Published November 19, 2008 10:09 pm - MOULTRIE — All four Region 1-AAAAA teams won their state playoff openers last week, but they will hard-pressed to duplicate that effort this Friday.
Region teams seeking another playoff sweep
MOULTRIE — All four Region 1-AAAAA teams won their state playoff openers last week, but they will hard-pressed to duplicate that effort this Friday.
Two region teams — Northside-Warner Robins and Tift County will face unbeaten opponents in the second round.
Lowndes, 11-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAA, will be a large favorite over Bradwell Institute and Coffee will be playing a Chapel Hill team that went 0-10 in 2007 and is in the postseason for the first time.
But Northside is facing 11-0 Camden County and Tift County is going against the another 11-0 team in Newnan.
The Northside-Camden County matchup is a bit of a historical one.
Since the state playoff expanded to included 16 teams in 1990, the Camden-Northside will be the first that pits top-5 teams in the second round in the highest classification.
Camden is ranked No. 2 in Class AAAAA and has won 104 games this decade.
The Wildcats are coached by Jeff Herron, who is 104-11 at Camden County and 192-38 in career that also includes stops at Walton, Cedal Shoals, Wheeler and Oconee County.
Camden breezed in its first-round game, shutting out Creekside 49-0. It is unlikely the Wildcats will score 49 when they play host to Northside, which has one of the top defenses in the state.
Northside, which has won the last two Class AAAA state championships, is 10-1, with its only loss to Lowndes.
The Eagles, winners of 40 of their last 41 games, defeated Union Grove 24-7 last Friday.
Northside and Camden have met twice, with the Eagles winning in 1992 and 1999.
Friday’s winner will meet the Woodstock-Norcross winner in a quarterfinal game.
Tift County, Region 1-AAAAA’s No. 3 team, knocked off M.L. King 24-14 last Saturday.
The Blue Devils, now 8-3, will face a Newnan team that won its 11th straight game last Friday by a 55-0 score over Johnson High of Savannah.