MaxPreps AAAAA Elite Eight Breakdown/Predictions: Ware County at Tucker When, where: 8 p.m. Friday, Hallford Stadium, Clarkston Records, rankings: Ware County is 11-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 3 and No. 5; Tucker is 12-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 6 and No. 1. Last meeting: Tucker won 42-3 in the 2010 Class AAAA quarterfinals. Three things to know: 1. Sophomores Dedrick Mills and Jaquez Bolds form a dangerous backfield tandem for Ware County. Both had more than 100 yards rushing as the Gators routed Northside of Warner Robins 35-7 in the second round. Mills scored three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). Ware County also eliminated Northside in 2012. 2. Tucker had the closest second-round game of any of the quarterfinalists, holding on for a 16-13 victory that wasnt secure until East Paulding fumbled at the Tucker 7-yard line in the closing seconds. The Tigers are the leading rushing team in DeKalb County, averaging 238 yards per game, but have no player averaging more than 50. 3. Ware County is in the quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive a season, a streak that began in 2010 when it lost to the Tigers. Tucker is in the quarterfinals for the fourth straight season and the 10th time since 2000. The Tigers won state championships in 2008 and 2011. Maxwell Ratings projection: Tucker by 2 Winner plays: Mundys Mill/Gainesville winner Mundys Mill at Gainesville When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, City Park Stadium/Bobby Gruhn Field, Gainesville Records, rankings: Mundys Mill is 8-4, the No. 2 seed from Region 4 and unranked; Gainesville is 11-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 8 and No. 3. Last meeting: This is the teams first meeting. Three things to know: 1. Mundys Mill RB Rodney Smith has rushed for 613 yards and eight touchdowns in the Tigers two playoff games, including 266 yards and four TDs in a 35-7 second-round victory over Lee County. Smith, who suffered a torn ACL last season, ran for 1,361 yards during the regular season. 2. Gainesville QB Deshaun Watson passed for 423 yards in a 51-12 victory over South Paulding in the second round to increase his season total to 3,233 yards. Watson, the states all-time leader in career passing yards, has thrown for 12,535 yards in four seasons, almost 3,500 yards more than previous record-holder Zach Stanford of Metter. 3. Gainesville, the defending state champion, is 19-4 in home playoff games since 2001, and a victory this week would put the Red Elephants in the semifinals for the third consecutive season. Mundys Mill, an 11-year-old program in Clayton County, had never won a playoff game before beating Houston County and Lee County in the first two rounds this year. Maxwell Ratings projection: Gainesville by 22 Winner plays: Ware County/Tucker winner Warner Robins at Kell When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, C.J. Kell Stadium, Marietta Records, rankings: Warner Robins is 11-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 2 and No. 6; Kell is 12-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 7 and No. 2. Last meeting: This is the teams first meeting. Three things to know: 1. Warner Robins has two 1,000-yard rushers in Danny Hite Jr. (1,150 yards, 187 carries, 13 touchdowns) and Jacquan Burns (1,028, 153, four). QB Caden Johnston has passed for 1,330 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 319 yards and six scores. The Demons are averaging 364.7 yards of total offense but were outgained 416-326 in a 45-28 victory over Richmond Hill in the second round. 2. Kell sophomore Evan Carnes scored on a 14-yard reception and a 20-yard interception return in the third quarter as the Longhorns pulled away from Mays for a 26-15 second-round victory. Jay Moxey, who leads the Longhorns in rushing with 1,269 yards (unofficially), ran for 146 yards on 26 carries against Mays. 3. Warner Robins, which won state titles in 1976, 1981, 1988 and 2004, is in the quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons. A victory this week would give the Demons 12 wins for the first time since the 2004 title team went 14-0-1. Kell, which opened in 2003, is in the quarterfinals for the second time in four years and seeks its first 13-win season. Maxwell Ratings projection: Kell by 5 Winner plays: Creekside/North Paulding winner Creekside at North Paulding When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, The Den, Dallas Records, rankings: Creekside is 12-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 4 and No. 4; North Paulding is 11-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 5 and No. 8. Last meeting: This is the teams first meeting. Three things to know: 1. Creekside was tied with Harris County 7-7 early in the second quarter but scored 21 points over the next 15 minutes to pull away in a 42-21 second-round victory. Jayson Stanley caught touchdown passes of 28 and 45 yards from Felix Harper, and Dexter Knox had touchdowns rushing and receiving. Creekside is 12-0 for the fourth time in the programs 24-year history. 2. North Paulding QB Chase Noonan threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Mac Seagle on the first play of the game and hit Seagle for a 67-yard TD four minutes later in a 35-7 second-round victory against Stephenson. Brandon Townsend returned two first-quarter interceptions for touchdowns as the Wolfpack led 28-0 less than eight minutes into the game. Noonan passed for 2,125 yards in the regular season and had 319 against Stephenson. 3. Creekview is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2006 and fourth time overall. The Seminoles were 1-2 in the quarters in their previous three appearances. North Paulding, which opened in 2008, is in the quarterfinals for the first time. The Wolfpack lost to Tucker in the second round last year in its only previous playoff appearance. Maxwell Ratings projection: Creekside by 6 Winner plays: Warner Robins/Kell winner
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 13:49:07 +0000
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