Coffee at R3 #1 Heritage-Conyers
 
Class AAAAA
 
R8 #3 Clarke Central at R6 #2 Carver-Atlanta
R2 #4 South Effingham at R4 #1 Stockbridge
R1 #3 Warner Robins at R3 #2 Griffin
R7 #4 Villa Rica at R5 #1 Arabia Mountain
R6 #3 Riverwood at R8 #2 Loganville
R4 #4 Ola at R2 #1 Ware County
R3 #3 Whitewater at R1 #2 Bainbridge
R5 #4 Miller Grove at R7 #1 Rome
R4 #3 Jones County at R2 #2 Wayne County
R6 #4 Banneker at R8 #1 Buford
R5 #3 at R7 #2 Carrollton
R3 #4 Riverdale at R1 #1 Thomas County Cenral
R2 #3 New Hampstead at R4 #2 Woodland-Stockbridge
R8 #4 Walnut Grove at R6 #1 Grady
R7 #3 Kell at R5 #2 Southwest DeKalb
R1 #4 Veterans at R3 #1 Starr's Mill
 
Class AAAA
 
R8 #3 Oconee County at R6 #2 Northwest Whitfield
R2 #4 Upson-Lee at R4 #1 Woodward Academy
R1 #3 Northside-Columbus at R3 #2 Burke County
R7 #4 Chestatee at R5 #1 Cartersville
R6 #3 Heritage-Catoosa at R8 #2 Stephens County
R4 #4 North Clayton at R2 #1 Mary Persons
R3 #3 Cross Creek at R1 #2 Carver-Columbus
R5 #4 Chapel Hill at R7 #1 Blessed Trinity
R4 #3 Luella at R2 #2 West Laurens
R6 #4 Pickens at R8 #1 Jefferson
R5 #3 Sandy Creek at R7 #2 Marist
R3 #4 Baldwin at R1 #1 Cairo
R2 #3 Spalding at R4 #2 Eastside
R8 #4 St. Pius at R6 #1 Oconee County
R7 #3 West Hall at R5 #2 Troup
R1 #4 Americus-Sumter at R3 #1 Thomson
 
Class AAA
 
R8 #3 Jackson at R6 #2 Ringgold
R2 #4 Tattnall County at R4 #1 Peach County
R1 #3 Cooks at R3 #2 Savannah
R7 #4 North Hall at R5 #1 Westminster
R6 #3 Sonoraville at R8 #2 Franklin County
R4 #4 Pike County at R2 #1 Liberty County
R3 #3 Southeast Bulloch at R1 #2 Worth County
R5 #4 Pace Academy at R7 #1 Greater Atlanta Christian
R4 #3 Westside-Macon at R2 #2 Pierce County
R6 #4 Murray County at R8 #1 Morgan County
R5 #3 Lovett at R7 #2 Dawson County
R3 #4 Islands at R1 #1 Crisp County
R2 #3 Brantley County at R4 #2 Jackson
R8 #4 Monroe Area at R6 #1 Calhoun
R7 #3 Union County at R5 #2 Cedar Grove
R1 #4 Dougherty at R3 #1 Jenkins
 
Class AA
 
R8 #3 Elbert County at R6 #2 Douglass
R2 #4 Toombs County at R4 #1 Screven County
R1 #3 Brooks County at R3 #2 Southwest
R7 #4 Model at R5 #1 Callaway
R6 #3 K.I.P.P. Atlanta at R8 #2 Banks County
R4 #4 Josey at R2 #1 Benedictine
R3 #3 Dodge County at R1 #2 Thomasville
R5 #4 Spencer at R7 #1 Pepperell
R4 #3 Laney at R2 #2 Vidalia
R6 #4 Washington at R8 #1 Rabun County
R5 #3 Heard County at R7 #2 Rockmart
R3 #4 Dublin at R1 #1 Fitzgerald
R2 #3 Swainsboro at R4 #2 Jefferson County
R8 #4 Monticello at R6 #1 Hapeville Charter
R7 #3 Chattooga at R5 #2 Lamar County
R1 #4 Berrien at R3 #1 Washington County
 
Class A-Public
 
#24 Marion County at #9 Twiggs County
#8 Manchester BYE
#17 Turner County at #16 Terrell County
#1 Macon County BYE
#21 Irwin County at #12 Dooly County
#5 Mt. Zion BYE
#20 Bowdon at #13 Miller County
#4 Emanuel County Institute BYE
#23 Trion at #10 Taylor County
#7 Commerce BYE
#18 Randolph-Clay at #15 Mitchell County
#2 Clinch County BYE
#22 Washington-Wilkes at #11 Lincoln County
#6 McIntosh County BYE
#19 Wheeler County at #14 Greene County
#3 Pelham BYE
 
Class A-Private
 
#24 Brookstone at #9 Pinecrest Academy
#8 Wesleyan BYE
#17 First Presbyterian Day at #16 Aquinas
#1 Eagle's Landing Christian BYE
#21 Holy Innocents' at #12 Stratford Academy
#20 Hebron Christian at #13 Savannah Christian
#4 Calvary Day BYE
#23 Walker at #10 Darlington
#7 Landmark Christian BYE
#18 Mt. Pisgah at #15 Athens Christian
#2 Prince Avenue Christian BYE
#22 Savannah Country Day at #11 Athens Academy
#6 Mt. Paran BYE
#19 Mt. Vernon at #14 George Walton Academy
#3 Fellowship Christian BYE















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