Class 6A

Douglas County near Grayson

When, where: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Grayson Community Stadium, Loganville

Records, rankings: Douglas County is 11-2, the No. 2 seed from Region 2-6A and No. 4 seed; Grayson is 12-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 4-6A and No. 6 seed.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Worth knowing: Grayson lost only to Collins Hill and avenged the loss in the opening game with a 38-14 win in the quarterfinals. Douglas County’s losses come to Buford and Carrollton, the other two Class 6A semifinal teams. Douglas County defeated West Forsyth 20-14 in the quarterfinals. James Johnson (committed to Southern Cal) rushed for 100 yards and scored three touchdowns, one of which was a reception. His third touchdown with 8:16 left ended a 14-14 tie and Douglas County kept West Forsyth at bay from then on. Douglas County’s other key players include QB DJ Bordeaux (2,645 passing yards), RB Zamarcus Lindley (1,183 rushing yards), WR Devin Carter (top-40 prospect nationally), WR Aaron Gregory (Texas A&M) and LB Michael Hastie (Region 2). Defensive Player of the Year, committed to West Virginia) and DE/LB Jordan Carter (Texas A&M). Grayson only led Collins Hill 17-14 early in the fourth quarter before pulling away. Alex Sanchez had six receptions for 118 yards and three touchdowns. Grayson’s offensive leaders are QB Tyler Burgess (1,823 passing yards, 535 rushing yards), LB Tyler Atkinson (five-star junior prospect, team’s leading tackler), LB Anthony Davis (four-star junior prospect) and DE Andre Fuller (Georgia Tech). Grayson is making its sixth semifinal appearance in 10 seasons, the most of any school in the top division during that time, and won state titles in 2020, 2016 and 2011. Douglas County was in the semifinals last season in 6A, then the second-highest division. This is the Tigers’ first semi-final in the top flight. A win would send Douglas County to the finals for the first time since its Class 2A title in 1964.

Expected Value of Maxwell Ratings: Grayson 25, Douglas County 21

Carrollton at Buford

When, where: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Tom Riden Stadium, Buford

Records, rankings: Carrollton is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 2-6A and No. 1 seed; Buford is 12-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 8-6A and the No. 2 seed.

Last meeting: Buford won 21-6 in the 2021 Class 6A semifinals.

Worth knowing: Buford was No. 1 and Carrollton was No. 2 in the preseason, and they turned around after Buford lost its opener 13-10 to Milton, the No. 1 team in Class 5A. Both teams are ranked in the top 25 in every national poll. Buford’s average playoff score is 47-8. Carrollton is 47-9. Both are city schools that joined the top tier in 2022. Carrollton is 38-3 and Buford is 34-4 during that time, but neither has won a state championship at the top level. Buford has 13 state titles in the lower divisions this century. Carrollton’s last state championship came in 1998. Buford has beaten seven top-10 teams during its 12-game winning streak. Buford’s offensive leaders are Dayton Raiola (1,717 yards passing), Justin Baker (889 yards rushing) and Jordan Allen (771 yards receiving). Buford has 10 seniors committed to major Division I schools and three uncommitted juniors ranked in the top 300 in the country. Most play defense. The leading tackler is LB AJ Holloway (South Carolina). Carrollton’s offensive leaders are Julian Lewis (3,272 yards passing), Kimauri Farmer (1,142 yards rushing) and Peyton Zachary (821 yards receiving). Lewis was injured early in last week’s 46-6 win over Hillgrove and did not return. His status this week is uncertain. Dylan Bishop was 10 of 14 passing for 123 yards and three touchdowns in relief. Carrollton’s Dorian Barney (Alabama), Zelus Hicks (Texas) and Shamar Arnoux (Southern Cal) are top-400 prospects playing in the secondary.

Expected Value of Maxwell Ratings: Buford 28, Carrollton 27

WRITTEN BY CHIP SAYE

Class 5A

Coffee at Hughes

When, where: Friday, 7.30pm, Panther Stadium, Fairburn

Records, rankings: Coffee is 11-2, the No. 3 seed from Region 2-5A and No. 7; Hughes is 12-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 3-5A and the No. 4 seed.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Worth knowing: Coffee’s Tyrese Woodgett shattered the state record for rushing yards in a game when he rushed for 605 yards and seven touchdowns on 20 carries (30.3 yards per carry) in a 72-48 quarterfinal win over Sequoyah. The previous record was 485 yards by Pepperell’s Devyn Collins in 2014. The Trojans attempted just one pass against Sequoyah, an 80-yard touchdown from Brayden Coe to Kentavius ​​Debruce, while rushing for a school record 697 yards as a team . Woodgett has rushed for 2,090 yards this season, including 1,022 yards and 17 touchdowns in three playoff games. Coffee, the Class 5A state champion last season, is in the semifinals for the fourth time in eight seasons. The Trojans are the only surviving team in the Class 5A field that did not become a regional champion this season. Hughes reached the semifinals for the third time in four years with a 28-12 quarterfinal victory over Thomas County Central, which defeated Coffee 38-7 in the teams’ regular-season finale on Nov. 1. Christian Langford rushed for a season-high 180 yards and two touchdowns and completed 10 of 11 passes for 150 yards and a score. He has passed for 2,809 yards and ran for 554 yards this season, totaling 39 touchdowns. Carsyn Baker ran for 105 yards, surpassing 1,000 yards this season (1,039). The Panthers have won 10 straight games, none by closer than 10 points, since a 21-14 loss to Class 6A semifinalist Douglas County on Sept. 6.

Expected Value of Maxwell Ratings: Hughes 24, Coffee 14

Lee County near Milton

When, where: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Eagles Nest, Milton

Records, rankings: Lee County is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 2-5A and No. 2; Milton is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 7-5A and the No. 1 seed.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Worth knowing: This game compares the teams that spent most of the season in the top two spots in the Class 5A standings. Both are ranked in the top 25 in numerous national polls, with Milton ranked No. 2 (MaxPreps, NationalHSFB.com) and Lee County ranked No. 15 (Massey Ratings). Lee County, state champions in 2017 and 2018, is in the semifinals for the fourth time in eight seasons after a 64-0 victory over Region 6 champion Sprayberry last week. It was the Trojans’ third straight playoff win by 40 or more points. Weston Bryan was 8 of 12 passing for 160 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 109 yards, two touchdowns and two two-point conversions. Ousmane Kromah (committed to Georgia) had 100 rushing yards and 96 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns. Bryan has 2,347 passing yards and 1,241 rushing yards. Kromah has 1,290 yards rushing and 693 yards receiving. Milton, last year’s Class 7A champion, is in the semifinals for the fourth straight year and is seeking its third state title in seven years. The Eagles got 327 passing yards from Luke Nickel (Miami), 163 rushing yards from TJ Lester and 135 yards receiving from Tristen Payne in a 56-14 victory over Houston County, the only fourth-ranked team in all classifications to reach the quarterfinals . Milton led 42-14 at halftime. Nickel passed for more than 3,000 yards this season and has 9,454 yards in his career. The Eagles held Houston County’s Antwann Hill, who came into the game averaging 302.2 yards per game, to 131 yards on 29 attempts.

Expected Value of Maxwell Ratings: Milton 30, Lee County 28