Houston Healthcare’s High School Football Playoffs Overview: Week 2

Class AAAAAA

The Houston County Bears come into week two following a big 31-21 road win over the Evans Knights, making the team currently 6-5 overall in 2019. The Bears will travel again this Friday night to take on the South Paulding Spartans, the 2-seed for 6A. This game will certainly be a difficult fight, and the Spartans are favored to win. However, should the Bears advance further, they will likely next face Harrison in the quarterfinals, a team currently 11-0 and averaging 30.45 ppg. 6A is known for being one of the toughest regions in the nation, and Houston sure has their work cut out for them.

Class AAAAA

The Warner Robins Demons are coming off a 28-7 home win over Jonesboro in the first round and are currently 10-1 overall in 2019. The Demons have a tough game this Friday Night as they will be hosting the Rome Wolves from Northwest Georgia. Warner Robins is currently the favorite to win for 5A, but that doesn’t mean they have an easy road ahead of them. Rome is a solid team that will likely test them on the field. Should WR advance to the quarterfinals, they will likely next take on Clarke Central– a team the Demons have a good chance of beating.

The Veterans Warhawks are coming off a 28-6 home win over Riverdale, making the school 9-2 overall in 2019. The Warhawks have an extremely tough game this week as they travel to take on the Carrollton Trojans. The Trojans have outscored their opponents an average of 26.72 ppg this season. It seems highly unlikely the Warhawks will advance to the quarterfinals but should they, the team will next face Buford or Ware Co (two solid teams in their own right).

The Jones Co Greyhounds advance to week two following last Friday’s 26-13 home win over South Effingham, making the Hounds 10-1 overall in 2019. Jones Co will be hosting the Cedar Shoals Jaguars this Friday night in the Sweet 16. The Greyhounds have a solid chance of beating the Jaguars and going all the way to the finals. Jones Co has the skillset to compete with any team in 5A. While their road to the championship is difficult, they have the ability and willpower to pull it off.

Class AAAA

The Perry Panthers had a 38-0 shutout victory against Hampton last week, making them now 7-4 overall. The Panthers have a long drive this Friday as they hit the road to take on the Oconee Co Warriors. Perry is a heavy underdog for this matchup but if they play at their A-game, the Panthers may be able to pull off an upset. Should they advance past the Sweet 16 to the quarterfinals, Perry will face either Carver (Columbus) or Marist. Both of these teams are highly ranked and present a serious threat.

The West Laurence Raiders come into week two following last Friday’s 37-6 home victory against Luella. This win makes the Raiders 10-1 overall in 2019. WL will be hosting the North Oconee Titans in the Sweet 16 this Friday night, and the Raiders are favored to win. The Raider’s path to the finals gets much more difficult once they reach the quarterfinals. WL would likely next face Blessed Trinity, a team which has proven itself to be tough competition in 4A these last few years. The Raiders have a shot at winning it all, but it’ll be an uphill climb.

The Mary Persons Bulldogs successfully defeated Eastside on the road last week 28-21, making MP now 6-5 overall. The Bulldogs will be home this Friday hosting the week 2 matchup against the Madison Co Red Raiders. MP is the slight favorite to win this game, but it’s sure to be close. Should the Bulldogs advance to the quarterfinals, they will likely take on Sandy Creek, a real obstacle for the Dogs. It’ll take everything they have to win that matchup.

The Baldwin Braves enter the Sweet 16 following a 38-30 upset road-win over Cairo, making the team now 5-6 overall in 2019. While Cairo’s defeat is worth celebrating, the Braves’ path to the finals only gets more difficult going forward. This week, Baldwin will be traveling to take on the Blessed Trinity Titans, a powerhouse in 4A. The Braves are likely to be eliminated this round but should they manage to shock us all again, the team will probably next face West Laurens in the Quarterfinals.

The Americus-Sumter Panthers enter week two following a big 13-6 road win against Burke Co, making the team now 6-5 overall. The Panthers will hit the road again this Friday night to take on the Sandy Creek Fighting Patriots. The Panthers will be huge underdogs in this matchup, and it seems highly unlikely that AS will advance to the quarterfinals. Should they move on, however, the Panthers will next play either Mary Persons or Madison Co, two teams AS is more evenly matched with.

Class AAA

The Peach Co Trojans enter the Sweet 16 following a 19-0 home shutdown win against Brantley Co, making the Trojans now 10-1 overall. This Friday, Peach Co will be hosting the Calhoun Yellow Jackets for week two. The Trojans are favored to win this matchup, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy victory. Calhoun defeated Peach Co 10-6 in the 2017 State Finals, and the Trojans will be hungry for some revenge. Should Peach advance to the quarterfinals, they will likely next take on Cedar Grove. Grove defeated the Trojans in the 2018 3A State-Championship game by scoring a touchdown with seconds left on the clock. Peach Co is determined to win it all this year and enact some sweet vengeance on the 3A schools that beat them in the past.

The Jackson Red Devils are coming off a 28-11 home win over Liberty Co and are currently 8-3 overall in 2019. The Red Devils have a tough game this Friday night as they travel to take on the North Murray Mountaineers in the Sweet 16. North Murray has proven to be a serious competitor this year. They took down Calhoun in the regular season which hadn’t been done since 2001. The Mountaineers are favored to win, but Jackson has a decent shot if they play at their A-game. Should the Red Devils advance to the quarterfinals, they’ll likely next take on Jenkins.

The Crisp Co Cougars enter week 2 following a 46-0 shutout home win over SE Bulloch and are now 8-3 overall in 2019. The Cougars will be hosting the North Hall Trojans this Friday night in the Sweet 16 and are favored to win this matchup. Should they advance to the quarterfinals, Crisp Co will probably next face Jenkins. Crisp Co has a solid chance of going far and possibly winning it all for 3A but it’ll be a difficult road.

Class AA

The Dublin Fighting Irish are coming off a 32-9 home win over Early Co and are currently 10-1 overall. The Fighting Irish will be hosting the Bremen Blue Devils this Friday night in the Sweet 16. Dublin has a deadly offense this year and is again slated as the heavy favorite in this matchup. It is likely Dublin will face its first true challenge in the quarterfinals should they play Hapeville Charter. The path will continue to get more difficult for the Irish the further they get, but Dublin has a solid chance of winning it all for AA.

Class A Public

The Wilcox Patriots enter week two following a 55-6 blowout win against Seminole Co, and the team is currently 9-2 overall in 2019. The Patriots have a difficult game this Friday night as they travel to take on the Pelham Hornets in the Sweet 16. Pelham is highly favored to win this matchup as they have outscored their opponents this season an average of 47.4 ppg. Wilcox will have to play lights out to have a chance at defeating Pelham. If Wilcox does advance to the quarterfinals, they’ll likely next face Mitchell Co, the #3 team in 1A public.

The Johnson Co Trojans are coming off a 1st Rd bye and will begin their playoff run this Friday night as they host the Manchester Blue Devils. This will be a #8 team VS #9 team matchup. Both schools are very similar in regard to scoring-average and win-record. The game could end either way and will quite possibly go down to the buzzer. If Johnson Co advances to the quarterfinals, they will likely next take on Irwin Co. Irwin will present a real challenge as the team posted shutdowns in 7 out of 10 games in the regular season. Johnson Co may well be a one-and-done team this playoff season and should they move on, the road only gets more difficult.

Class A Private Playoffs

The Mt de Sales Cavaliers are coming off a 1st Rd bye and will host the Hebron Christian Lions this Friday night. The Cavaliers are favored to win this matchup as they are ranked #5 while Hebron is #12. Should they advance to the quarterfinals, Mount de Sales will probably next take on Fellowship Christian. The Cavaliers have a decent shot at winning it all for Private Class A, but they’ll encounter some fierce competition along the way.

Author’s Note: Big thanks to Cole Powell, our stats-man, for helping compile this overview!