If there is one word to describe the quarterfinal round of the high school football state playoffs, it would have to be “shocking.” It starts in 5A where the Grayson Rams fell to Newnan 9-7. The Rams had a chance to win the game as they lined up the field goal with only seconds left in the game, but Newnan’s Alec Ogletree blocked the field goal to move on to the semifinals.
The Cougars opponent will be Northside-Warner Robins as they also won a thrilling game, beating Peachtree Ridge 20-17 in triple overtime. In the first overtime, both teams were tied 10-10 and both missed field goals, which put the game into a second overtime, when both teams exchanged touchdowns. In the third overtime, Devon Pike nailed a 32-yard field goal to give the Eagles the win.
Lassiter came into the game against Colquitt County with a lot of momentum, as they were 12-0 and scoring points at will. But the Packers, who were coming off an emotional win against Stephenson last week, looked sharper on Friday as they shut down the Trojans 46-17. The Packers defense frustrated Lassiter quarterback Hutson Mason all game long, as he threw five interceptions and no touchdown passes. It was the first time all season that Mason has not thrown a touchdown pass in a game. The Packers will play against Camden, which shut out North Gwinnett 35-0.
In 3A, Flowery Branch came back to defeat Carver-Columbus 35-33. Quarterback Connor Shaw threw for one touchdown, but rushed for four additional touchdowns to lead the Falcons past Carver. Flowery Branch will play against Gainesville next week, which will be a rematch as the two teams played each other in the regular season finale last month.
In Class A, Wilcox County pulled off a major upset as they defeated Wesleyan 20-15. Wilcox’s County’s Jonathan Howard had a stellar game as he caught one touchdown pass and notched two interceptions. The Wesleyan loss snapped a 24-game win-streak.
One other thing to mention … there were five teams from Gwinnett County in the quarterfinal rounds and now only one team remains, and that’s Buford. Wesleyan, North Gwinnett, Peachtree Ridge, Grayson and Apalachee all came up short on Friday night.
Jones can be reached at bjones@scoreatl.com.
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