After a solid second round showing by northeast Georgia area teams, the quarterfinal round was not nearly as kind.
Only Buford and Jefferson managed to fight their way through, with Jackson County and Rabun County getting knocked off. Gainesville, meanwhile, had its Class 5A Elite 8 matchup with No. 1 Hughes embroiled in a legal fight with the Georgia High School Association that forced its postponement until this week.
While the rest of the state is into the semifinals, Class 5A is still in the quarterfinals until the Red Elephants and the Panthers tangle in Fairburn on Friday. The winner of that game will get Rome in the semifinals next Thursday.
As for Buford and Jefferson, both face tough matchups this week. Buford heads to Titletown to take on Valdosta in Class 6A while the Dragons play host to West Laurens in Class 3A.
With that, here are the GAMES2WATCH on Friday in the semifinal and quarterfinal round of the GHSA playoffs.
CLASS 6A
Buford at Valdosta
Records: Wolves (13-0, Region 8, Seed 1); Wildcats (12-1, R1, S1);
Last week: Valdosta beat Walton, 45-42; Buford beat Douglas County, 30-15
Radio: WDUN AM 550
Time: 8 p.m., Cleveland Field at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium
Statisticals: Buford leads series 1-0. The Wolves beat the Wildcats 45-26 in the 2020 Class 6A semifinals at Tom Riden Stadium. The Wolves have turned up the defense in the playoffs, allowing just 29 total points (9.6 points/game), the fewest among the four Final 4 teams. Valdosta has scored 150 points (50.0 ppg) in the playoffs, the most through the first three rounds among the four Final 4 teams. The Wolves defense has given up just 56 total points (6.22 ppg) over their past 9 games. Sr. DL Bryce Perry-Wright (Texas A&M commit) leads the unit in every category (93 tkl, 16 TFL, 6 sacks, 22 QB hurries, 3 FF) and Sr. Deion Miller (88 tkl, 8 TFL) is a force at linebacker. Sr. CB Ty Green (45 tkl, 1 INT, 2 PD, 1 FF) and Sr. DB Nassir McCoy (21 tkl, 4 TFL, 1 PD, 1 FR, 1 FF) will be tested again by high-flying Wildcats passing attack. Sr. QB Tyrieke Wade has had an outstanding season (141-of-184 2,157 yards, 25 TD, 2 INT passing; 70-419 yards, 3 TD rushing). Jr. Marquis Fennell is a dangerous dual-threat with nearly 2,100 total yards (1,427 yards, 23 TD rushing; 49-727 yards, 10 TD receiving). Sr. Prince Jean (57-966 yards, 6 TD) is the top target along with Jr. Jamarian Mingo (25-558 yards, 5 TD) in the passing game. Jr. Deron Foster (1,268 yards, 15 TD) gives them two 1,000-yard rushers.
Why watch it: Of course there’s the matchup of the Buford defense vs. the Wildcats offense. But this is also a showdown between the state’s all-time winningest program and the state’s winningest program in the 2000s. And, a berth in the championship game is on the line just to make it more interesting. The Wolves are into their 2nd consecutive semifinal but are looking for their first finals appearance since winning Class 6A in 2021. Valdosta has not made a finals since winning the 6A title in 2016, their only title in the 21st Century.
Next: Carrollton vs. North Gwinnett winner in the championship game
CLASS 5A (quarterfinal round)
Gainesville at Hughes
Records: Red Elephants (10-2, R7, S2); Panthers (12-0, R3, S1)
Last week: Gainesville beat Brunswick, 42-0; Hughes beat Lee County, 49-31
Radio: 94.5 FM The Lake
Time: 7:30 p.m., Cannon Field, Fairburn
Statisticals: Hughes won the only meeting between the two programs, 35-28 in the 2022 Class 6A championship game. You have a pair of offenses that are averaging over 90 ppg combined behind a slew of dynamic playmakers. The difference may be on defense. Big Red has allowed just one FG in two playoff games (Dunwoody) and is coming off an impressive 42-0 shutout of a Brunswick squad that was averaging 47 ppg and over 500 yards of offense. The Panthers have struggled on the defensive side in the playoffs. They allowed just 9.7 ppg during the regular season but have surrendered 59 points (29.5 ppg) over their first two playoff games. The Red Elephants are led by Jr. QB Kharim Hughley (150-of-233 2,203 yards, 28 TD, 5 INT passing; 46-243 yards, 6 TD rushing). Jr. RB Nigel Newkirk (164-1,425 yards, 19 TD, 9 100-yard games rushing; 12-128 yards, 1 TD receiving) and So. RB Dwight Lewis (98-781 yards, 8 TD) give Hughley plenty of help to open up the passing game. The Hughes front-7 will be a force. They have forced 24 turnovers (15 INT) with 71.5 TFL on the season.
Why watch it: This one has a similar feel to the 2022 game, which went down to the final drive, with both teams loaded with Power 4 talent. The big question is how will the two-week layoff due to the court battle between Gainesville and the GHSA affect either team. Hughes was just as much in a holding pattern as Big Red. But both teams also got an extra week to heal up if needed and perhaps implement some new schemes. The Panthers have been ranked No. 1 the entire season and were a prohibitive favorite to win their 2nd title in four years.
Next: winner gets Rome in the semifinals on Dec. 11
CLASS 3A
West Laurens at Jefferson
Records: Raiders (13-0, No. 4 seed); Dragons (12-1, No. 1 seed)
Last week: West Laurens beat Jenkins, 21-16; Jefferson beat Cairo, 47-28
Radio: WDUN 102.9 FM
Time: 7:30 p.m., Memorial Stadium, Jefferson
Statisticals: The Dragons won the only meeting between the two programs back in 2016, 21-0 in the 2nd round of the Class 4A playoffs. For a second consecutive week the Dragons will face a team reaching new program heights. West Laurens is 13-0 for the first time ever and has set a new wins total in a season already. The Raiders are into their first-ever semifinal in their 53-year history. They had been 0-5 all-time in the quarterfinals until last week. Jefferson is into its 3rd straight Final 4 under Travis Noland. The key to the Raiders’ success has been Sr. RB Ty Cummings (213-2,557 yards, 12.0 ypc, 196.7 ypg, 30 TD, 10 100-yard games), who is the state’s leading rusher. But the Dragons are yielding just 12.23 points/game, which is 2nd in Class 3A behind Sandy Creek. They are led by brothers Dylan Berardinelli (Jr. LB, 96 tkl, 9 TFL, 1 INT) and Jacob Berardinelli (Jr. CB, 87 tkl, 3 TFL, 3 PD) and Sr. LB Pinkard (65 tkl, 14 TFL, 6 sacks, 2 INT, 2 PD). Sr. DB Chance Payne (Minnesota commit, 33 tkl, 4 TFL, 3 INT, 4 PD) is a near lockdown corner in the secondary.
Why watch it: The state’s top rusher vs. one of the state’s top three defenses. Jefferson is now 8-1 (North Oconee) vs. ranked teams at Memorial Stadium under coach Travis Noland. The Raiders are 3-0 vs. ranked teams in 2025. An underrated matchup will be the Jefferson offense, which has exploded for 151 points (50.3 ppg) in the playoffs after averaging just 29.3 ppg during the regular season, against the West Laurens defense. The Raiders are giving up just 9.6 ppg in the playoffs.
Next: Sandy Creek-LaGrange winner in the championship game
GHSA PLAYOFFS, SEMIFINALS, DEC. 5
CLASS 6A
Buford (Region 8, Seed 1) at Valdosta (R1, S1), 8 p.m.
CLASS 5A (QUARTERFINALS)
Gainesville (R7, S2) at Hughes (R3, S1), 7:30 p.m.
CLASS 3A
West Laurens (4) at Jefferson (1), 7:30 p.m.
The post Games2Watch: Big Red-Hughes back on; Buford, Jefferson shoot for title berths appeared first on AccessWdun.
