Though Round 1 didn’t bring any upsets per se, there were two nail-biters involving teams projected to win by double digits.
Before we go any further, see the Round 1 results for yourself:
Credit: Courtesy of GHSA
Credit: Courtesy of GHSA
The No. 3-ranked, undefeated Bleckley County Royals were 31-point favorites at home against the 5-5 Cook Hornets and entered the playoffs as region champions for the first time in program history. However, they trailed 16-0 late in the third quarter but pulled to within 16-13 when, with less than a minute in the game, Royals quarterback Eli Mullis delivered a 60-yard strike to Marcus Newton for the go-ahead touchdown.
The Royals won 20-16. Dave Whitaker has the game story for The Bleckley Progress.
In Augusta, the 8-2 Westside Patriots were 10-point favorites at home against the 3-7 Vidalia Indians, but fell in a 21-0 hole and trailed 21-6 at halftime. They won 23-21 on Sean Medcalfe’s 44-yard field goal as time expired. Wynston Wilcox covered the game for The Augusta Chronicle.
The No. 7 Callaway Cavaliers were 23-point favorites at home against the Pepperell Dragons and appeared well on their way to covering, jumping to a 21-0 lead. The Dragons would pull to within the game’s final margin of 29-22 early in the fourth quarter. Then they regained possession with 10 minutes left and chewed seven minutes of clock before turning the ball over on downs at the Callaway 29, and the Cavs held the ball for the win.
In the only matchup between two ranked teams, the No. 4 Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane topped the No. 9 Dodge County Indians, 15-6 — the exact score the Cane beat the Indians by on Sept. 10.
The Columbia Eagles were 7-point underdogs on the road against Elbert County but left The Granite Bowl with a 26-14 win — their first playoff victory since 1997.
The Heard County Braves earned first-year coach Shane Lasseter a 32-28 road win over Dade County in his postseason debut. Lasseter replaced long-time coach Tim Barron, who won the Braves a 2A title in 2018 and left for Villa Rica after last season.
The No. 5 Putnam County War Eagles beat East Laurens 62-7 and set the program record for points scored in a playoff game.
With their 61-14 win over Pace Academy, the top-ranked Rabun County Wildcats ushered the Knights off to Class 4A, where they’ve been reclassified to. Further, Gunner Stockton inched closer to Trevor Lawrence’s career passing yards state record, and Blitz has done the math for us on what it will take for him to break it.
The Jeff Davis Yellow Jackets posted Round 1′s only shutout in 2A, beating Jefferson County 40-0. It was their first playoff shutout since 1997.
The No. 8 Northeast Raiders beat Cook 42-22, bouncing back from last week’s letdown against Lamar County.
No. 2 Thomasville, No. 6 Haralson County, No. 10 Swainsboro, Fannin County, Lovett and South Atlanta all won by double digits.
Check back Tuesday for more on Round 1 and a look at what’s ahead.
Follow the AJC’s Class 2A coverage and The Class 2A Blogcast on Twitter.
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