Second-round playoff preview: Class AAAA

South Effingham at Westover

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Hugh Mills Stadium, Albany

Records, rankings: South Effingham is 7-4, the No. 4 seed from Region 3-AAAA and unranked; Westover is 8-3, the No. 2 seed from 1-AAAA and unranked.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. South Effingham won its first playoff game in its 17-season history last week with a 43-33 victory over Westside of Macon. The Mustangs also were one of only four No. 4 seeds to advance to the second round. The other 36 lost. 2. South Effingham’s top player is 1,000-yard rusher Josh Mercer, who is committed to N.C. State. He scored three touchdowns last week, and QB Brandon James threw three TD passes. 3. Westover RB Shannon Saunders rushed for 208 yards and two touchdowns in Westover’s 26-21 victory over sixth-ranked Jonesboro in the first round. It was a rematch of a regular-season game. Each time, Westover led 12-8 at halftime. But Jonesboro won the first one 34-12. It was Westover’s first home game in the state playoffs.

Maxwell Ratings’ projection: Westover by 7

Winner plays: Grady/Monroe Area winner

Grady at Monroe Area

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Legion Field, Monroe

Records, rankings: Grady is 9-2, the No. 3 seed from Region 6-AAAA and unranked; Monroe Area is 10-1, the No. 1 seed from 8-AAAA and unranked.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. With his team trailing 14-13, Monroe Area QB Stanton Truitt scored on a 33-yard run with 1:47 left in a 21-14 victory over Shaw in the first round. Shaw had failed on a fourth-and-1 at the Monroe Area 41-yard line before the winning drive. 2. Hakeem Todd rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown for Grady in a 27-17 road victory over River Ridge last week. Grady blocked a punt and forced three turnovers in the first half in route to a 21-7 lead. 3. Region 8 champion Monroe Area is the leader of a top quarter of the draw that now includes no ranked teams. One will make the semifinals. Only Grady has been that far before (1953, 2005).

Maxwell Ratings’ projection: Grady by 1

Winner plays: South Effingham/Westover winner

Monroe at Burke County

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Bear Den, Waynesboro

Records, rankings: Monroe is 8-3, the No. 3 seed from Region 1-AAAA and unranked; Burke County is 10-1, the No. 1 seed from 3-AAAA and ranked No. 3.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Monroe QB Charles Stafford was 18-of-30 passing for 315 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-17 victory over fifth-ranked Griffin last week. 2. Burke County QB Donquell Green scored four touchdowns, one on a 98-yard kickoff return, threw a TD pass and intercepted a pass in a 35-7 first-round victory over Perry. Green has rushed for 1,600 yards and passed for 1,058. 3. Monroe’s Region 1 was a big winner in the first round. No. 3 seed Westover also beat a ranked team, Jonesboro, 26-21. This is the first time that two of Dougherty County’s four schools have advanced to the round of 16 since 2007, when Westover and Monroe also did it. It has happened only four times since 1990, when the GHSA expanded the playoffs to 16 teams.

Maxwell Ratings’ projection: Burke County by 14

Winner plays: Dalton/Sandy Creek winner

Dalton at Sandy Creek

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Battlefield, Tyrone

Records, rankings: Dalton is 8-3, the No. 3 seed from Region 7-AAAA and unranked; Sandy Creek is 11-0, the No. 1 seed from 5-AAAA and ranked No. 1.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Dalton won its first playoff game since 2005 last week in the 17-14 victory over Carver of Atlanta. Daniel Palacios made a 30-yard field goal to break a 14-14 tie in the fourth quarter. It also was Dalton’s first road playoff win since 1992. 2. Sandy Creek RB Delvin Weems rushed for 221 yards and RB Eric Swinney ran for 145 in a 55-0 victory over Eastside that ended with a running clock. Sandy Creek had 669 yards in total offense. 3. Sandy Creek’s .955 winning percentage (63-3) over the past five seasons is the best in Georgia. Buford’s two forfeited victories conspired to move Sandy Creek to the top. Sandy Creek also has won 13 of its last 14 playoff games.

Maxwell Ratings’ projection: Sandy Creek by 30

Winner plays: Monroe/Burke County winner

Mary Persons at Cairo

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, West Thomas Stadium, Cairo

Records, rankings: Mary Persons is 9-2, the No. 2 seed from Region 2-AAAA and unranked; Cairo is 9-2, the No. 1 seed from 1-AAAA and ranked No. 7.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Cairo’s Tom Fallaw got his 100th victory as a coach in the 24-13 win over Riverdale in the first round. Cairo struggled on offense against the No. 4 seed and didn’t lead until P.J. Davis’s 45-yard run in the third quarter. 2. Mary Persons RB Nick Davis rushed for 163 yards on 28 carries in a 40-14 victory over Statesboro. It was Mary Persons’ first home playoff game since 2003. 3. Cairo is one of five teams that can make the quarterfinals for the sixth consecutive time this season. The others are Buford, Carver, Grayson and Lincoln County. Mary Persons has made 15 quarterfinals, but none since 1998.

Maxwell Ratings’ projection: Cairo by 9

Winner plays: LaGrange/Ridgeland winner

LaGrange at Ridgeland

When, where:7:30 p.m. Friday, Bowers and Painter Field, Rossville

Records, rankings: LaGrange is 6-5, the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AAAA and unranked; Ridgeland is 10-1, the No. 1 seed from 7-AAAA and ranked No. 9.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Ridgeland’s best player is DB/WR Vonn Bell, one of only five Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super 11 players who survived the first round. But Ridgeland has other good players. RB Darrell Bridges rushed for 202 yards and five touchdowns on 22 carries in a 45-21 victory over Washington last week. 2. LaGrange’s defense scored three touchdowns in a 59-46 victory over Chestatee in the first round. Demoton Boyd scored two of them on interceptions returns and also scored on a 62-yard run from scrimmage. DL Joe Sanders, who has committed to Tennessee, returned a fumble for a touchdown. 3. LaGrange broke a school record for points in a playoff game against Chestatee. The win also broke LaGrange’s four-game losing streak in the playoffs, the longest in school history. LaGrange is 55-27-1 all-time in the playoffs. LaGrange also averted a third consecutive losing season, which has not happened since 1965-67.

Maxwell Ratings’ projection: Ridgeland by 21

Winner plays: Mary Persons/Cairo winner

Wayne County at Stockbridge

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Tiger Stadium, Stockbridge

Records, rankings: Wayne County is 6-4-1, the No. 2 seed from Region 3-AAAA and unranked; Stockbridge is 10-1, the No. 1 seed from 4-AAAA and ranked No. 4.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Stockbridge, which started football in 1964, achieved a 10-win season for the first time and its second playoff victory in history with the 27-14 victory over Worth County last week. QB Trenton Earl passed for 131 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown. 2. Wayne County got its first playoff victory in 16 years in a 35-14 win over Baldwin. That came in the third season under coach Jody Grooms. His previous coaching job was at Lakeside of Evans, where in 2009 he led that school to its first playoff victory in 17 years. That also came in Grooms’ third season. 3. Stockbridge is trying to make its first quarterfinal in history. Wayne County is trying to make its first since 1993 and fifth overall.

Maxwell Ratings’ projection: Stockbridge by 11

Winner plays: Carrollton/Marist winner

Carrollton at Marist

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Hughes Spalding Stadium, Atlanta

Records, rankings: Carrollton is 8-3, the No. 2 seed from Region 5-AAAA and ranked No. 10; Marist is 10-1, the No. 1 seed from 6-AAAA and ranked No. 2.

Last meeting: Carrollton won 43-6 in a 1993 Region 5-AAA playoff game.

Three things to know: 1. Carrollton RB Trey Chivers leads his team in yards rushing (790) and receiving (417) and had 166 total yards and touchdowns rushing and receiving in a 40-7 victory over Stephens County in the first round. 2. Marist QB Myles Willis, who has committed to Boston College, rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown and was 6-of-9 passing for 79 yards and two touchdowns in a 56-0 first-round victory over Gilmer. Steven Morris had three sacks. 3. No other AAAA game matches teams with this much tradition. Carrollton last missed the playoffs in 1987. Marist last missed in 1982. One or the other has made the quarterfinals for 22 of the past 25 years, missing only in 1995, 2001 and 2010. Carrollton has won seven state titles and played in the finals of four others. The two schools have played in 22 state championship games. Carrollton has won seven state titles, Marist two.

Maxwell Ratings’ projection: Marist by 3

Winner plays: Wayne County/Stockbridge winner

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