It’s high school football’s second season — the playoffs.
While several of our private school teams have already begun the postseason, both the GHSA and SCHSL are just getting under way.
In all, our coverage area will see 19 schools start or continue down the road toward a state championship Friday night, and we’ve got that full slate of games here in our Friday night scoreboard.
We’ve picked five of those games to be what we believe are the can’t-miss matchups for this week’s first round.
New Manchester (8-2) at Lakeside (9-1)
The Matchup: There arguably isn’t a tougher first round draw in all of Class AAAAA — certainly with the teams we cover — than this one. All eyes will be on the battle between quarterbacks in this one — and rightly so. If you’ve been following our coverage this season, you already know the deal with Panthers’ senior signal caller Ty Jones. A true dual-threat quarterback, Jones has completed 67% of his passes for 1,281 yards and eight touchdowns to just four interceptions. But his legs are most dangerous. He’s rushed for 1,097 yards and eight rushing scores while averaging 11.4 yards per carry. And if that’s not enough, he’s been solid on defense too with a pair of interceptions and four pass breakups. On offense, his favorite target is 6-foot, 180-pound wideout Mikeal Grissom who has 33 catches for 723 yards and six receiving touchdowns. Brandon Grissom’s the second leading rusher on the team with 894 yards. Lakeside averages 265.3 yards on the ground per game.
Delancy Alexander, New Manchester’s guy behind center, is just as impactful, but in a different way. The 6—foot-3, 202-pound junior looks the part of an elite quarterback with stats to match. He’s completed 67% of his passes for 1,839 yards and 20 touchdowns passes with only three interceptions. He’s not a runner, but he’s mobile and crafty enough to extend plays and find the end zone with his feet when needed. George Sabb and Jakobe Dejesus are a pair of big-bodied receivers that Alexander likes to throw to. Each of them have more than 500 yards receiving and average over 18 yards per catch. New Manchester’s only two losses were to East Paulding and state power Rome. Defensively, the Jaguars surrender just 14 points per game.
The Prediction: This one’s hard to call. Fans will be impressed with the level of talent on both sides of the field. We’ll give a slight edge to the home team. Lakeside 38, New Manchester 34.
Oconee County (6-4) at Westside (8-2)
The Matchup: After a little midseason slump, Jeanarion Kamga and the Westside offense has gotten right over the last couple of games. The Patriots are clicking on all cylinders, but don’t let Oconee County’s record fool you. The Warriors are a solid, scrappy bunch that won their Region 8 title with a 4-1 region mark, capping the regular season with a thrilling 32-30 overtime win against Jefferson. After an 0-3 start with close losses to North Oconee, Clarke Central and Morgan County, Oconee won six of its last seven games while posting two shutouts and surrendering just seven points to two other opponents.
Offensively, the Warriors are balanced. Six-foot-one, 195-pound senior quarterback Titus Watkins has been impressive, throwing for close to 2,000 yards and 12 touchdown passes with five more on the ground. Oconee boasts a three-headed monster at tailback in junior Caiden Wood (865 yards), senior Tyler Garrett (534 yards) and sophomore Darius Darden (384 yards). Mason Hall is a load at tight end. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound sophomore is the team’s leading receiver with 52 catches for 667 yards and six scores.
The Prediction: The way Westside’s been playing lately, it makes sense to think they’ll pull this one off at home. Westside 27, Oconee County 20.
Pike County (5-5) at Thomson (7-3)
The Matchup: While Thomson fell to rival Burke County for the third straight year Friday — this time with a Region 4-AA championship on the line — the road to exacting that revenge begins with the Pirates from Zebulon.
Pike County started the season strong with a 4-1 record before dropping four straight and salvaging the regular season with a 35-18 win at Rutland on Nov. 1. While conventional wisdom says Pike County is overmatched in this one, the thing to watch will be if Thomson has a “hangover affect” from its most recent Burke County setback. That defeat was the first for the Bulldogs since it lost to North Augusta by one score on Aug. 23. The Bulldogs have been healthier and dominant since, aside from Burke County.
Senior quarterback Bryce Sammons can hurt you with his arm (1,117 passing yards and 10 scores) and his legs (577 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns). Defensively, sophomores Johnson Anderson and Greg Cook have been disruptive in the backfield with a combined nine quarterback sacks. Meanwhile, Thomson’s gotten a lot figured out since those first two games of the season. And Kent State committed running back Anthony Jeffery (1,120 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns) looks to be in a good groove.
The Prediction: Thomson should roll in this one, putting it one step closer to a potential rematch with Burke County. Thomson 45, Pike County 10.
Holy Innocents (5-5) at Aquinas (6-4)
The Matchup: Aquinas’ move up to Class AAA this season hasn’t been without a fair share of adversity. But the Fightin’ Irish found their way in to the by winning their last three games of the regular season, and there’s still plenty of talent on the roster to make a decently deep playoff push if all things go well. They’ll face an Holy Innocents squad out of Atlanta that finished fourth in its region during the regular season, but is riding the momentum of two solid wins against Washington and Kipp. Whereas Aquinas just played its final regular season game last Friday, the Golden Bears haven’t played since Halloween night which means they’ll either be well-rested, a little rusty or, perhaps, a bit of both.
Aquinas quarterback Jim Franklin, a Davidson commit, saw his production take a step back from last season. But he still takes care of the ball well, as shown by his 15 touchdowns-to-2-interceptions ratio. He’s also the team’s second leading rusher with 477 yards on the ground, and his six rushing touchdowns is tops on the roster. Sophomore Jaden Wuerth has been a defensive beast once again leading Aquinas in total tackles (120), tackles for loss (28), quarterback sacks (9) and hurries (23).
The Prediction: Perhaps close early, the Irish’s home field advantage kicks in and gives Aquinas a big lift in a first round victory. Aquinas 31, Holy Innocents 17.
Midland Valley (5-5) at Darlington (5-5)
The Matchup: Things couldn’t be more different for this year’s Midland Valley squad vs. last year’s record-smashing, region championship team. But one thing this season is the same — the Mustangs will be playing mid-November football. Despite massive talent graduations, some offseason drama and a new leader in coach Brent Dorn, Midland Valley shook off an 0-4 start to qualify for the postseason and give itself three straight non-losing regular season campaigns for the first time since 2013-2015.
Midland will come in with a fairly potent rushing attack that nets the Mustangs over 200 yards per game. Preston McNair leads those efforts with 895 rushing yards seven touchdowns — not Traevon Dunbar numbers, by far, but definitely more than serviceable. Meanwhile, Darlington’s trajectory has been sort of opposite Midland’s. The Falcons finished the regular season dropping three of its final four games. But their rushing attack led by a couple of juniors in quarterback Jaylen Augustus (1,051 yards) and running back Troy Hailey (911 yards) has given just about everyone they’ve played fits.
The Prediction: Midland Valley had a strong showing in a loss to a really good North Augusta team, and that bodes well, we think, for this game. Midland Valley 27, Darlington 21.
