Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: Class AAA Playoff Preview

Washington County at Peach County
When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Anderson Stadium, Fort Valley
Records, rankings: Washington County is 10-1, the No. 2 seed from Region 3-AAA and ranked No. 9; Peach County is 11-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 1-AAA and ranked No. 3.
Last meeting: Peach County won 43-29 in the 2006 semifinals.
Three things to know:
1. Peach County quarterback Patrick Taylor has completed 66 percent of his passes and thrown for more than 2,000 yards in a balanced offense.
2. Washington County completed only two passes in a 28-21 victory against Troup, but Montravious “Whistle” Gladdin had 201 yards rushing and Darius Stephens had 145.
3. Peach County leads the series between these Middle Georgia schools 9-0-2 and has averaged more than 40 points per game in their past four meetings dating to 1999.
Winner plays: North Hall-St. Pius winner

North Hall at St. Pius
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, George B. Maloof Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: North Hall is 9-2, the No. 2 seed from Region 7-AAA and ranked No. 7; St. Pius is 11-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 5-AAA and ranked No. 4.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Three things to know:
1. St. Pius coach Paul Standard and North Hall coach Bob Christmas were hired by their schools in 2001 to take over programs that hadn’t won playoff games in more than 30 years.
2. Standard has gone 74-29, and he took St. Pius to the Class AAAA semifinals in 2006; Christmas has gone 77-28, and he took North Hall to the Class AAA semifinals in 2007.
3. Both are Wing-T teams. North Hall got 361 of its 418 total yards on the ground in a 39-21 victory over Ringgold last week, while St. Pius got 277 of its 330 yards on the ground in a 34-0 victory over Franklin County.
Winner plays: Washington County-Peach County winner

Liberty County at Jackson
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Red Devil Hill, Jackson
Records, rankings: Liberty County is 8-3, the No. 3 seed from Region 3-AAA and unranked; Jackson is 11-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 4-AAA and ranked No. 6.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Three things to know:
1. Liberty County, coached by former Georgia tight end Kirk Warner, won its first playoff game in history last week with a 16-13 upset of LaGrange.
2. Jackson has lost its past four second-round games (2003-06) and is seeking to make the quarterfinals or better for the third time in its history after making it in 1963 and 2000.
3. Jackson’s star player is Neiron Ball, a defensive end and receiver who has committed to Florida. He scored the winning touchdowns against Woodward Academy and Monroe, which are Jackson’s biggest victories.
Winner plays: Carrollton-Eastside winner

Carrollton at Eastside
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Homer Sharp Stadium, Covington
Records, rankings: Carrollton is 10-1, the No. 2 seed from Region 6-AAA and unranked; Eastside is 9-2, the No. 1 seed from 8-AAA and unranked.
Last meeting: Eastside won 21-9 in the 2008 second round.
Three things to know:
1. Carrollton and Eastside are the only teams from their regions to advance to the second round.
2. Eastside was the defending champion in 8-AAA but not expected to repeat because of heavy graduation losses. The team swept through the region undefeated behind running back Git Aiken, the region player of the year.
3. Carrollton operates out of a Wing-T offense and has five players with at least 200 yards rushing, but watch out for AJ Barge, who has thrown for about 1,200 yards and averages almost 20 yards per completion.
Winner plays: Liberty County-Jackson winner

Dunwoody at Gainesville
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Bobby Gruhn Field, Gainesville
Records, rankings: Dunwoody is 7-4, the No. 2 seed from Region 5-AAA and unranked; Gainesville is 11-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 7-AAA and ranked No. 1.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Three things to know:
1. Gainesville leads the Class AAA field in scoring offense (46.8 points per game), scoring defense (6.3) and scoring differential (+40.5).
2. Dunwoody finished the regular season as the third-leading rushing team in DeKalb County, trailing Stephenson and Tucker, with an average of 222.8 yards per game.
3. Gainesville quarterback Blake Sims, who has committed to Alabama, had 1,547 yards passing, 583 yards rushing and 164 yards receiving during the regular season.
Winner plays: Cairo-Baldwin winner

Cairo at Baldwin
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Braves Stadium, Milledgeville
Records, rankings: Cairo is 8-3, the No. 2 seed from Region 1-AAA and unranked; Baldwin is 9-2, the No. 1 seed from Region 3-AAA and ranked No. 5.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Three things to know:
1. Defending AAA champion Cairo has reached the championship game in each of the past two seasons and is 10-1 in the playoffs since the start of the 2007 postseason.
2. Both teams lost to Peach County this season. Peach beat Cairo 24-13 on Oct. 9 and beat Baldwin 17-7 on Sept. 11.
3. Cairo’s scoring average of 18.0 is the lowest of the 16 teams remaining, but the Syrupmakers have averaged almost 24 points over the past seven games.
Winner plays: Dunwoody-Gainesville winner

Flowery Branch at Grady
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Lakewood Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Flowery Branch is 8-3, the No. 4 seed from Region 7-AAA and unranked; Grady is 10-1, the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AAA and unranked.
Last meeting: Grady won 32-29 in the 2006 second round.
Three things to know:
1. Flowery Branch was one of only three No. 4 seeds to win in the first round, and this will be the only second-round game matching a No. 4 seed against a No. 3.
2. Flowery Branch averages 41.9 points per game, trailing only Gainesville in Class AAA, but is allowing 24.5 points, the worst among the remaining 16 teams.
3. Grady survived its first-round game 26-21 when Hart County fumbled out of the end zone from the 1-yard line on the final play of the game.
Winner plays: Woodward Academy-Carver, Columbus winner

Woodward Academy at Carver, Columbus
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium, Columbus
Records, rankings: Woodward Academy is 8-3, the No. 2 seed from Region 4-AAA and unranked; Carver is 10-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 2-AAA and ranked No. 2.
Last meeting: Carver won 21-6 in the 2008 second round.
Three things to know:
1. Woodward Academy has given up an average of 10.3 points per game, but seven of its 11 opponents have scored a touchdown or less.
2. Carver has scored 27 points or more in every game except its 21-12 loss to Class AAAAA Northside of Warner Robins.
3. Woodward’s triple-option offense is led by fullback Juwan Thompson, who rushed for almost 200 yards in three quarters in the War Eagles’ 34-0 victory against Worth County last week. He is committed to Duke.
Winner plays: Flowery Branch-Grady winner

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