Georgia is down to the elite eight in each of its five high school football classifications. Here’s a look at each, with a special emphasis on Georgia’s highest classification, which has no clear favorite:
Class AAAAA
Peachtree Ridge (10-2) at Northside (11-1): Peachtree Ridge is the 2008 runner-up and was ranked in some national polls until getting slaughtered 51-17 by Lowndes early in the season. PeaRidge, as the Gwinnett County school sometimes is called, later lost a Region 8-AAAAA championship game against North Gwinnett. This school won a state title in 2006 and consistently peaks in the playoffs, so don't count it out. Its top player is perhaps Brad Roby, a two-way starter who has scored touchdowns every way imaginable.
Meanwhile, Northside is a perennial power that’s 65-4 since 2005 and won state titles in Class AAAA in 2006 and 2007. Its only loss this season came to rival Warner Robins, which didn’t make the playoffs. Northside is the champion of famed Region, which contains preseason favorite Lowndes. Northside has never won a state title in Georgia’s highest classification. This game is being played at McConnell-Talbert Stadium, where Northside has won 44 straight when not playing Warner Robins, with which Northside shares the stadium.
Newnan (12-0) at Grayson (12-0): These teams have the best records in Class AAAAA over the past two seasons. Newnan is 24-1. Grayson is 25-1. But neither has won a state title. They’re ranked 1-2 in scoring defense in Class AAAAA. Grayson has four Division I-A commitments on defense in DB Kori Gaines (BYU), DT Shawn Green (Georgia Tech), DE Joe Champaign (Navy) and LB Terry Williams (East Carolina). Newnan’s go-to player is DB Alec Ogletree (Georgia), considered the top prospect in Georgia. Watch for him returning kicks and catching passes.
File photo by Cecil Copeland
C.J. Uzomah, North Gwinnett
Camden County (10-2) at North Gwinnett (12-0): Camden is the defending champion. It lost early games to Grayson and Hoover, Ala., but defeated state power Lowndes 10-7 last week. Camden is a Wing-T team that’s more about tradition and efficiency than big-name players. North Gwinnett has made the quarterfinals in each of coach Bob Sphire’s four seasons but never won a title in school history. Sphire runs a spread offense that’s led by dynamic junior QB C.J. Uzomah. Tackles Austin Shepherd (Alabama) and JuWuan James (Tennessee) are top recruits. North Gwinnett has beaten Prattville, Ala., and Peachtree Ridge and is ranked No. 2 behind Grayson in Georgia.
Colquitt County (10-2) at Lassiter (12-0): This is the most intriguing matchup of the quarters. Colquitt County is coached by Rush Propst, the famous "Two-A-Days’" TV show coach who left Hoover two seasons ago. His last offensive coordinator at Hoover was Chip Lindsey, now at Lassiter. Both teams run the no-huddle, spread offense. Lassiter’s Hutson Mason has become the first Georgia quarterback to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a season and has set records for season touchdown passes (54) and yards in a game (552). Both programs were coming off below-.500 seasons before these coaches came in from Alabama and turned them around.
Class AAAA
Griffin (12-0), seeking its first state title since 1978, remains the team to beat. Southwest DeKalb, another top contender, was stunned last week by Clarke Central of Athens, 19-17. Southwest DeKalb was the team with the most marquee players, including University of Georgia pledges Ken Malcome and T.J. Stripling. The next highest-ranked team remaining is Sandy Creek (11-1), which features Mississippi State recruit Rajion Neal, a running back. Sandy Creek eliminated 2008 champion Tucker 17-14 last week.
Class AAA
The favorites are Gainesville (12-0) and Carver (11-1), which would play in the semifinals next week if they win their home quarterfinals Friday. Both are stacked with major Division I-A talent. Gainesville has QB Blake Sims (Alabama commit), WR Tai-ler Jones (Notre Dame) and DB Duante Carr (Stanford). Carver has QB Devin Burns (Maryland), OL David Beasley (Clemson), DE Corey Crawford (Clemson), LB Clarence France (Duke) and DE Brandon Smith (Southern Miss). Many believe these teams could contend in AAAAA.
Class AA
Buford (11-1) seeks its third straight title, but the Wolves have been vulnerable. Their 32-game winning streak was ended early in the season by Lovett, which also has made the quarters. Buford and Calhoun, the 2008 finalists, are the teams with the most big-name appeal. Buford has LB Jessel Curry (Auburn), OL Kolton Houston (Georgia) and OL Du’Von Millsap (South Carolina). Calhoun has QB Nash Nance (Vanderbilt) and WR Da’Rick Rogers (Georgia). The third wheel is Fitzgerald (12-0), a team that is leading the state in scoring at 48 points per game. WR/RB Trenton Pruitt, son of coach Robby Pruitt, has committed to Vandy.
Class A
One of the most heated debates in Georgia is whether public and private schools should compete in the same classification. Some believe the privates have an unfair advantage since they don't have defined district boundaries. This week, each quarterfinal pits a public against a private school – Clinch County at Holy Innocents’, Wilcox County at Wesleyan, Savannah Christian at Lincoln County and Twiggs County at Darlington. (Schools with ‘’County" in their name are public.) The team to beat is Wesleyan, which is trying to become the first private school since Mount de Sales in 1973 to repeat as champion.
Todd Holcomb is editor of Georgia High School Football Daily, a free email newsletter. To join the mailing list, go here.