Prep Zone: AJC High School Sports

I can’t remember a better second round in the highest classification.

Lowndes-Camden County goes without saying. Playing a tougher schedule week in, week out, will help Lowndes, so I’m picking the Vikes on the road. I know Camden beat Northside last season in the same second round, but that was when Camden was the better team. This year, Lowndes is the better team.

Other amazin’ games in AAAAA –

MLK vs. Newnan (Mack Brown vs. Alec Ogletree)

Woodstock at North Gwinnett (I like both these teams a long and think either could’ve made the semis with another draw)

Roswell at Grayson (Is Pemberton hurt? How is Champaign? Good upset pick game here. Cool story about the backup QB at Roswell throwing the winning TD pass in OT. Who will cover Chris Boyd?)

South Gwinnett at Lassiter (Can anybody stop Hutson Mason?)

Colquitt County at Stephenson (Good news for Jags is that they get to see the spread offense before having to face Lassiter. Bad news is that they might not live to …

Continue reading Lowndes-Camden headlines a loaded second round »

By CHIP SAYE
For the AJC

Life in the playoffs isn’t easy for a No. 4 seed. It isn’t supposed to be.

Most of the 40 fourth-place teams that begin the playoffs tonight had to win a crucial game last week just to qualify for the postseason. All of them will be on the road this weekend, and all will face a region champion.

But there is reason for hope. Eight fourth-place teams won first-round games last year, including three each in Class AAAAA (Coffee, Woodstock and Lassiter) and AAAA (Hillgrove, Cedar Shoals and Mt. Zion-Jonesboro). And three of those teams went on to win in the second round, as well. Over the past five seasons, about six No. 4 seeds have won their first-round games each year. I’m picking only one this year, so I’ll probably be wrong on five or six of the 1 vs. 4 matchups.

Here’s a look at the one No. 4 seed I’m predicting will win, plus a few more that I think have a good chance.

Cook (at Northeast-Macon): The Hornets have been here before. Last …

Continue reading The Georgia High School Football Daily’s Weekend Predictions: Who’s winning and losing in Playoffs First Round »

Each day this week, we’ll look at the playoff draw for one of the five classifications, resuming today with Class AA. Here are five interesting facts about each of the 16 games, with an emphasis on playoff history.

Which coach just won a region title with his eighth different school? Find out below.

Favorite: Calhoun
Best draw: Charlton County
Worst draw: Jefferson
Sleeper: Charlton County
Best first-round matchup: Chattooga (9-1) at Lovett (9-1)

Greene County (4-6) at Fitzgerald (10-0)
- Greene County coach Charlie Winslette has won state championships at two schools in Georgia (Greene-Taliaferro and West Rome).
- Fitzgerald coach Robby Pruitt has won state championships at two schools in Florida (University Christian and Union County).
- Greene County is one of three playoff teams with a losing record. Social Circle and Warren County are the others.
- This is the third time in Pruitt’s six years that Fitzgerald has entered the state playoffs 10-0. Neither of the others made …

Continue reading Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: Class AA Playoff Preview »

Chat with the AJC’s Michael Carvell every Friday night

It’s the first round of HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS. AJC high schools beat writer Michael Carvell will try to blog live and take your questions about high school football and related topics.

We are here to talk football, football and more football. Going to a game? Take the cellphone or PDA and let us know what’s going on at YOUR game. Got a score update, see a killer play? Keep it clean, and POST IT HERE.

Michael Carvell’s Video Spotlight: Greenville High Coach Jeremy Williams

MORE VIDEO with the AJC’s Michael Carvell on Georgia high school football: CLICK HERE!

PLAYOFFS RESULTS: Click here for first round scores and second round matchups

GHSA BRACKETS: AAAAA | AAAA | AAA | AA | A

Here are the first round playoff games you can find stories and photos from later tonight on ajc.com…

Northwest Whitfield vs. Southwest DeKalb
Collins Hill vs. Roswell
Brookwood vs. McEachern
Pelham vs. Greenville

Don’t forget to check …

Continue reading Free-For-All Forum: Georgia high school football first round playoff scores, updates, photos and chat – LIVE! »

Each day this week, we’ll look at the playoff draw for one of the five classifications, resuming today with Class AAAA. Here are five interesting facts about each of the 16 games, with an emphasis on playoff history.

Which school has won 25 region titles but never a state title? Find out below.

Favorite: Gainesville
Best draw: Carver (Columbus)
Worst draw: Cairo
Sleeper: Baldwin
Best first-round matchup: Creekview (9-1) at Carrollton (9-1)

Spalding (5-5) at Peach County (10-0)
- Spalding played Peach County in its last playoff game, the 2003 semifinals at the Georgia Dome. Peach won 28-3.
- Spalding has never played a road (non-neutral) playoff game.
- Peach County has lost in the first round each of the past two seasons after winning state titles in 2005 and 2006.
- Peach County is 25-9 at home in the playoffs and 34-21 overall.
- Peach County has never finished a season unbeaten.

Troup (6-4) at Washington County (9-1)
- Washington County defeated Troup 48-6 on Sept. 18.
- …

Continue reading Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: Class AAA Playoff Preview »

Each day this week, we’ll look at the playoff draw for one of the five classifications, resuming today with Class AAAA. Here are five interesting facts about each of the 16 games, with an emphasis on playoff history.

Which game this week matches the two oldest public high schools in the South? Find out below.

Favorite: Griffin
Best draw: Southwest DeKalb
Worst draw: Tucker
Sleeper: Westside
Best first-round matchup: Sprayberry at Marist

Alcovy (7-3) at Thomas County Central (9-1)
- Alcovy, which finished 0-10 in its opening season in 2006, is playing in its first state playoff game.
- All three Newton County teams are in the playoffs this season. The others are Newton and Eastside.
- Thomas County Central has made the state playoffs each season since 1992.
- Thomas County Central has won 32 of its past 35 home games in the playoffs.
- Thomas County Central lost at home in the first round last season to Ware County.

Glynn Academy (5-5) at Richmond Academy (7-3)
- These are the …

Continue reading Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: Class AAAA Playoff Preview »

Each day this week, we’ll look at the playoff draw for one of the five classifications, starting today with Class AAAAA. Here are five interesting facts about each of the 16 games, with an emphasis on playoff history. Which school has won 28 straight first-round postseason games? Find out below.

Favorite: Lowndes
Best draw: Stephenson
Worst draw: Camden County
Sleeper: Colquitt County
Best first-round matchup: Valdosta at Newnan

Newton (6-4) at Camden County (8-2)
- Newton has never won a state playoff game.
- Newton has never played a game south of Macon.
- Camden County has made the state playoffs each season since 1991, the longest streak of its kind in the highest classification.
- Camden County has won 17 of its last 19 playoff games at home.
- Newton and Camden County have never played each other.

East Coweta (7-3) at Lowndes (9-1)
- East Coweta has made the state playoffs each season since 1997, which is the second-longest streak in the highest classification behind …

Continue reading Georgia High School Football Daily Spotlight: Class AAAAA Playoff Preview »

Got rankings, got draws, got predictions, got it all.

Let’s go class by class:

AAAAA: The first round is a snooze, but the second round will be the most exciting I’ve ever seen, headlined by Lowndes vs. Camden County. Check it out below. I’m picking Lowndes to win the title, but I’m probably going to be wrong. Just too many good teams, too many realistic possibilities, to hook your wagon to one horse. I can see the Gwinnett County vs. Region 1-AAAAA rivalry heating up. It might be played out in the final (Lowndes vs. North Gwinnett or Northside vs. Grayson). Or we could see a Lowndes-Northside final. Or Grayson-North Gwinnett. Then there are the four teams that I don’t feel great about individually, but love them as a group because at last one figures to break through. Those are Lassiter, McEachern, Newnan and Stephenson. Note that Lassiter or Stephenson will make the semifinals if there are no upsets.

AAAA: No. 1 Griffin and No. 2 Southwest DeKalb have separated …

Continue reading Too close to call: Class AAAAA has many contenders »

Lithonia and Stone Mountain were found guilty of using ineligible football players by the Georgia High School Association on Thursday.

The two DeKalb County schools must forfeit a total of eight wins — knocking both out of playoff contention. Also, Lithonia head coach Earl White and Stone Mountain assistant Clifford Browning were “relieved of their coaching duties” related to the violations, according to DeKalb County spokesman Dale Davis.

“We take great pride in our athletic programs and are very disappointed to learn of these violations,” wrote Davis in a press release. “All appropriate steps are being taken to correct the violations and prevent this from happening again.”

The forfeits turned out to be good news for Miller Grove and Chamblee, which will play each other on Friday for Region 6-AAAA’s fourth and final berth in the state playoffs. Southwest DeKalb, Marist and Tucker — none of whom were affected by the forfeits — have already qualified for the …

Continue reading DeKalb County relieves two of coaching duties after forfeits »

Chat live on Fridays with the AJC's Michael Carvell

Note: The AJC’’s Michael Carvell will be blogging live from “Sims vs. Shaw” at Flowery Branch on Friday night. Please join us here on ajc.com

Two of the nation’s top high school quarterbacks will be on the same field in Georgia on Friday.

It’s Gainesville’s Blake Sims (committed to Alabama) vs. Flowery Branch’s Connor Shaw (South Carolina). Gainesville is ranked No. 1 in Class AAA, while Flowery Branch was last year’s state runner-up.

How rare is this QB showdown between Sims vs. Shaw? “I was talking to an old friend who used to recruit for Ohio State,” Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said. “He said he’d go through entire states without seeing a major-college quarterback … and to see two of them from the same county (Hall County) in the same game is something special.”

Here’s the tale of the tape between the QBs:

> Size: Sims had a growth spurt over the summer and stands at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, while Shaw has a nice frame …

Continue reading Michael Carvell’s Video Blog: Who is your pick for Georgia’s top QB? »