Class 5A Quarterfinal Playoff Previews
Cartersville Purple Hurricanes (10-1) at Ware County Gators (10-1)
How They Got Here:
Cartersville defeated Jackson 56-6, St. Pius 31-19
Ware County defeated Dutchtown 24-0, Creekside 49-25
Noteworthy: Put this on the list of games that feels too early to be played, but Class 5A is just that deep. Cartersville has had quite the season and this Purple Hurricane senior class will leave as one of the winningest teams in GHSA history. They are versatile on offense being able to control the game with a physical run game, or they can score in a hurry with some big time playmakers. Their lone loss on the year was to 7A Cherokee. Ware County finds itself back in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2016 and would love nothing more than to build upon that success. The Gator offensive can score in a hurry as we saw again last week where the turned out 21 points quickly to finish off Creekside. Their lone loss came to Warner Robins (also a 5A quarterfinalist.) We are expecting an incredible game a s both of these teams have title aspirations!
Coffee Trojans (9-2) Calhoun Yellow Jackets (9-3)
How They Got Here:
Coffee defeated Ola 31-7, Starrs Mill 24-9
Calhoun defeated Lithia Springs 46-21, Clarke Central 33-14
Noteworthy: This is the second of three Region 1 versus Region 7 quarterfinal matchups in 5A, and it honestly might be the most physical one. Coffee finds itself back in the quarterfinals after losing in the Class 6A Quarterfinals to Allatoona a year ago. Their only losses on the year are to Ware County (quartefinalist) and Houston County. The Yellow Jackets bring in a strong run game behind a veteran offensive line in hopes of making another run at a state title after winning three in the past ten years. Similar to the Trojans, their losses have come at the hands of Blessed Trinity and Cartersville (both quarterfinalist). Neither program is a stranger to success, but we are excited to see which #3 seed continues to make its way even deeper into the playoffs!
Warner Robins Demons (10-1) at Blessed Trinity (8-0)
How They Got Here:
Warner Robins defeated Union Grove 49-7, Woodward Academy 30-7
Blessed Trinity defeated Chapel Hill 49-14, Decatur 44-0
Noteworthy: The two #1 seeds from Region 1 and 7 close out the three matchups! Warner Robins is no stranger to the quarterfinals as they have been the state runner-up for three years in a row for Class 5A. Blessed Trinity is in its first season of 5A competition after winning back-to-back-to-back titles in Class 4A. Warner Robins’ lone loss on the year came in a road game to Class 6A Lee County. The Titans have won their games with an average scoring margin of 35 points per game. This game is huge as both teams have much greater aspirations than a quarterfinal appearance.
Eastside Eagles (10-2) at Jones County Greyhounds (9-3)
How They Got Here:
Eastside defeated SW Dekalb 3-0, New Manchester 37-7
Jones County defeated Wayne County 27-25, Griffin 34-13
Noteworthy: Rounding out the 5A quarterfinals, and we have two teams that one absolute thrillers in the first round. Both the Eagles and Greyhound’s kickers came up big as they hit game winning field goals late in the 4th quarter! Eastside comes in as the #2 seed for Region 8 losing by just one point to champion Clarke Central. Their only other loss was to Class 7A Newton early in the year. Jones County started the season 0-3 by playing a gauntlet of a September schedule, but have since won nine straight contests including the Region 4 championship!