JEFFERSON, Ga. — Travis Noland and Ben Hall are more than glad to meet each other for a second time this season in the playoffs.
They just weren't expecting it to be so soon. And neither appears to be all that happy about it.
“I don't think it's good,” Noland said. “I just got a problem with some of these things, but it doesn't matter what I think. It is what it is.”
“It’s not great,” Hall said. “But it really doesn't matter what (the coaches) like or don't like. You just got to try to play the game that's in front of you.”
Noland's Jefferson Dragons and Hall’s Oconee County Warriors will meet at Memorial Stadium on Friday with a spot in the Elite 8 in Class 3A up for grabs.
Both teams are part of Region 8-3A. In the old playoff format, the two teams would not have been able to play again until at least the semifinals. But with the new PRS playoff format the GHSA is employing from Class 3A to Class A, we’re seeing a lot of that already in the lower classes.
All four 8-3A teams were put in the same quadrant of the bracket, with Cherokee Bluff and Monroe Area already meeting in the first round (Bluff won 28-7). Now, the Dragons and Warriors will follow suit in the second round. If Bluff wins its second-round matchup against Luella, we will have a third 8-3A rematch in the Elite 8.
Region 8-3A posted the best non-region winning percentage in Class 3A (20-9, .690%) in 2024, yet we could only have one 8-3A team left by this time next week. Something does not seem right.
But on the positive side, the Dragons garnered the No. 1 overall seed despite just a 7-3 record. Strength of schedule obviously mattered. Eight of their 10 regular season opponents made the playoffs; five were ranked.
“I still don’t understand how we are the No. 1 seed with our record, but we're not going to apologize and say we don't want it,” Noland said. “It wouldn't matter if we're (undefeated) or the record we have. We are where we are, and we got to play who we got to play. And that's all we try to focus on.”
The new PRS system takes the top two teams from the region and seeds them 1 to 16 based on their PRS ranking. The Nos. 3 and 4 teams are combined and seeded based on their PRS. It was too many moving parts for Hall, who would like to see a more streamlined system moving forward.
“You can't have your cake and eat it too,” Hall said. “You can't have the power rankings and then also guarantee the top two seeds in every region a home game. But this is what you get.”
“If you're going to use power rankings, you may not guarantee a region champion a home field. But that's what you need to do if you want to be true to the idea of what (the GHSA) had envisioned (with the PRS).”
Which brings us back to Friday’s monster showdown. The first meeting this season was an instant classic as the Warriors tied the game late in the fourth quarter, took the lead in overtime, and then staged a goal line stand to preserve a 32-30 win.
That was in Watkinsville. This one is on the Dragons' home turf. This will be the 10th meeting between the teams since 2014 and the 25th overall, with Oconee County winning four of the last five in that span. However, the home team has won two of the last three matchups. It’s the first time they have ever met in the playoffs.
With the familiarity for both teams, does either coach expect changes with the season on the line?
“Oconee County has done a great job all year long of every game plan being very multiple and very different,” Nolan said. “So I'm sure when they get here, they'll have a lot of things that we've not prepared for. It'll be a challenge for us to see if we can make the adjustments.”
“We're very familiar with each other, and you're going to see both teams probably make adjustments and tweak the game plan,” Hall said. “But this time of the year, you are who you are. It's basically going to come down, not to sound cliché, but whoever makes the least mistakes will probably win it.”
You have two of the classification’s best defenses trying to slow down a pair of offenses that are as explosive as anyone in the state.
The Dragons are averaging 34.36 ppg behind senior QB Gavin Markey (1,163 yards, 12 TD, 6 INT passing; 939 yards, 12 TD rushing) and running backs Dallas Russell (564 yards, 10 TD), Mickell Pitman (327 yards, 3 TD), and Rett Hemphill (296 yards, 5 TD). Talan Childress is the leading receiver with 452 yards and 4 TD.
The Warriors are scoring 30.76 ppg with a balanced attack, averaging 180 yards rushing and 176 yards passing on the season behind senior QB Titus Watkins (1,895 yards, 12 TD, 5 INT) and RB Caden Wood (865 yards, 10 TD). Sophomore Mason Hall leads the team in receiving (52 rec.,667 yards, 6 TD).
Oconee County is giving up just 13.6 ppg behind guys like LB Zach Weeks (87 tkl, 7 TFL, 3 sacks).
Jefferson is surrendering 15.3 ppg, led by LBs Max Brown (103 tkl, 10 TFL, 3 FR), Rett Hemphill (97 tkl, 8 TFL), Jayden Yang (68 tkl, 4 TFL) and lineman Kelan Butler (69 tkl, 9 TFL, 5 sacks).
“Oconee is definitely one of the better defenses that we've played all season, and they proved that the first time we played,” Noland said. “It's going to be a challenge for everybody on the offensive side of the ball just to get a first down. So that's all we’re focused on, just trying to execute.”
“We're going to have to score,” Hall said. “I don't think you're going to stop them every possession. And we will need to slow down Markey. We can't give him explosive plays, especially in the run game.”
The atmosphere is sure to change, and you don’t have to tell Hall and the Warriors what to expect. Hall knows it first-hand after spending a half-dozen years coaching the Dragons as an assistant and head coach.
“It's going to be a great environment, and I think that both teams will feed off of that,” Hall said. “Our kids are used to playing on the road, and I think they will play well in (that kind of) environment.”
The kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. You can listen to the game live on FM 102.9 WDUN.
