Week 2 of the GHSA state football playoffs means round 2 for the majority of teams participating.There are, however, 16 first round games for class A Private and Public teams this week. While it may still be early in the high school post season , there are a number of match ups that would be worthy of the Georgia Dome. Remember the finals are 3 weeks away..
Dekalb’s Hallford Stadium will host the clash of AAAAAA titans when the Grayson Rams (10-1) make the drive down Hwy 78 to take on the Tucker Tigers (9-2).After surviving a tough test from Tift County last week Tucker now faces a Grayson defense that shutdown Mill Creek last week, and is led by a coach in Mickey Conn who has won it all before.
Bryan Lamar’s team has made their jump to the highest class look pretty easy. The key to victory is basic for Lamar who says, ” We must limit negative yardage plays offensively and play assignment football defensively.”
If you are looking for other great match ups around the metro area, check out Etowah at Westlake, Langston Hughes at Milton or McEachern at Alpharetta. Then there is the battle of the “Party Crashers”. Last week the Newton Rams went down to Valdosta and pulled off a major upset. What a place to get the first state football playoff win in school history. While Newton was taking down Valdosta, Central Gwinnett was surprising North Gwinnett. Todd Wofford’s Knights beat last years class AAAAAA runner-up with a back up quarterback. The “Party Crashers” will meet in Covington Friday night.
Other games to watch in the area include, Stephenson at Stockbridge, Burke County at Woodward Academy, Lamar County at GAC, Eastside at St. Pius, and Mary Persons at Buford.
Another game that could be worthy of the Dome comes in class AAAA, where defending state champion Griffin (11-0) will host Marist (10-1). Last week Alan Chadwick’s War Eagles jumped on Whitewater early in the game and never allowed the Wildcats to get back in. “We have to control the ball and try to keep it away from Griffin’s dynamic, explosive, big play offense”, Says Chadwick. “We will need to capitalize on our red zone opportunities. On defense, we will need to create some turnovers and it goes without saying that we need to score some points as Griffin is averaging over 45 points per game.”
The Griffin Bears pushed their season mark to a perfect 11-0 with a 46-12 win over Liberty County. Jarrett Laws’ team is riding a 26 game winning streak. The winner of this game will likely get Buford in the next round. With a win over Mary Persons, Buford would bring a 36 game winning streak into next week’s contest, but first things first.
Enjoy week 2 of the football state playoffs and don’t forget to tune in for the High School Football Power Hour Saturday from 7-8am on Sports Radio 92.9 The Game. Join Mike Sammond and me for scores,previews, and our guests Jon Nelson from GPB Sports and Lovett Quarterback Willie Candler. Enjoy The Games !!