Region teams seeking another playoff sweep

MOULTRIE — All four Region 1-AAAAA teams won their state playoff openers last week, but they will hard-pressed to duplicate that effort this Friday.

Two region teams — Northside-Warner Robins and Tift County will face unbeaten opponents in the second round.

Lowndes, 11-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAA, will be a large favorite over Bradwell Institute and Coffee will be playing a Chapel Hill team that went 0-10 in 2007 and is in the postseason for the first time.

But Northside is facing 11-0 Camden County and Tift County is going against the another 11-0 team in Newnan.

The Northside-Camden County matchup is a bit of a historical one.

Since the state playoff expanded to included 16 teams in 1990, the Camden-Northside will be the first that pits top-5 teams in the second round in the highest classification.

Camden is ranked No. 2 in Class AAAAA and has won 104 games this decade.

The Wildcats are coached by Jeff Herron, who is 104-11 at Camden County and 192-38 in career that also includes stops at Walton, Cedal Shoals, Wheeler and Oconee County.

Camden breezed in its first-round game, shutting out Creekside 49-0. It is unlikely the Wildcats will score 49 when they play host to Northside, which has one of the top defenses in the state.

Northside, which has won the last two Class AAAA state championships, is 10-1, with its only loss to Lowndes.

The Eagles, winners of 40 of their last 41 games, defeated Union Grove 24-7 last Friday.

Northside and Camden have met twice, with the Eagles winning in 1992 and 1999.

Friday’s winner will meet the Woodstock-Norcross winner in a quarterfinal game.

Tift County, Region 1-AAAAA’s No. 3 team, knocked off M.L. King 24-14 last Saturday.

The Blue Devils, now 8-3, will face a Newnan team that won its 11th straight game last Friday by a 55-0 score over Johnson High of Savannah.

Newnan takes a 13-game home winning streak into its meeting with Blue Devils.

The Cougars last loss at home was to Houston County in the first round of the 2006 playoffs.

Newnan has won three straight home playoff games, eliminating Redan and Coffee last year and Johnson last week.

Tift County got a late field goal from Jordan West to defeat Coffee 30-27 in the final regular-season game, then went on the road to knock off the Lions last Saturday.

Tift’s only three losses this season have come to Lowndes, by a 28-14 score; Northside, 30-14; and Brooks County, 35-7.

All three of those teams are still alive in the playoffs and they are a combined 31-2.

The Tift County-Newnan winner will play the Lassiter-North Gwinnett winner.

Lowndes will be seeking its 26th straight victory when it plays host to Region 3-AAAAA’s No. 2 team Bradwell Institute at 8 p.m. Friday at Martin Stadium.

The Vikings advanced with a 41-13 victory over Luella; the Tigers, now 8-3, eliminated East Coweta 19-6.

One of Bradwell’s losses was to Houston County by 20-16 in non-region game back in September.

The Tigers will make the trip from Hinesville under coach Jack Walsh Jr., who is in his 15th season at the head of the Bradwell program.

The winner will play the Grayson-East Paulding winner next week.

Grayson also is 11-0 after defeating Collins Hill 31-7 last week.

East Paulding outscored Milton 43-41.

With a victory over Chapel Hill in Douglasville on Friday, Coffee will match the 9-3 record posted by both the 2006 and 2007 teams.

Chapel Hill is 9-2 under first-year coach Chris Parker.

The Panthers were 0-10 lst year. This is the first year in which the program has posted a winning record since it began playing football in 2000.

While all four of Region 1-AAAAA’s team survived the first round of the playoffs, only one Region 1-AAAA— Westside of Macon — advanced.

Thomas County Central, Harris County and Bainbridge all were eliminated last Friday.

Only one Region 1-AAA team got through the first round, too.

Top-ranked Cairo defeated Troup 48-0 and will play host to Burke County this week.

But Peach County, Crisp County and Dougherty all bit the dust last week.

All four Region 1-AA schools advanced.

This week Brooks will play host Jefferson County, but the three other region teams will go on the road. Fitzgerald will go to Henry County, Thomasville will be at Dublin and Cook will go to Toombs County.

In Region 1-A, top-seeded Miller County beat Dooly County and will host Savannah Christian on Friday.

No. 2 seed Clinch County pounded Twiggs County 44-19, but now must travel to meet Emanuel County Institute, ranked No. 1 in Class A.

ECI is led by running back Washaun Ealey, who is headed to Georgia. The Bulldogs pounded Greenville 51-8 last week.



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