The football state playoffs resume this week with the rounds of 16 in eight classifications. Here is a look at Class 6A’s eight second-round games.
Two match ranked teams. They are No. 4 Douglas County at No. 7 North Cobb and No. 9 Lowndes at No. 2 Buford.
*Collins Hill (10-1) at Colquitt County (8-3): This is the first meeting between these teams. Colquitt County can make the quarterfinals for the 14th time in 16 seasons. Collins Hill last made the quarterfinals during its 2021 state-championship season. Collins Hill is known for defenders Deuce Geralds and Katrell Webb, both major Division I prospects. They have 49 tackles for losses between them. In a 35-14 victory over Westlake in the first round, Cameron Jones rushed for 142 yards, making him just the second 100-yard rusher this season for the Eagles. Makyree Cross passed for 161 yards. Colquitt County beat Wheeler 48-20 in the first round and led 43-6 at halftime. Day’shawn Brown rushed for 101 yards, giving the sophomore 1,224 for the season.
*Norcross (8-3) at Grayson (10-1): These Gwinnett County schools have met five previous times in the playoffs with Grayson winning four, most recently in the 2020 semifinals. Grayson is trying to make the quarterfinals for the seventh straight season. No other team in the highest class has a quarterfinal streak of more than two. Grayson beat Pebblebrook 56-12 in the first round after leading 39-0 at halftime. It was the Rams’ 10th consecutive victory after an opening loss to Collins Hill. Grayson is led by Travis Burgess, who has thrown for 1,296 yards and rushed for 350 yards, and linebacker Tyler Atkinson, a five-star junior who has 22 tackles for losses. Norcross beat Lambert 37-27 to reach the second round for the seventh straight season. The Blue Devils are 1-5 in those second-round games. Against Lambert, Dillon Mohammed passed for 261 yards and rushed for 162. Jahsaun Clarke had five receptions for 152 yards. Clarke has 1,463 all-purpose yards as a receiver, running back, quarterback and return man.
*Douglas County (9-2) at North Cobb (11-0): Douglas County, ranked No. 4 but seeded second in its region behind No. 1 Carrollton, is the only Class 6A team to face top-10 opponents two rounds in a row. The Tigers beat No. 10 Mill Creek 27-18 last week. D.J. Bordeaux passed for 316 yards. James Johnson, one of three major Division I receivers on Douglas County’s roster, had seven receptions for 104 yards. Zamarcus Lindley, a 1,000-yard rusher, was limited to six carries for 18 yards. North Cobb, ranked No. 7, beat Camden County 28-7 in the first round. Camden led in total yards 314-292, but North Cobb forced a couple of turnovers and led 28-0 by the third quarter. Zach Belyeu rushed for 77 yards, putting him at 1,038 on the season, and scored two touchdowns. Nick Grimstead went over 1,500 passing yards and 600 rushing yards for the season. North Cobb is trying to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2016. Douglas County made the semifinals last season one classification from the top.
*Archer (4-7) at West Forsyth (8-3): Both teams defeated higher-seeded opponents in the first round. Archer beat Region 3 champion Harrison 46-42. Jordan Do threw a 37-yard TD pass to Tyree Begne with 13 seconds left. Do was 27-of-32 passing for 405 yards and five touchdowns, two each to Begne and Ethan Campbell. Do, a junior, also rushed for 127 yards. Harrison was unranked but entered 9-1. West Forsyth beat No. 2 seed Brookwood 24-10. West Forsyth had not won a playoff game since 2020, also the last time the Wolverines were in the quarterfinals. Foster Orris rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns, one a 14-yarder that gave West Forsyth a 21-10 lead in the fourth quarter. West Forsyth held Brookwood, with 2,000-yard rusher Brayden Tyson, to 125 rushing yards. West Forsyth has played Archer once, winning 21-7 in 2022.
*Peachtree Ridge (6-5) at Hillgrove (10-1): This is the first meeting between these schools. Hillgrove can make its first quarterfinal since 2018. Peachtree Ridge can make its first since 2009. Peachtree Ridge beat Region 6 champion North Atlanta 43-27 in the first round while putting up 599 total yards. Darnell Kelly passed for 182 yards and rushed for 149. Sedric Addison rushed for 101 yards. Bryce Green rushed for 90 and scored three touchdowns. Rhari Thomas had 148 yards from scrimmage. Hillgrove, more of a defensive team, allowing 11.1 points per game, beat South Gwinnett 35-14. That was the Hawks’ first playoff victory since 2018, also the last time Hillgrove won 10 games in a season. Caleb Walters scored Hillgrove’s five touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter that broke open a competitive game. He rushed for 129 yards on 28 carries.
*Valdosta (9-2) at Carrollton (11-0): This is a rematch of a 2023 second-round game that Carrollton won 45-28. Carrollton led 38-7 in the third quarter. Valdosta finished ahead in total yards 429-384, with Todd Robinson passing for 131 and rushing for 167. Robinson, who is committed to Georgia as a defensive back, is now a senior. In last week’s 35-27 victory over Walton, he was 27-of-40 passing for career highs of 414 yards and five touchdowns. But he has severely limited his running game in recent weeks because of an injury. Carrollton beat Dacula 46-7 in the first round. Julian Lewis was 23-of-26 passing for 293 yards and four touchdowns. Kiyun Cofer had seven receptions for 101 yards. Lewis has thrown for 2,842 yards and 40 touchdowns while completing 77.8% of his passes. On Sunday, it was reported that Lewis, an AJC Super 11 pick, had decommitted from Southern Cal, and Colorado, Indiana and possibly Georgia are viewed as potential new landing spots.
*Newton (7-4) at North Gwinnett (11-0): Newton beat McEachern 30-29 on Saturday, becoming the sixth and final Class 6A team to win on the road in the first round. Deron Benson threw a 55-yard TD pass to Zach Harden for a 30-29 lead, and McEachern missed a 37-yard field goal on its final drive. Zion Johnson rushed for 244 yards, putting him over 2,000 (2,078) for the season. One of the state’s fastest backs, he is committed to Cincinnati. The victory broke a seven-game losing streak in first-round games for the Rams. North Gwinnett won in the first round for the eighth straight season by beating Denmark 45-7. Ryan Hall was 16-of-21 passing for 183 yards and two touchdowns. The Georgia Tech baseball commit has thrown for 5,547 yards and rushed for 1,965 with 85 total touchdowns in his career. These teams have played twice, each winning once while region rivals in 1998-99.
*Lowndes (10-1) at Buford (10-1): These are two of the state’s most widely known football programs, but they’ve never played each other as this is Buford’s third season in the highest classification, where Lowndes has been a regular for decades. Buford, ranked No. 2, beat East Coweta 57-9 in the first round, though the score was 14-9 until the final minute of the first half. Dayton Raiola passed for 227 yards. Justin Baker rushed for 98 yards. The victory gave Buford 10 wins for the 26th straight season, a state record. Buford has reached the quarterfinals every season but once this century. The exception was 2022, when beaten by Walton. Lowndes, ranked No. 9, is a 10-game winner again after rare back-to-back losing seasons. Lowndes beat North Paulding 35-17 in the first round. Sophomore QB Jayce Johnson was 10-of-12 passing for 195 yards and rushed for 60 yards. Marvis Parrish, the Region 1 co-player of the year with Valdosta’s Todd Robinson, had 93 yards rushing and 55 receiving. Lowndes was in the quarterfinals as recently as 2021.
