Spotlight

Playoff shootouts become more common

It has happened 25 times in GHSA history that teams have combined to score 90 points or more in a playoff game. It has happened 12 times in just the past three seasons, as spread offenses are sweeping the state.

It happened four times Friday night, the most ever in the first round. The highest was the 113 points scored in Chattahoochee's 65-48 victory over Habersham Central. Bowdon beat Holy Innocents' 57-43 for 100 points. Two games had the same 47-43 score - Greenville over ECI and Griffin over Jonesboro.

In 2010, four games hit 90 points, but only one in the first round. Colquitt was involved in two of those four - 48-47 over M.L. King in the second round and a 52-38 loss to Brookwood in the Class AAAAA final, the highest-scoring championship game in history.

In 2009, Lassiter and record-setting quarterback Hutson Mason were involved in two of the 90-point games - a 62-37 victory over North Forsyth in the first round and a 70-49 victory over South Gwinnett in the second.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Lassiter's head coach was Chip Lindsey, a former offensive coordinator at Hoover High in Alabama under Rush Propst, who is now Colquitt's head coach.

The first playoff game to see 90 points took place in 1984, when West Rome beat Lakeshore 61-31. Lakeshore's quarterback was Marquis Grissom, the future Atlanta Braves center fielder.

It would be another 12 years before another playoff game reached 90 points.

Most points scored by both teams in GHSA playoff games:

138 - Collins Hill 70, South Cobb 68 (2004 first round) 7 overtimes

119 - Lassiter 70, South Gwinnett 49 (2009 second round)

115 - Chamblee 58, Stephens County 57 (2007 second round) 1 overtime

113 - Chattahoochee 65, Habersham Central 48 (2011 first round)

112 - Miller County 70, Monticello 42 (1996 first round)

106 - Miller County 79, Lanier County 27 (2000 first round)

105 - Landmark Christian 56, Social Circle 49 (2006 first round)

100 - Bowdon 57, Holy Innocents' 43 (2011 first round) 

100 - Fitzgerald 64, Swainsboro 36 (2009 second round)

99 - Lassiter 62, North Forsyth 37 (2009 first round)

99 - Wilcox County 60, Johnson County 39 (2010 second round)

Class AAAA Playoff Preview

East Paulding at Northgate

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Henry Seldon Field, Newnan

Records, rankings: East Paulding is 10-1, the No. 2 seed from Region 5-AAAA and ranked No. 8; Northgate is 11-0, the No. 1 seed from 3-AAAA and ranked No. 6.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. East Paulding coach John Reid is 59-14 and has led the Raiders to four 10-win seasons in six years at the school. East Paulding had no 10-win seasons and just four winning records in the 15 years before his arrival in Dallas. 2. East Paulding is second in Class AAAA in defense, allowing an average of 6.7 points per game and giving up nine or fewer points in nine games. The Raiders had their lowest scoring output of the year in their 10-6 victory over Southwest DeKalb in the first round. 3. Northgate is trying to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2000, when it played in Class AA. Last week, Alex Lakes rushed for 109 yards and Payton Usher had 108 in the Vikings' 42-7 victory over North Clayton in the first round.

Winner plays: Warner Robins/Chattahoochee winner

Warner Robins at Chattahoochee

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Arena, Johns Creek

Records, rankings: Warner Robins is 9-2, the No. 2 seed from Region 1-AAAA and ranked No. 7; Chattahoochee 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. Brian Sutton, who missed the 2010 season because of a broken neck, scored four touchdowns in Warner Robins' 42-31 victory over Lakeside of Evans on Saturday. Warner Robins trailed 31-28 in the fourth quarter but scored two touchdowns in the game's final six minutes. Sutton led the Demons during the regular season with 580 yards rushing on 122 carries. 2. Chattahoochee set school single-game records for points (65), rushing yards (442) and total yards (663) in its 65-48 victory over Habersham Central in the first round. QB Travis Marshall had 221 yards passing and 151 rushing. Chase Nelson ran for 186 yards and three touchdowns, and C.J. Leggett had 100 yards and two TDs. 3. This is one of three second-round AAAA matchups between teams that have won state titles (Griffin-Tucker and Clarke Central-Northside are the others). Chattahoochee is the defending state champion, and Warner Robins has four championships, most recently in 2004.

Winner plays: East Paulding/Northgate winner

Ware County at Heritage (Conyers)

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Evans Memorial Stadium, Conyers

Records, rankings: Ware County is 9-2, the No. 2 seed from Region 2-AAAA and unranked; Heritage 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. Heritage advanced to the second round with a controversial victory over Rome. Trailing 13-10 in the second overtime, Rome completed what appeared to be a game-winning touchdown pass, but the receiver was marked down inside the 1-yard line. Rome fumbled on the next play. 2. Ware County's 21-14 victory over Bainbridge also went down to the wire. The Gators had a chance to put the game away but fumbled at the Bainbridge 10 with 1:34 to play. Bainbridge drove to the Ware 39 but was stopped there on the game's final play. 3. Heritage has won a school-record 10 games this season and is playing in the second round for just the second time in the history of the school, which opened in 1976. This is Ware County's fifth consecutive season of reaching at least the second round.

Winner plays: Kell/Lovejoy winner

Kell at Lovejoy

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Twelve Oaks Stadium, Lovejoy

Records, rankings: Kell is 9-2, the No. 3 seed from Region 5-AAAA and unranked; Lovejoy is 11-0, the No. 1 seed from 4-AAAA and ranked No. 5.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Kell's 30-7 victory last week snapped Marist's streak of 28 consecutive home playoff victories, the longest streak of its kind in state history. Kell led 23-0 in the second quarter and had a 250-72 advantage in total offense in the first half, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. 2. Lovejoy has the top-rated defense in Class AAAA. The Wildcats are allowing just 3.2 points per game and have seven shutouts in 11 games. Tri-Cities, which lost to Lovejoy 24-20, is the only team to score more than six points on the Wildcats this season. 3. Kell, which opened in 2003, is making its second consecutive and third overall trip to second round. Lovejoy is in the second round for the first time since 2004, when a 44-26 loss to Houston County ended the Wildcats' season at 8-4.

Winner plays: Ware County/Heritage winner

Griffin at Tucker

Records, rankings: Griffin is 9-2, the No. 3 seed from Region 3-AAAA and unranked; Tucker is 11-0, the No. 1 seed from 6-AAAA and ranked No. 1.

Last meeting: Tucker won 34-0 in the 2008 Class AAAA semifinals.

Three things to know: 1. Tucker running backs Yusuf Minor and Dallas Rivers average one touchdown for every four touches on offense. Combined, they have 1,433 yards and 26 touchdowns rushing on 115 carries (12.5 ypc) and nine receptions for 198 yards (20.0 ypc) and five touchdowns. 2. Griffin has won two consecutive dramatic must-win games on the road. In the regular season, Griffin beat Whitewater 23-22 when Whitewater was stopped on a two-point conversion and missed a 37-yard field goal in the final minutes. In the first round, Griffin beat Jonesboro 47-43 after the Cardinals snapped a ball over the punter's head in the final two minutes when leading 43-41. 3. Tucker began playing its home playoff games at Adams Stadium rather than North DeKalb or Hallford because of a first-round loss to Sequoyah at North DeKalb in 2001. Adams' field is sloped, allowing rain to drain off. Former Tucker coach Bill Ballard didn't want to risk a wet, muddy field slowing Tucker's traditional skill set of quick players. Tucker is 15-2 in the playoffs at Adams Stadium since 1995.

Winner plays: Thomas County Central/Flowery Branch winner

Thomas Co. Central at Flowery Branch

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Falcon Field, Flowery Branch

Records, rankings: Thomas County Central is 7-4, the No. 4 seed from Region 1-AAAA and unranked; Flowery Branch is 10-1, the No. 3 seed from 8-AAAA and unranked.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Flowery Branch beat Johns Creek 41-38 in the first round on a final-play, 36-yard pass from Kanler Coker to Casey Osborne, who caught the ball heavily defended while falling on his back. 2. Thomas County Central defeated No. 3 Statesboro 31-28 on a 25-yard field goal by Gavin Watson in the second overtime. 3. The quarterbacks are the focal points of both offenses. Coker is 144-of-238 passing for 2,347 yards and 27 touchdowns. He has rushed for 617 yards and 13 touchdowns. Thomas Central's Adam Choice has rushed for 1,486 yards and passed for 297. He has scored 18 touchdowns and passed for five scores.

Winner plays: Griffin/Tucker winner

Clarke Central at Northside (W. Robins)

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, McConnell-Talbert Stadium, Warner Robins

Records, rankings: Clarke Central is 10-1, the No. 2 seed from 8-AAAA and ranked No. 10; Northside is 11-0, the No. 1 seed from 1-AAAA and ranked No. 2.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Quenshaun Watson, a three-year starter and key holdover from Clarke Central's 2009 Class AAAA runner-up team, scored four touchdowns in the second half, including a 71-yard run for the winning score, in a 35-32 victory over Lambert last week. Watson also scored four touchdowns in a 38-35 victory over Flowery Branch the week before that gave Clarke a share of the Region 8-AAAA championship. 2. Northside had been allowing only 52.3 yards rushing per game until Glynn Academy went for 221 in Northside's 42-16 first-round victory. But Glynn was 0-for-5 passing. 3. Northside running backs Marte Polk (810 yards rushing) and Curtis Martin (730) and quarterback Jack Montgomery (357) each have rushed for more than 100 yards in a game at least twice this season.

Winner plays: Tri-Cities/Pope winner

Tri-Cities at Pope

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Pope Stadium, Marietta

Records, rankings: Tri-Cities is 9-2, the No. 3 seed from Region 4-AAAA and unranked; Pope is 10-1, the No. 1 seed from 5-AAAA and unranked.

Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.

Three things to know: 1. Pope's 52-35 victory over Mays marked the most points Pope has scored in a game since beating Cherokee 59-3 in 1993. It also was Pope's first playoff victory since 2000. 2. Tri-Cities, a south Fulton County school that opened in 1988, won its first-ever playoff game last week, beating Alcovy 51-28. The Bulldogs have improved their record each of the past four seasons under coach Kenneth Miller - from 1-9 to 4-6 to 5-5 to 7-4 to 9-2. Miller is a Tri-Cities alumnus. 3. Both teams have dual-threat quarterbacks. Tri-Cities' Oscar Ross, who is 5 feet 8 inches, scored two touchdowns and passed for two against Alcovy. Pope's Holland Frost, who is 6-3, is on pace to rush and pass for more than 1,000 yards for the second consecutive year.

Winner plays: Clarke Central/Northside winner

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In This Issue

Spotlight: Playoff shootouts become more common

Class AAAA Playoff Preview

List: Maxwell Ratings favorites to win state titles

Trivia: Former Walton and South Cobb players put their names in the record books

In The News: Walker's Williamson resigns as head coach

Playoff Scores, Pairings

Classifieds

List

Odds-on favorites

The Maxwell Ratings rank teams in order of their odds of winning the state title. The odds are influenced heavily by each team's draw.

Class AAAAA

1. Walton

2. Hillgrove

3. McEachern

4. Grayson

5. North Gwinnett

6. M.L. King

7. Camden County

8. Colquitt County

9. Lowndes

10. Dacula

11. Brookwood

12. Lassiter

13. Newnan

14. Marietta

15. West Forsyth

16. South Cobb

Class AAAA

1. Northside (Warner Robins)

2. Flowery Branch

3. Tucker

4. Warner Robins

5. Kell

6. East Paulding

7. Heritage (Conyers)

8. Clarke Central

9. Northgate

10. Chattahoochee

11. Lovejoy

12. Pope

13. Ware County

14. Thomas County Central

15. Tri-Cities

16. Griffin

Class AAA

1. Sandy Creek

2. Burke County

3. Carrollton

4. Gainesville

5. St. Pius

6. Peach County

7. Henry County

8. Cairo

9. Stockbridge

10. Allatoona

11. Mary Persons

12. Troup

13. Stephens County

14. Woodward Academy

15. Monroe

16. Ridgeland

Class AA

1. Buford

2. Calhoun

3. North Oconee

4. Carver (Columbus)

5. Fitzgerald

6. Brooks County

7. Lamar County

8. Elbert County

9. Appling County

10. Westminster

11. Cook

12. Blessed Trinity

13. Dublin

14. Jefferson County

15. Laney

16. Adairsville

Class A

1. Eagle's Landing Christian

2. Savannah Christian

3. Wilcox County

4. Lincoln County

5. Marion County

6. Prince Avenue Christian

7. Charlton County

8. Seminole County

9. Wilkinson County

10. Landmark Christian

11. Aquinas

12. Calvary Day

13. Bowdon

14. Clinch County

15. Bremen

16. Greenville

Trivia

Walton and South Cobb are playing this week in the Class AAAAA second round. The last time they played, the game featured one player who would become the ACC's all-time leading receiver, another who would become the No. 3 all-time receiver in the SEC. Who were those players? (Answer Wednesday)

Answer to Monday's question: Wheeler is the Cobb County school that has made the quarterfinals the most times (seven). McEachern and Marietta have made six quarterfinals each, and Walton has made it three times.

Have your games Qwixcored

Last week, more than 1,200 football teams were covered using Qwixcore, and more than 14,000 fans who couldn't make it to the game were connected with their team or rival. Qwixcore is a smash hit! Don't let your team get left behind.

In The News

Walker's Williamson resigns as head coach

Walker coach Ben Williamson resigned as head football coach this week but will remain at the Marietta private school as a teacher and assistant athletics director, the Marietta Daily Journal reported.

Walker was 11-29 in Williamson's four seasons and was 3-7 this season. Walker has had two winning seasons (2005, 2006) in 11 seasons since starting varsity football in 2001.

Nominations sought for High School Senior All-Star Bowl

The 2011 Georgia High School Senior All-Star Bowl will be held on Dec. 18 at the Georgia Dome, and the selection committee needs help from coaches in nominating eligible seniors to play in this year's contest.

The game, to be held in conjunction with the HBCU Senior All-Star Bowl, will be played in an East vs. West format. The East team will consist of players from DeKalb, Newton, Walton, Rockdale and Henry counties, and the West team will be made up of players from Fulton, Clayton, Douglas and Fayette counties and the city of Atlanta. Each team will consist of 50 players. The East team will be coached by Grady's Ronnie Millen. John Starr of Salem will coach the West team.

There is no fee to participate in the Georgia High School Senior All-Star Bowl. All players will receive an authentic uniform to keep for participation in the game, and each player will have access to medical staff and trainers during the practice week and the game.

Nomination forms must be completed online at www.gahsallstarbowl.com by Nov. 18. Coaches may submit highlight clips to gahighschoolseniorallstarbowl@gmail.com. 

Playoff Scores, Pairings

To see complete brackets for each classification, click here. 

Class AAAAA

First round

Camden County 34, North Cobb 0

Marietta 48, Centennial 27

North Gwinnett 49, Archer 3

Colquitt County 31, East Coweta 10

Grayson 32, Collins Hill 7

Lowndes 7, Stephenson 0

Hillgrove 49, Beach 12

West Forsyth 13, Etowah 7

Lassiter 17, Alpharetta 16

McEachern 56, Benedictine 12

M.L. King 30, Coffee 22

Brookwood 30, Peachtree Ridge 27

Newnan 17, Valdosta 7

Dacula 17, Norcross 10

Walton 48, Milton 14

South Cobb 32, Windsor Forest 28

Second round

Marietta (6-5) at Camden County (11-0)

Colquitt County (9-2) at North Gwinnett (10-1)

Lowndes (8-3) at Grayson (11-0)

West Forsyth (10-1) at Hillgrove (11-0)

Lassiter (8-3) at McEachern (10-1)

Brookwood (8-3) at M.L. King (11-0), Hallford Stadium

Newnan (6-5) at Dacula (8-3)

South Cobb (8-3) at Walton (11-0)

Class AAAA

First round

Northgate 42, North Clayton 7

East Paulding 10, Southwest DeKalb 6

Chattahoochee 65, Habersham Central 48

Warner Robins 42, Lakeside-Evans 31

Heritage-Conyers 13, Rome 10

Ware County 21, Bainbridge 14

Lovejoy 42, Upson-Lee 3

Kell 30, Marist 7

Tucker 44, Sprayberry 14

Griffin 47, Jonesboro 43

Thomas County Central 31, Statesboro 28

Flowery Branch 41, Johns Creek 38

Northside-Warner Robins 42, Glynn Academy 16

Clarke Central 35, Lambert 32

Pope 52, Mays 35

Tri-Cities 51, Alcovy 28

Second round

East Paulding (10-1) at Northgate (11-0)

Warner Robins (9-2) at Chattahoochee (10-1)

Ware County (9-2) at Heritage-Conyers (10-1)

Kell (9-2) at Lovejoy (11-0)

Griffin (9-2) at Tucker (11-0), Adams Stadium

Thomas County Central (7-4) at Flowery Branch (10-1)

Clarke Central (10-1) at Northside-Warner Robins (11-0)

Tri-Cities (9-2) at Pope (10-1)

Class AAA

First round

Burke County 42, Drew 7

Woodward Academy 44, LaGrange 25

Allatoona 47, Franklin County 21

Mary Persons 54, Americus-Sumter 20

Gainesville 48, Dalton 27

Monroe 12, Baldwin 9

Sandy Creek 55, Butler 12

Troup 28, Cedar Grove 20

Carrollton 28, Columbia 0

Stockbridge 26, Washington County 17

Peach County 36, Worth County 7

Ridgeland 35, Monroe Area 21

Cairo 24, Perry 9

Stephens County 21, Cedartown 14

St. Pius 48, Shaw 14

Henry County 28, Thomson 7

Second round

Woodward Academy (8-3) at Burke County (10-1)

Mary Persons (9-2) at Allatoona (11-0)

Monroe (6-5) at Gainesville (10-1)

Troup (9-2) at Sandy Creek (11-0)

Stockbridge (9-2) at Carrollton (10-1)

Ridgeland (7-4) at Peach County (10-1)

Stephens County (9-2) at Cairo (9-2)

Henry County (7-4) at St. Pius (11-0)

Class AA

First round

Dublin 56, Northeast 7

Westminster 34, Callaway 15

Calhoun 39, Jefferson 6

Brooks County 28, Tattnall County 10

North Oconee 63, Gordon Central 6

Appling County 28, Thomasville 18

Lamar County 35, Bleckley County 14

Blessed Trinity 44, Heard County 19

Buford 49, Temple 13

Jefferson County 49, Putnam County 26

Cook 43, Pierce County 22

Elbert County 33, Pepperell 20

Fitzgerald 41, McIntosh County Academy 14

Adairsville 21, Banks County 3

Carver-Columbus 38, Lovett 7

Laney 41, Morgan County 13

Second round

Westminster (7-4) at Dublin (10-1)

Brooks County (9-2) at Calhoun (11-0)

Appling County (10-1) at North Oconee (11-0)

Blessed Trinity (7-4) at Lamar County (11-0)

Jefferson County (8-3) at Buford (11-0)

Cook (7-4) at Elbert County (10-1)

Adairsville (10-1) at Fitzgerald (10-1)

Laney (9-2) at Carver-Columbus (10-1)

Class A

First round

Savannah Christian 37, Dooly County 0

Bowdon 57, Holy Innocents' 43

Lincoln County 35, Commerce 14

Clinch County 20, Mitchell County 19

Prince Avenue Christian 21, Washington-Wilkes 8

Charlton County 38, Miller County 14

Marion County 35, Johnson County 3

Bremen 43, First Presbyterian 28

Landmark Christian 17, Darlington 14

Calvary Day 27, Brookstone 17

Wilcox County 39, Calhoun County 6

Aquinas 38, Athens Academy 13

Seminole County 62, Bacon County 21

Wilkinson County 41, George Walton Academy 21

Eagle's Landing Christian 34, Mount Paran Christian 14

Greenville 47, Emanuel County Institute 43

Second round

Bowdon (9-2) at Savannah Christian (11-0)

Clinch County (8-3) at Lincoln County (11-0)

Charlton County (10-1) at Prince Avenue Christian (11-0)

Bremen (8-3) at Marion County (11-0)

Landmark Christian (9-2) at Calvary Day (10-1)

Aquinas (8-3) at Wilcox County (11-0)

Wilkinson County (9-2) at Seminole County (10-1)

Greenville (8-3) at Eagle's Landing Christian (10-1)

Classifieds

College Football Recruiting Fair coming to Atlanta

The 2011 Fall Metro Atlanta College Football Recruiting Fair will be held at Atlanta Technical College on Dec. 6 (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) and Dec. 7 (8 a.m.-noon). Colleges from across the country will be there looking for football players from the class of 2012 and 2013. Please bring your player highlights, player profiles and transcripts to help promote all of your 2012/2013 college prospects. Colleges from the NCAA, NAIA, junior colleges and prep schools will be in attendance. There are only 100 slots available. Go to  www.footballrecruitingexpos.com to print registration forms and to pay online using a major credit card. Mail completed registration forms with payment to: PO Box 7412, Columbus, GA 31908. For questions or concerns, please contact Ahmand Tinker (706-412-3556 or atinker@footballrecruitingexpos.com) or Tim Glanton (404.429.6220 or timglanton@footballrecruitingexpos.com).

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and owned by Todd Holcomb and Chip Saye. Holcomb is a former lead high school football writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and co-founder of the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Saye is a 25-year veteran of the newspaper industry who has covered high school sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Athens Banner-Herald, Anderson (S.C.) Independent-Mail and Gwinnett Daily News.