Here are five things we learned in the first round of the high school football playoffs:
1. Riverside Military is not interested in simply being the season's footnote
Riverside Military continues to make program history and turn heads across the state as they do it. The Eagles (6-5, 3-1 Region 8-A North) picked up their first win over a GHSA top-ten ranked opponent in a late-season thriller at Commerce three weeks ago and made their first trip to the state playoffs since 2009. While the success caught the eyes of most around northeast Georgia, Riverside still entered last Friday's first-round game at George Walton Academy as an underdog. The Eagles proceeded to shock the Bulldogs 24-14, as if to send a message to the entire state that you should question their ability to beat anybody in Class A-Private at your own risk. It was Riverside Military's first GHSA playoff win in program history and first playoff win overall since a 2006 win over Deerfield-Windsor in the first round of the GISA postseason. The Eagles will step up the competition next week, hitting the road again to take on number-seven seed Fellowship Christian in Roswell. The Paladins would do well to learn from what Commerce and George Walton Academy have already seen first-hand: rankings mean very little when playing this Riverside Military team right now. A win Friday night would guarantee Riverside its first winning season since 2008.
2. For North Hall, one pesky stat is now a thing of the past
As North Hall prepared for its first round game at Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe Friday night, there was one stat that the Trojans had to be sick of seeing and hearing. North Hall had never won a playoff game away from The Brickyard. They won't have to hear that stat ever again. The Trojans (9-2, 4-2 Region 7-3A) blew out the Warriors 41-6, showcasing all the things that made them one of the best offensive and defensive teams in North Georgia throughout the regular season. Winning away from home in the postseason is not easy, but it was a number of close losses that made the Trojans' struggles so frustrating. From 2008 to 2013, North Hall lost one-possession games to Ringgold and Dunwoody and had other tough games including a 2007 semifinals loss to Cairo in the old Georgia Dome. The win last Friday will not make anything easier for North Hall, whose reward will be a trip to Class 3A second-ranked Cedar Grove in the second round, but this Trojans team looks up to the challenge.
3. Habersham Central's defense picked a great time for its best showing of the year
Habersham Central felt good about its chances to pull a first-round upset at Douglas County Friday night, but very few saw the way the Raiders won the game coming. Habersham Central (7-4, 3-2 Region 8-6A) shut out the Tigers 35-0, pitching their first shut out since a 2010 win over Winder-Barrow and the first under fourth-year head coach Benji Harrison. The Raiders' defense entered the game surrendering just over 30 points per game, making the dominant performance all the more impressive. What was not surprising, at least to anyone familiar with this Habersham Central team, was a steady offensive performance led by quarterback Tre Luttrell (132 yards passing, 2 TD's, 85 yards rushing) and a running game that produced over 200 yards. The Habersham Central defense stole the show though, allowing only 156 yards, including only 47 yards rushing, to an athletic Douglas County team. The win was the first playoff victory for the Raiders since 2007 and, much like North Hall, the road will not get easier as they travel to Class 6A second-ranked Creekview for Friday's second-round matchup.
4. After two weeks of heartbreak, Commerce got back on track Friday night
The last two weeks of the regular season were less than fun for the Commerce Tigers. The team that raced to an impressive 8-0 start to the season lost back-to-back one possession games to Riverside Military and Athens Academy. The losses dropped the Tigers from a potential top-five seed in the Class A-Public to the number-nine seed, forcing them to play in last Friday's first round. The Tigers used that opportunity in front of its home crowd to take out all of those frustrations. Commerce (9-2, 3-1 Region 8-A North) sprinted to a 42-0 halftime lead over Seminole County before riding cruise control to a 42-6 win. Da'Juan Wood, Nate Ray, Sam Roach, Caleb Mason and even linebacker TJ Trudnack all got in the end zone for the Tigers, whose triple-option attack ran for 175 yards and passed for another 119. Up next for Commerce will be a 200-plus-mile trip south to number-eight seed Mitchell County. If the Tigers play the way they did Friday night, they might be able to put those last two weeks of the regular season even farther in their rearview mirror.
5. Dawson County took a punch Friday night, now ready for a heavyweight bout
Dawson County knew it was capable of winning close, physical football games. The Tigers pulled out late wins over Habersham Central and North Hall during the regular season and had to fight again last Friday against Haralson County. Dawson County found itself only up 28-22 early in the third quarter, but turned on the offensive jets, racking up just under 600 yards of total offense to run away with a 44-22 win that will now send them into a massive second-round matchup at Class 3A third-ranked Monroe Area. The Tigers (10-1, 5-1 Region 7-3A) will be the latest team to try to stop Purple Hurricanes' quarterback Chandler Byron, who has torched every defense Monroe Area has faced both with his arm and his legs. Dawson County will counter with their two-headed rushing monster of quarterback Se'Vaughn Clark (155 yards passing, 123 rushing vs Haralson County) and running back Ahmad Kamara. Their defense also appears to be prepared for the challenges Byron will present, as they held Haralson County's Traylon Sheppard (Class 3A's leading rusher) to 148 yards below his season average of 287 yards per game.
