AAAAAA blog: Five things to watch in the second round
Five things to watch this week in Class AAAAAA
- The Cinderella quarter: Brookwood (7-4) has won 43 playoff games and two state titles in its history. The other three teams in Brookwood’s quarter of the draw – North Cobb (9-2), Hughes (10-1), Mill Creek (8-3) – have won seven playoff games combined and no state titles. One of these four teams will make the semifinals. But before anyone stamps Brookwood as the team to beat, note that the Broncos finished fourth in Region 8. They’d have to win two games on the road to make the final four. Only four No. 4 seeds in the highest classification have ever made the semifinals, most recently Lassiter in 2011. Only one (Peachtree Ridge) has won a state title. Tonight, it’s North Cobb at Hughes and Brookwood at Mill Creek.
- North Gwinnett at Grayson: This is the only AAAAAA game in the round of 16 that matches ranked teams. Grayson (10-1) is No. 3. North Gwinnett (10-1) is No. 4. These Gwinnett County powerhouses have played only once. Grayson beat North 23-19 in the 2010 second round. These are Gwinnett’s most successful programs in terms of victories in recent years. Grayson has won 70 games since 2007, the most in Gwinnett. North Gwinnett has won 77 since 2006, the most in Gwinnett.
- The Packer Road Show: Colquitt County (8-3) is 9-2 on the road (not counting neutral sites) in the playoffs in five seasons under Rush Propst. That includes a victory over No. 1 seed McEachern last week. In that time, Colquitt has won at Stephenson, M.L. King, Lassiter, Camden County, Grayson and North Gwinnett. Though ranked No. 9, Colquitt is a No. 4 seed and can’t play a home game in the playoffs. The only Georgia team that has won a state title while winning five playoff games away from home is Peachtree Ridge in 2006. Next stop for Colquitt County is Newnan (9-2).
- Draw busters: Parkview and Marietta were big stories in the first round. Parkview won its first playoff game since 2005, which was the end of one of Georgia’s great dynasties (10 straight quarterfinal appearances). It took an overtime win against Walton. Now Parkview travels to West Forsyth in a bid to return to the quarters. Marietta needed the heroics of LSU-bound quarterback Anthony Jennings – three TD passes and a back-breaking 88-yard run – to stun Lowndes on the road. It will take another great effort to win Friday at seventh-ranked Lovejoy.
- Norcross: No. 1-ranked teams have lost each of the past two weeks in the highest class. First Camden in the regular season, then Lassiter when the penalty is death. Now Norcross remains as AAAAAA’s only unbeaten team. But Norcross is a school that has never advanced past the quarterfinals. Friday’s game with South Gwinnett will be tough. Norcross beat South 35-20 in the opener. South’s only other loss is to Grayson.
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106 comments Add your comment
High 5
November 20th, 2012
8:10 pm
I’m gonna say it again, “Watch out for Lovejoy!” Check out the size of their receivers in addition to their powerful ground game. Not to mention that D! You all have been warned!
Highschoolfootballfan
November 20th, 2012
8:22 pm
I think that folks missed the point with Really. He did not diminish any accomplishments by anyone, but the facts bear out. If I have 18 teams in 2 regions that will give the two regions 8 teams. Now the regions they match up with may not be as strong as those two regions, so it goes without saying that you could sweep that region. For years Camden was the only team to survive in region 3. Now the south has 1 region and that is region 1. They only have 4 teams to make the playoffs. So based on numbers they still have 50% of the region remaining in the 2nd round. Does Gwinnett and Cobb have a higher %? Yes they do, why? more teams in the playoffs.
Marietta
November 20th, 2012
8:37 pm
DevilBlue is a Norcross fan. At Marietta we’re just happy to go to play another great team this week and see how we will do. We have a lot of respect for Lovejoy and we’re looking no farther down the road than that. Of the teams I’ve seen, I would put my money on Camden, with Grayson right there with them. But I’m only looking at Lovejoy this week.
Camden74
November 20th, 2012
8:40 pm
bk is on self imposed exile…… Release the CATS!
GwinnettDad
November 20th, 2012
8:48 pm
@Highschool – uh, math please. Is 7/8ths greater than 2/4ths? I’ll make it simple enough. Again, Gwinnett had 8 teams, now has 7. Region 1 had 4 teams, now has 2. Gwinnett had a better day by far than Region 1. Percentages 87.5 to 50. Got it? Please?
Now, with that aside, remember, to some geographically challenged folks, Atlanta is simply all one big team. But for the folks that live in Gwinnett, Cobb County are competitors, not allies. Get it? We love beating them and do far more often than they beat us. You might as well say Lowndes is the middle school for Camden.
Golden Isles Fan
November 20th, 2012
9:00 pm
GO CAMDEN WILDCATS!!!!!!!!!
Camden74
November 20th, 2012
9:08 pm
Let’s just pay attention to the LAST team standing…..Then, there will be no doubt! Roll CATS Roll!
Stooge
November 20th, 2012
9:10 pm
The CC Packers feed off road games and are heading up north again Thanksgiving Day. Digging into the next round, all eyes on Newnan.
PackerHawg
November 20th, 2012
9:19 pm
I agree with High Five…we played Lovejoy in September…They are really talented…..Very good football team!
Fred
November 20th, 2012
10:07 pm
@Highschoolfootballfan – I’m not trying to diminish what Region 1 has done but your math in addition to your thinking is all wrong. You think of Gwinnett as a homogeneous entity like Colquitt, Camden, Coffee, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth! We may be all Gwinnett and hope the others do well in the same manner Camden might root for say Colquitt in the playoffs until and unless you play each other. Make no mistake though, region 7 and region 8 fight each other tooth and nail come playoffs! Looking at the 2 regions separately instead of jointly shows that region 8 had 4 teams advance for 100% and region 7 had 3 teams advance for 75%. Region 1 had 2 teams advance for 50%. I’m not downplaying the region 1 teams that won or lost, only talking about the math.
Falconguy45
November 20th, 2012
10:52 pm
LoveJoy….. My ex wife taught at Love Joy when the school first opened in the early 90’s. I remember going to Tara and Twelve Oaks to see them play and support my wife. There were some awful teams in those early years. I am glad to see them successful now, but they have a long road ahead to beat a very good Marietta team and to get through Norcross and Camden. They may be legitimate, but Clayton County can’t play with Gwinnett. This is coming from a Clayton. County boy that played on a State Championship team.
BullDawg Rick
November 20th, 2012
10:53 pm
@ Norcross Dawg – Is that you ole #11 of the bad ar$$ Blue Devils team of ‘76 in which you speak??
GO Dawgs!!
High 5
November 21st, 2012
12:46 am
Falcon guy, Have you seen this years team? They can match up with anyone in the state!
NGHS 09
November 21st, 2012
12:47 am
@ Parkview Pride…That picture makes me laugh everytime LOL, but I assure you that Sphire doesn’t recruit outside help from wandering coaches. He doesn’t need coaching help to win games. We would love some of Norcross’s athletes though
NGHS 09
November 21st, 2012
12:50 am
@Really????????????????No surprise here… A few corrections needed…
- Every Gwinnett team in the 2nd round is a GOOD team. There are no “no so good teams” that make the second round. It’s a source of pride regardless of the number of schools Gwinnett has.
- 6 titles IS something the pride ourselves with and to say otherwise is just, simply put, nonsense.
NGHS 09
November 21st, 2012
12:53 am
* Also…
-Explain to me how Lowndes, Colquitt, Coffee, Tift, Brunswick, and Valdosta get to claim Camden’s 3 titles since 2000…would love to here that LOL
- Grayson and NG will know by saturday how they “stackup”, as will Norcross/South Gwinnett, Parkview/West Forsyth, and Brookwood/Mill Creek
You don’t sound like a Gwinnett homer
Falconguy45
November 21st, 2012
8:43 am
High 5….. We will see as it gets deeper. Have you seen Camden, Grayson, or Norcross? These three teams are a different animal that what you have seen in your Region. Trust me on this one. I know your Region very well and am very good friends with a lot of the coaches from your Region that I grew up with. Not taking anything away from LJUBLJANA, but you will have to play a lights out, perfect game to beat any of the above three.
GwinnettDad
November 21st, 2012
9:14 am
One thing is for sure. Take away the city of Valdosta from this AAAAAA blog, and traffic here is cut by more than half.
Smug
November 21st, 2012
9:37 am
Amen to GwinnettDad’s comment about Valdosta. If Lowndes & Valdista can’t win on the field, I guess they feel they can beat up on everyone here. Enough is enough.
Sideline Dude
November 21st, 2012
9:40 am
Have the Valdosta & Lowndes school systems merged yet?
Colquitt Fan
November 21st, 2012
10:02 am
We don’t claim Camden’s titles but they are a southern team.
Newnan guys, any word on the QB situation or does it make much if a difference, I know the back up came in and played well. Losing our safety hurts, that dude flies all over the field and delivers big hits
Wolverine
November 21st, 2012
12:49 pm
Please continue to overlook West Forsyth. We will just quietly keep winning games while you guys continue to disregard our talent.
87cougar
November 21st, 2012
1:45 pm
Unsure if he is going to play.The backup did alright. I still look for a close game.Colquitt bring what ya got Newnan will be ready
Colquitt Fan
November 21st, 2012
6:37 pm
Good luck to y’all sir. We’ll be ready, here’s to a good game
Columbia Blue
November 21st, 2012
6:45 pm
Camden will be playing East Coweta this Friday night and I can assure you that the Wildcats will not overlook them. One game at a time. OUR WILDCATS WILL BE READY.
R31768
November 21st, 2012
8:17 pm
As a Pack fan and R1 fan, I believe that football all over the state is equal. But for the fans that continue to make an issue out of it. South Ga is rural and had the population equal to just one county in Metro North. With that said, you would need to take a look at some of our other classifications. Cairo, TCC, Brooks. Just a thought. I would love to shock this blog with a Packer vs Broncos rematch for the championship this year.
Packers Love the Playoffs
November 21st, 2012
8:28 pm
I love this time of year. The smell of turkey and ham cooking in the kitchen. Gathering with family and friends you haven’t seen in a while. Oh yeah, and the Colquitt County Packers just keep on winning. To the dome we go!!!
Titletown USA
November 21st, 2012
8:47 pm
@NGHS ….I assume you are directing that comment at someone in particular because I am not sure how anyone can “claim titles” from another school. There is constant chatter of Gwinett Co having 6 of the last 12 titles, if that ain’t claiming, I do not know what is….I think Lowndes can stand up to any single school in terms of titles in recent history, and Camden as well on an individual basis. Only Parkview can stake an equal claim…..anyone outside of that is doing exactly what you are complaining about.
One of the most important factors being overlooked in the region/geographical comparisons are the populations, but whatever on that. I am very interested to see who advances this week. I will be rooting for Colquitt and Camden…and Brooks Co.
yo
November 22nd, 2012
7:32 am
Fred all of your points about Gwinnett are good. No doubt having 7 of 8 teams still playing is an accomplishment.
There are so many things to condider though when comparing regions that the reality is it is almost useless.
First you have travel distances. Example: For Colquit to win state they have to make 5 straight trips to Atlanta area and some times north of Atlanta. An extreme hard ship that no north teams have to encounter.
Second: Match ups of regions. Lets face it the only real upset Gwinnett pulled off was Brookwood beating a always over hyped Lassiter. Colquit on the other hand has an easier road to the semis because of those same match ups between regions. So region match ups and draws are important.
On the other hand there are the things you pointed out. The point is it goes both ways. Some teams end up with more obstacles in their way than others. The luck of the draw I suppose. When it is all said and done it is the teams that over come those obstacles and play the best football at the END of the year that find them selves in the Dome.
yo
November 22nd, 2012
7:34 am
GwinnettDad and then if you take away Colquit and Camden you won’t have a blog. Good luck though.
sportsnut
November 22nd, 2012
8:00 am
Happy Thanksgiving to ALL.
AVikingFan
November 22nd, 2012
9:45 am
I’ll second that, sportsnut, Happy Thanksgiving to all and safe travel to the teams still “in it.”!!
grayram
November 22nd, 2012
11:53 am
Yo. It’s almost like Probst likes the road playoff games. For three years in a row its pretty obvious that Colquitt is the best team (or maybe 2nd best this year) in their region. So if they finished 1st or 2nd they would have some home games. They use the regular season to fine tune the offense, feeling sure they will slip in the playoffs as a 3 or 4 then they flip the switch.
NGHS 09
November 22nd, 2012
12:35 pm
R31768…Good points….however you miss the point entirely. Gwinnett may have the same amount of people as the school districts of Region 1AAAAAA combined, or more, but all of you down there don’t deal with 17 AAAAAA schools in ONE county, or 5-6 public/city/private schools, or 3-4 lower classification schools. Ask any head coach up here how many problems the cluster F#@K causes year in and year out. The majority of schools in Gwinnett are LUCKY to have the same group of kids come up through their feeder programs together. Most starters on the Gwinnett power teams grew up in another school’s district, and most is probably a big understatement. Truth be told, this happens in EVERY sport just as much as it does football. I see where you are coming from though. That’s why they play the games with what they have.
NGHS 09
November 22nd, 2012
12:41 pm
@ yo….Completely understand the traveling dilemma Region 1AAAAAA schools face, however, correct me if I am wrong here….How can you complain about traveling in the playoffs when your team was solely responsible for their own destiny? If Colquitt wanted to travel less, then they should have won their region plain and simple. I am fully aware that the #1 seed still travels, but Colquitt puts themselves in this situation every year because they don’t take care of business during the regular season. However, they are the definition of road warriors and they obviously do exceptionally well with the traveling issues.
NGHS 09
November 22nd, 2012
12:52 pm
@ yo…Also…how do North team not have to deal with travel? What about #4 and #3 seeds that continue to win? More times than not North teams travel to Camden and Lowndes and Colquitt, and Valdosta.. etc. So explain that for me please.
R31768
November 22nd, 2012
1:19 pm
NGHSO9, I don’t disagree. As I stated Gwinett is very strong. The Southern rural areas play strong football. They have their off years as a whole but there is usually one or two teams that show up each year. I can understand your point as well.
Blue devil alumni
November 22nd, 2012
2:25 pm
Happy thanksgiving to you all. norcross don’t eat to much!
Columbia Blue
November 22nd, 2012
6:11 pm
@ The Cross
If Norcross and Camden win this week we will have a coin flip to see who will host the game next Friday night. Both teams are number 1 seeds in their region. Cross, I have been really nice on this blog; however, your post on how humiliating it would be to loose to East Coweta and how Norcross will win the game if Camden plays them is getting really old. We know Norcross is very good. We give them a lot of credit but your post makes them sound like they are a professional team. I can assure you of one thing, nobody knows who will win the game until the game is over. We will not be intimidated by your blue devils. Camden has won it all 3 times and several of the seniors this year have a ring. I am going to give you some advice, until you have won it all be humble. Heck, we have won it all several times and I will always remain humble and respects our opposition to the fullest extent. Good Luck Norcross—If Camden and Norcross meet I hope Norcross plays the game of their life. You can be assured of one thing—-The WILDCATS WILL BE READY.
Fred
November 23rd, 2012
12:27 am
@yo – Amen brother! All the smack talking is just talking. I’m glad we have the level of teams in the state that we do. We get spoiled with all the great football we have here. Safe travels to all and good hard games with no serious injuries!
Abu Dhabi
November 23rd, 2012
1:16 am
Congratulations to all the teams playing in Round 2. Langston Hughes. You ready? It’s going down tonight. North Cobb is the Truth. #PlayOffDeep
The Cross
November 23rd, 2012
9:00 am
Columbia Blue-My post was a reply to your not so humble fan Camden74. My post is not in any way linked to the mindset of the Norcross Blue Devils who are not looking any further ahead than tonight against a very dangerous South Gwinnett team. My smack talk won’t score any touchdowns or make any tackles. But, if you feel my posts are getting old stop reading them. Read the nauseating post of your fellow Camden posters and the rest of South Georgia who feel like the only good football being played is in the southern part of this state. I can assure you to a player Norcross is humble and hungry. Good luck tonight vs. the mighty 5-6 East Cowetta Ant Eaters tonight. I hope we make it through to face the legendary Camden County Wildcats next week.
The Cross
Fred
November 23rd, 2012
10:35 am
North Gwinnett fans – If you are coming to the game tonight, there is a new entrance to Grayson that is much easier to get in and out of. Continue down 20/Grayson Hwy past Hope Hollow where you used to turn to get to the school. The very next light is the new entrance to the school. The light may be flashing as it is programed to only cycle during the start and end of the school day. The Gwinnett Sheriffs will have it operating after the game for sure.
Also, once you are in the parking lot, if you go to the left around the school, there is a back entrance to the stadium that generally is not as crowded as the main ticket gate. The main gate will be crowded since school was out this week and there weren’t very many advance ticket sales.
Safe travels and see you at the game!
Flyer
November 23rd, 2012
10:40 am
@Fred–Thanks for the heads up. I am looking forward to a great game tonight!
Camden74
November 23rd, 2012
1:03 pm
The Cross….LOL…..Really, your post are in response to me? I only tell the/MY truth! FALSE humility is NOT in my nature. If you read my post carefully, you’ll find that I post what most on this blog only think. I always tell everyone, this is my opinion and does not reflect the thinking of the Camden County Wildcats. I am in no way, presently, affiliated with the school or the team. Also, if a person doesn’t like what I have to say, it’s simple, don’t READ the post! I will ALWAYS be confident the Wildcats will find a way to win, that doesn’t mean they always will. I’m a supporter to the END, win or lose……..
The Cross
November 23rd, 2012
1:49 pm
Camden74-my post wasn’t negative towards you at all. I actually like our back and forth. I was just explaining myself to Columbia Blue.
Good luck tonight, although I don’t think that you’ll need it.
The Cross
Camden74
November 23rd, 2012
4:13 pm
The Cross…..I didn’t take it as being negative. It actually gave me the opening to say a few things. Because I too, enjoy going back and forth with you and others. I don’t believe either one of us has any problem posting our true feelings.
Anywho, Good Luck tonight. Hopefully, there will be a Camden-Norcross match up next week! Release the BIG CATS!
Rubin_Hood
November 23rd, 2012
5:25 pm
Grayson game should be a good one. Grayson gets the advantage in having the athletes, defense, and home field. I think both coaches neutralize each other. I give North Gwinnett the advantage of possibly the intangibles, committment and desire. On paper it should be a “w” for Grayson but both teams have matured and believe in themselves. Let the games begin. .
ppaaddy123
November 23rd, 2012
8:11 pm
Enter your comments here
Camden74
November 23rd, 2012
9:57 pm
The Cross……Congratulations on the Norcross win! Now, you’ll get to see your dream match up. Camden vs Norcross, looking forward to the battle. Go Camden County Wildcats!