FRIDAY NIGHT PLAYOFFS RECAP — Missed opportunities haunt Packers as top-ranked Grayson downs No. 9 Colquitt County, 31-10, for 26th straight win

*Photo Courtesy of @TRVS_ Photography

No. 1 Grayson’s quest to defend its Class 6A state title continues following the Rams’ 31-10 victory over ninth-ranked Colquitt County.

Colquitt County largely held its own against the top-ranked team in the nation, led admirably by sophomore quarterback Cohen Lawson through a tightly-contested first three frames before Grayson pulled away with back-to-back Brandon Gray touchdowns in the fourth. Still, the Packers failed to turn opportunities into points throughout the night as the Rams defense overcame multiple miscues to come up with crucial stops.

Colquitt took a 7-3 lead on Lawson scoring strike late in the first, then appeared poised to answer Ashton Turner’s 10th touchdown of the season for Grayson with a score of its own after a second defensive holding call on the Rams extended the Packers drive. The possession ended in a turnover on downs, however, and a stellar defensive stop shortly after was followed by a missed field goal midway through the second.

Again, the Packers forced a Grayson kick, then picked up a fresh set of downs on a successful punt fake. When the drive stalled, Colquitt again punted, but got another shot after Grayson ran into the kicker to bring up 4th-and-1. Jae Lamar then converted on the next play before Lawson’s pass was intercepted to kill the possession for good.

The Packers couldn’t capitalize on an interception to start the second half either, then settled for a field goal from the red zone after RJ Isaac’s touchdown-saving ankle tackle of Lamar and Zaccheus Harris’ third-down deflection. The kick cut Grayson’s lead to 17-10 before the Rams took over in the fourth.

“That’s what we pride ourselves on,” shared third-year head coach Santavious Bryant after the win. “If the game’s going to be close in the fourth, we feel that we’re going to be able to run away with it. The turning point was when we were finally kind of relaxing and keeping our composure a little bit and getting back to who we were. Early in the game, we pressed a little bit too much, tried to do too much with the big stage and all, but we were able to come back in and settle in and get the job done.”

His team will face No. 3 Carrollton next week in the Rams’ eighth straight quarterfinals appearance.

See the full Second Round Scoreboard by following the link or check out the class-by-class recaps below.

Class 6A

West Forsyth 20, Hillgrove 17

The Wolverines are advancing to the quarterfinals for the second year in a row following a thrilling 20-17 comeback victory over visiting Hillgrove. Quarterback Max Walraven’s keeper gave West Forsyth its only lead of the game with 8:08 to play, completing the hat trick after he threw touchdown passes to Cal Adams and Andrew Spaulding in the first half. The Hawks led 14-6 in the first quarter on a touchdown pass from Donovan Mack to Grant Stang and a long rushing score by Jaiden Moore, then tacked on a field goal in the third for their final points of the game.

Walton 49, East Coweta 14

The fourth-seeded Raiders followed up last week’s 28-24 upset of No. 4 McEachern with an emphatic 49-14 victory over host East Coweta. Walton led 42-7 at the break, getting a trio of first-half touchdowns from Noriega Thompson and another from Christion Peacock, as well as touchdown passes from Peacock to Jordan Peacock and Ethan Baker. The Raiders will make their fourth quarterfinals appearance in five years next week with another road trip — this time to face No. 5 Valdosta.

Valdosta 49, Brookwood 26

The fifth-ranked Wildcats will host four-seed Walton next week after a comfortable second-round win over the visiting Brookwood Broncos. Valdosta got five total touchdowns from Marquis Fennell, who hauled in a pair of scoring strikes from Tyrieke Wade in the first half, then added a trio of trips to the end zone after the break. Wade also connected with Prince Jean for a Valdosta touchdown in the first quarter, and Alans Garcia completed two field goals for the Wildcats.

In other Class 6A games: No. 7 Douglas County trailed host North Cobb 21-0 before taking the lead with a 24-0 scoring run, then won 30-24 in overtime after a missed Warriors field goal at the end of regulation. … Third-ranked Carrollton broke 50 points for the fifth game in a row, downing No. 10 Harrison by a margin of 51-6 to secure a 10th-straight trip to the quarterfinals. … No. 8 North Gwinnett built a 22-3 first-half lead over visiting Lowndes before coasting to a comfortable 29-17 final over the No. 6 Vikings. … No. 2 Buford started slow, leading visiting Newton just 7-0 at the break before pulling away for a 31-14 final. Dayton Raiola found Ace Thomas in the third for a touchdown and added a pair of second-half scores on the ground as well.

Class 5A

Thomas County Central 55, Villa Rica 14

No. 2 Thomas County Central led visiting Villa Rica 48-0 at halftime and 55-0 in the third before the Wildcats added a pair of late scores to avoid the shutout. Quarterback Jaylen Johnson threw a pair of first-half touchdown passes to Rodney Dunbar and another to Jordan McNeil, who also had a 69-yard touchdown run. Christian Lawrence and Omari Stephenson scored on a run and a pick-six, respectively, for 12-0 Thomas County Central, which is averaging 54 points a game this year and will host Woodward Academy next week.

Sequoyah 48, Newnan 28

The Chiefs are back in the quarterfinals for the second year in a row after only advancing that far twice in the previous 34 seasons. Ninth-ranked Sequoyah held a narrow 28-21 lead over visiting Newnan until midway through the final frame, when Will Rajecki took a second trip to the end zone and Kolby Martin connected with Jack Ripley shortly after. Rajecki’s third touchdown brought the Chiefs’ lead to 48-21 before the Cougars added a score in the game’s final moments. Martin also had a touchdown run and a touchdown pass to Maddox Waller in the first half.

Jackson County 24, Milton 19

The Panthers are 11-1 and advancing to the state quarterfinals for the first time in program history following an impressive 24-19 victory over No. 6 Milton. The Eagles were first on the board before Jackson County added a field goal and a scoring strike from RJ Knapp to Kaleb Clark. Daylan Maxwell grew the Panthers’ lead with a 45-yard touchdown run in the third, then found the end zone again with 2:21 remaining for a 24-7 edge. The Eagles added a pair of touchdowns with a successful onside kick recovery, but the Jackson County defense held strong to quash Milton’s comeback hopes.

In other Class 5A games: Woodward Academy secured a quarterfinals showdown at No. 2 Thomas County Central with a 27-8 victory over visiting Statesboro. … No. 4 Gainesville’s trip to Brunswick ended in a dramatic 42-0 victory that was called with 1:57 remaining in the third quarter because of an on-field brawl. … The top-ranked Hughes Panthers put together a comfortable 49-31 victory over visiting Lee County, leading the No. 8 Trojans by as much as 49-24 in the fourth quarter following quarterback Darnell Kelly’s fourth touchdown of the night.

Class 4A

Lithonia 38, Centennial 7

Lithonia is advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1994 following a 38-7 victory over visiting Centennial and will face top-ranked Creekside. The Bulldogs got touchdown runs from Albert Gooding (77 yards) and Xavier Butler (47 yards) in the opening frame, along with a 75-yard punt return by Armani Myco, and Gooding added a score from 22 yards out in the second for a 28-0 edge at the break. The final points of the night came on a 100-yard pick-six by Leland Walker with 5:34 on the clock.

North Oconee 42, M. L. King 21

Third-ranked North Oconee will host No. 6 Marist next week following the Titans’ 42-21 win over M. L. King. The visiting Lions briefly led 13-7 early in the second after back-to-back scores, but JT Doster and Maddox Brice added touchdown runs before the break for a 21-13 edge at halftime. Harrison Faulkner, who connected with Harrison Luke for a touchdown in the opening frame, extended North Oconee’s lead with a rushing score midway through the third. The Lions got back within a touchdown with a score and successful two-point conversion early in the third, but Joby McCannon’s trip to the end zone and Kelvin Millington’s pick-six sealed the win for the Titans.

In other Class 4A games: No. 1 Creekside will make a fifth-straight quarterfinals appearance under head coach Maurice Dixon, advancing that far just four times in 27 seasons before his arrival. The Seminoles defeated Ware County 49-0 to secure a matchup with Lithonia next week. … No. 2 Cartersville led visiting Warner Robins 36-0 in the opening frame en route to a 64-0 final. Next week’s matchup at No. 5 Kell will mark the Purple Hurricanes’ fourth consecutive trip to the quarterfinals and their 11th in 14 seasons. ... No. 9 Blessed Trinity’s quarterback woes continued into the Titans’ 28-10 loss at the hands of No. 6 Marist, with JD Callaway throwing a pair of interceptions and Ty Page giving up a pick-six. Additionally, a handoff from Page to Ahmontae Pitts ended in a fumble recovered by Marist. ... Jonaz Walton had four touchdowns in No. 7 Central-Carrollton’s 64-29 win over No. 8 Cambridge. The Lions have now advanced to the quarterfinals in two of three seasons under head coach Umbrah Brown after just one other appearance since 1987. … No. 10 Cass was first on the board before No. 4 Benedictine closed with 21 unanswered points, advancing to the Elite Eight for the 12th time in 13 seasons with the 21-7 win.

‍Class 3A

Douglass 12, No. 2 Calhoun 0

Douglass put on a defensive masterclass against No. 2-ranked Calhoun in a bracket-busting upset of the defending champions. Calhoun had not been shut out since losing to Ware County 35-0 in the 2022 Class 5A quarterfinals. The Astros expanded the lead to 5-0 at the half following a 28-yard field goal and added a fourth-quarter interception returned 60 yards for a touchdown to put the game out of reach. Douglass will travel to No. 1 Sandy Creek in the quarterfinals.

No. 8 LaGrange 52, No. 3 North Hall 28

LaGrange entered the game as the upset-minded underdog against a high-scoring North Hall offense and a stout Granger defense proved decisive in advancing LaGrange to the quarterfinals. And  senior quarterback Dylan Barber, his offensive firepower was on show in its road victory against North Hall. Barber passed to Caydin Thomas on a 48-yard touchdown to open scoring. North Hall answered on a pass with eight minutes left in the first half. Barber threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Kalvin Snowberger on the ensuing drive to put the Grangers ahead 14-7. The Trojans scored on a run with a minute remaining in the first half, but a missed point-after try left LaGrange nursing a 14-13 halftime lead. Barber pushed the lead to 21-13 on a run with 8:12 left in the third quarter. After a touchdown from North Hall, which tied the game at 21, Cooper Metcalf gave LaGrange a 24-21 lead with a field goal with 11:20 left in the game. Barber showed theatrics on a long touchdown run with 8:11 left to give the Grangers a 31-21 lead. With 3:18 left and leading 31-28, the LaGrange defense forced an interception, allowing Barber to capitalize on another scamper with two minutes left. LaGrange took advantage of a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and Thomas expanded the lead to 45-28 with 1:52 left. An interception returned for a touchdown from Zy Huzzie put the game out of reach. LaGrange will play at Stephenson in the quarterfinals.          

No. 10 Cairo 28, No. 6 Troup 20

Cairo was led by Bryce Puckett as it weathered a late charge from No. 6-ranked Troup to advance to the quarterfinals where it will face No. 5 Jefferson on the road. Troup led 7-0 early on a 68-yard touchdown pass from Garrison Edwards. Puckett passed to Bryian Duncan Jr on a 59-yarder to tie the game with four minutes left in the first quarter. A 5-yard touchdown run from Xiquavian Teal expanded the lead to 13-7 after a failed  2-point conversion try by the Syrupmakers. Troup took a 14-13 lead on a 45-yard run by Trent Hodo with five minutes left in the third quarter. Puckett found Duncan again on a 26-yarder to put Cairo ahead 21-14 after a successful 2-point conversion run from Puckett. Troup returned a fumble for a touchdown to cut into the lead 21-20. Duncan Jr. was the target again on a 50-yard touchdown pass from Puckett with two minutes left in the third quarter, giving Cairo a 28-20 lead after Dray Bass’ point-after try.

In other Class 3A games: Calhoun was not the only top-5 team to lose in the second round. Jenkins, the unranked program from Savannah, moved past No. 4-ranked Peach County 38-28. … Other ranked programs performed as they should. Top-ranked Sandy Creek beat Monroe Area 42-14 and will host Douglass in the quarterfinals. … No. 5 Jefferson outlasted Harlem 49-14 and will play host to Cairo in the quarterfinals. … No. 7 West Laurens beat Oconee County 32-7 after leading 17-7 at the half. The Raiders will play at home against Jenkins in the quarterfinals. … No. 9 Stephenson 41 outlasted Westside-Augusta 41-35 in overtime and will host LaGrange in the quarterfinals …

Class 2A

Hapeville Charter 35, Appling County 27

No. 12 Hapeville Charter (8-4) pulled the upset at No. 5 Appling County (8-4), overcoming a 27-12 halftime deficit and holding the Pirates scoreless for the second half and chipping away at the lead. Ray Damond Stiggers scored the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and Keylan Pope rushed for the two-point conversion for the game's final points. Hapeville Charter now will travel to No. 4 Morgan County next Friday in the quarterfinals.

Thomson 28, Callaway 19

No. 6 Thomson (9-3) used a big fourth quarter to pull away from No. 11 Callaway (8-4). With Thomson leading just 14-13, and Callaway threatening after returning an interception into Thomson territory, Zay Brinson stripped a Callaway ball-carrier at the Thomson 5-yard line and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown, giving Thomson a 21-13 lead early in the fourth quarter. Later, Jaris Sinkfield rushed for 50 yards on a direct snap to put the Bulldogs ahead 28-13. Brinson and Sinkfield scored the Bulldogs' first two touchdowns as well, with Brinson rushing for a 4-yard score and Sinkfield for a 2-yard touchdown in the first half to give Thomson its 14-13 halftime lead. Thomson will now travel to No. 3 Carver-Columbus for the quarterfinals next Friday.

Morgan County 49, Miller Grove 28

Davis Strickland accounted for four touchdowns for No. 4 Morgan County (12-0) in its home win over No. 13 Miller Grove (9-3). Strickland threw three touchdowns, two to Ty Tillery for scores of 35 and 15 yards and one to Zy Russell for 9 yards. He also rushed for a 1-yard score. Christian Monfort also scored three times for the Bulldogs, his first touchdown coming on a kickoff return that tied the game at 14-14 right after Miller Grove had taken a 14-7 lead at the beginning of the second quarter. Morgan County opened up a 28-14 halftime lead and held leads of 28 points two different times in the second half. The Bulldogs will now host No. 12 Hapeville Charter in the quarterfinals.  

In other Class 2A games: No. 1 Carver-Atlanta led just 28-21 at home against No. 16 Pierce County but opened up a three-touchdown lead with two touchdowns to start the second half, winning 48-28. The Panthers will take on team No. 9 Sumter County at home in the quarterfinals. Sumter County took down No. 8 North Murray on the road, 28-11. ... No. 3 Carver-Columbus notched its second shutout of the playoffs in as many games, defeating No. 19 Stephens County 56-0 at home. The Tigers will host No. 6 Thomson on Friday. ... No. 10 Burke County defeated No. 7 Columbia on the road, 48-21. Next Friday Burke County travels to No. 2 Rockmart, which was a 48-18 home winner over No. 18 Laney.    

Fitzgerald 28, Dublin 11

No. 9 Fitzgerald (9-3) went to No. 8 Dublin (9-3) and held a 28-0 lead with 8:22 left to play before Dublin got on the scoreboard late. After a scoreless first quarter, Victor Copeland took a direct snap 69 yards for a touchdown early in the second. The Purple Hurricanes forced a fumble on a sack and then returned it 33 yards for a touchdown to lead 14-0, which was the score at halftime. In the third quarter, Matthew Cowan threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Copeland, and the final touchdown in the fourth quarter came on a trick play in which Copeland threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jalin Jackson. Fitzgerald will travel to No. 1 Heard County next Friday for the quarterfinals.

Northeast 26, Swainsboro 14

No. 5 Northeast (10-2) led 13-7 at halftime but opened a 26-7 lead by the fourth quarter over No. 12 Swainsboro (9-3). The host Raiders got a long touchdown pass from Reginald "Bam" Glover to Kortnei Williams and a strike from Glover to Keundre' Jackson for their first-half touchdowns. Northeast's Tailen Simpson rushed for a short touchdown to put the Raiders ahead 20-7, and Tavaris Tinsley had a long rushing touchdown to finish off the scoring for Northeast, which will travel to No. 4 Toombs County next Friday for the third round.

Toombs County 24, Thomasville 19

No. 4 Toombs County (11-1) survived at home against No. 13 Thomasville (8-4), as Thomasville scored a touchdown with under two minutes to play to pull to within five points but could not get the ball back after that. Toombs County held a 10-7 halftime lead after a 7-yard Justin Powell rushing score and a 31-yard Alex Otero field goal. Thomasville held a 13-10 lead entering the fourth quarter, but Joseph Owens find Justice Wilds for a 14-yard touchdown pass to give Toombs County the lead back and then Powell rushed for a 57-yard score to give his team an 11-point lead. Toombs County will host No. 5 Northeast next Friday.

In other Class A-Division I games: No. 3 Worth County survived a wild game at home against No. 14 Bleckley County, prevailing 38-35. The teams were tied 35-35 heading into the fourth quarter, and Brodey Hancock made a 20-yard field goal with five seconds left to give Worth County the win. Lyndon Worthy threw two touchdown passes and Treshaun Jones rushed for two touchdowns for the Rams, while Zyion Love had two rushing scores for Bleckley County. Worth County will host a quarterfinal game against No. 6 Gordon Lee, which was a 17-12 home winner over No. 11 Elbert County. ... No. 1 Heard County handled No. 17 Social Circle at home, 48-10. The Braves host No. 9 Fitzgerald in the quarterfinals. ... No. 10 Pepperell went on the road to defeat No. 7 Jasper County, 28-17. Pepperell gets to host No. 15 Rabun County, which shut out No. 31 Berrien, 35-0.  

Class A-Division II

Lincoln County 56, Hawkinsville 0

Top-ranked and No. 1 seed Lincoln County (12-0) shut out No. 2 seed Hawkinsville (9-3) at home to move on to the quarterfinals. Mekhi Wade rushed for a 24-yard touchdown and threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Walker Thornton. Kelby Glaze scored on rushes of 56 and 15 yards, and four other players had rushing touchdowns for the Red Devils. Nasir Gartrell (12 yards), Christian Elam (4 yards), Aiden Jones (30 yards) and Bryson Elam (12 yards) all found the end zone on the ground for Lincoln County, which will host No. 2 seed Brooks County next Friday.

Brooks County 14, Johnson County 7

No. 2 seed Brooks County (7-5) went to No. 1 seed Johnson County (11-1) for an upset road win, surviving a late drive by Johnson County that stalled at the Brooks County 15-yard line. After Damari Baynard rushed for a 22-yard touchdown for Brooks County with 27 seconds remaining, Johnson County got the ball back and completed a long pass, the team's first completion of the game, to the Brooks County 15 with 12 seconds remaining. But three incompletions in a row for Johnson County depleted the clock and gave Brooks County the win. Brooks County scored first on a 6-yard rush from George Lamons Jr. to take a 7-0 lead with 4:32 to play in the first quarter. Johnson County tied the game early in the second quarter on a 6-yard rush from Jeremiah Taylor. Brooks County will now travel to No. 1 seed Lincoln County in the quarterfinals.

Early County 13, Mt. Zion-Carroll 7

No. 1 seed Early County (9-3) got by Mt. Zion-Carroll (8-4) at home thanks to a 2-yard touchdown run by Devonis Lee with 6:49 remaining in the game to break the 7-7 tie. The Bobcats tied the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter on a 36-yard interception return from K.J. Lindsey. Early County will now host fellow No. 1 seed Screven County in the quarterfinals.

Class A Division II games: No. 1 seed Wheeler County outlasted No. 2 seed Warren County 28-20 at home, getting a late rushing touchdown and two-point conversion to break the 20-20 tie. Wheeler County advances to the quarterfinals, where the Bulldogs will travel to No. 1 seed Clinch County, a 28-18 winner over No. 2 seed Emanuel County Institute. Clinch County got a kickoff return touchdown from Kamarion Johnson and a 90-yard strip and score from Fred Causey, and quarterback Traviian Miller accounted for two scores. Miller threw an 83-yard touchdown pass to Jakyri Posey and also rushed for a 2-yard score to make it 28-18 midway through the fourth quarter. ... No. 1 seed Bowdon handled No. 3 seed Washington-Wilkes, 54-24 at home. In the third round the Red Devils will host No. 3 seed Jenkins County, which was a 41-20 road winner over No. 1 seed Schley County. ... No. 1 seed Screven County got the 35-14 home win over No. 3 seed Charlton County, setting up a quarterfinal matchup at No. 1 seed Early County. ...  

Fellowship Christian 56, Mt. Vernon 27

No. 1 Fellowship Christian (9-1) handled No. 16 Mt. Vernon (6-6) at home in a battle of North Fulton schools, leading 49-0 in the second quarter before Mt. Vernon scored its first touchdown. Paladins quarterback Jonathan Granby threw touchdown passes to Simon Cofrancesco and C.J. Givers and rushed for two scores. Givers also had two rushing touchdowns for Fellowship Christian, and Graham Keeter finished off the Paladins' scoring with a touchdown rush in the third quarter to make it a 56-7 score. Fellowship Christian also scored on defense in the second quarter, as Kolton Driskell broke up a pass and Mack Town gathered the tipped ball and returned it for a touchdown. Fellowship Christian will host No. 8 Savannah Christian in the quarterfinals next Friday.

Greater Atlanta Christian 48, Landmark Christian 16

No. 6 Greater Atlanta Christian (9-2) defeated No. 11 Landmark Christian (9-3) at home, as the Spartans scored a touchdown to take a 21-10 lead at the beginning of the second quarter and held a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Pierce Wilson rushed for two touchdowns for GAC, and quarterback Michael Miller also had a rushing touchdown. Jack Griggs returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the first quarter after Landmark scored the first points of the game on a field goal. The Spartans also got two interception returns for touchdowns, one from Denzell Watkins and the second from Grant Johnson to close out the scoring late in the third quarter. Graham Anand also made two field goals with under a minute to play in the first half to give GAC a 34-16 lead at the break, the second of which was 60 yards. GAC will travel to No. 3 Athens Academy for the quarterfinals next week.

Athens Academy 48, Holy Innocents' 37

No. 3 Athens Academy (10-1) held off No. 14 Holy Innocents' (8-4), getting four touchdowns on passes from Chap Chapman to Keyon Standifer. The Spartans led 27-10 at halftime after a Chapman 1-yard QB keeper for a touchdown and three Chapman-to-Standifer touchdowns in the second quarter. Those scores came on passing plays of 78, 64 and 24 yards. The Golden Bears got right back in the game to start the second half, however, scoring two touchdowns to pull within 27-24. A Zay Prince 13-yard touchdown rush and two-point conversion early in the fourth quarter for Athens Academy pushed the lead back to 11 before Holy Innocents' scored to make it a one-score game again. Chapman found Standifer for their fourth touchdown of the night, a 9-yard score in the back of the end zone to make it 42-30, and the Golden Bears scored their final touchdown to pull within five points again with five minutes remaining. But on their ensuing possession, the Spartans put the game away with a 69-yard deep ball to Grayson Stafford for the game's final points. Athens Academy will host No. 6 Greater Atlanta Christian next Friday in the quarterfinals.  

In other Class A-3A Private games: No. 4 Calvary Day led No. 13 King's Ridge Christian 29-7 after one quarter and 56-7 at halftime to get the home victory, 56-17. The Cavaliers will host No. 5 Whitefield Academy next week in the quarterfinals after Whitefield defeated No. 12 Aquinas at home, 48-21. Whitefield pulled away from the Fighting Irish, turning a 7-7 game into a 35-14 halftime advantage. ... No. 8 Savannah Christian overcame an early deficit to defeat No. 9 Christian Heritage at home, 35-23. Athen Hudspeth scored five rushing touchdowns for the Raiders, who trailed 14-0 at the beginning of the second quarter but held a 35-17 lead in the early fourth quarter. Blaise Thomas also rushed for a touchdown for Savannah Christian. ... No. 2 Hebron Christian beat No. 18 Trinity Christian 53-20 at home to earn the right to host No. 7 Prince Avenue at home next Friday in the quarterfinals. Prince Avenue was a 41-6 winner over No. 10 Wesleyan at home.

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