5 things: What we learned from the second round of prep football playoffs

Here's a look at five things we learned from the second round of the state playoffs (first round of Class A)...<br /> <br /> <b>1. Gainesville's offense is as potent as ever</b><br /> <br /> We already knew that the Red Elephants were good, but Friday night Gainesville's attack verged on ridiculous. You don't go on the road in the second round of playoffs and put up over 500 yards of offense and 49 points without every team member performing his role to the utmost. Big Red looked like a Big Red Machine, rolling right over Harris County's defense -- for the second time in three seasons no less -- as Gainesville stomped back into the state quarterfinals for the fourth straight year. The Red Elephants' defense certainly did its part in the win -- Gainesville scored three touchdowns after Harris County turnovers -- but it was the offense that will have opposing teams scratching their heads in preparation. The most amazing facet of their play is that Gainesville is torching opponents via a number of new faces. We all know about quarterback Mikey Gonzalez and the impressive work he's done in replacing graduated star Deshaun Watson. But the receiving corps has been just as crucial with two players becoming stars in their own right. Only Rodney Lackey was a known playmaker coming into 2014. Now Chris Williamson and Messiah Dorsey are just as explosive. In fact their play this campaign could allow Gainesville to start calling itself "wideout high," as the Red Elephants find new standouts in the role almost every season.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>2. Commerce is on the verge of something special</b><br /> <br /> If anyone wondered just how good Region 8-A was this season, the answer came on Friday, as two of the region's three playoff representatives claimed postseason victories. Without a doubt the most impressive of those was Commerce's (Prince Avenue also marched through in the Class A Private bracket). The Tigers not only earned their first playoff victory since 2009, they also set themselves up for a shot at the team's deepest postseason run since 2006, when Commerce reached the state semifinals. The Tigers are doing it on the strength of a dominant ground game and opportunistic defense. Commerce rushed for 278 yards in Friday's first round 37-7 win over Clinch County -- which, despite being on the road, was a favored by a number of outlets -- while also forcing four turnovers. Special teams also played a key role, as the Tigers' average starting position on Friday was the Clinch County 49 -- Clinch's was its own 26. When you're able to run the ball, force turnovers and keep the other guy pinned deep on kickoffs and punts you're setting yourself up for a lot of success -- and the Tigers are doing just that. <br /> <br /> <br /> <b>3. Huge showdowns ahead -- as you would expect of quarterfinal football</b><br /> <br /> OK, so this is not exactly ground-breaking, but there are some mouth-watering match-ups in store this Friday night. It's only what you expect from the state quarterfinal round of the playoffs, but that doesn't make it any less exciting. Two of the biggest marquee match-ups will contain teams from right here in northeast Georgia. In Class AAAA, Buford -- which entered the postseason ranked No. 1 -- will play host to Marist -- which entered as the No. 5 team. The War Eagles took out Griffin (the defending Class AAAA champ) in the last round on the road and will undoubtedly present the toughest test Buford has faced since Sept. 5 when the Wolves took on McEachern (and won). Meanwhile, in Class AAA, Jefferson -- ranked fourth after the regular season -- will play host to Blessed Trinity -- ranked No. 3 after the regular season. Both teams are undefeated and have won both playoff contests handily. Gainesville, meanwhile, will travel to No. 2-ranked Allatoona with another point to prove in Class AAAAA, while Commerce will play host to Calhoun County in Class A Public. These are the types of games taylor-made for working off a holiday eating binge.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>4. Region 8-AAA is the deepest in Class AAA -- can prove it's also best</b><br /> <br /> Last week provided a showdown between Regions 8-AAA and 1-AAA -- all four playoff teams from each region winning through to the second round. And 8-AAA proved its strength, winning three of the four match-ups (only 8-AAA four seed Oconee County fell, 49-6 at Pierce County). Jefferson, Hart County and Elbert County, meanwhile, all emerged victorious to reach the quarterfinal round. The wins proved that 8-AAA is the deepest in all of Class AAA -- as no other region three teams left standing. Region 4-AAA is the only other league with multiple representatives still alive -- Blessed Trinity and Westminster -- and both of those squads face 8-AAA foes this week. All three teams from 8-AAA have the capability of advancing deeper and showing that 8-AAA is not just the deepest but undoubtedly the best.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>5. Defense is still paving the way for <i>most</i> playoff success</b><br /> <br /> There have been exceptions -- like Gainesville's 49-40 shootout over Harris County -- but, for the most part, defense has been the guide for most of the teams remaining in the state playoffs. There are currently 56 teams left alive in postseason play. Of those squads, 39 of them held their opponent to 18 points or less in the second round, meaning that only 17 playoff teams got away with giving up three or more touchdowns. Will defense continue to win championships? The trends say most definitely -- but, of course, there are always exceptions.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>FRIDAY'S STATE PLAYOFF SCORES</b><br /> Benedictine 42, Rabun County 9<br /> Buford 35, Mary Persons 14<br /> Commerce 37, Clinch County 7<br /> Gainesville 49, Harris County 40<br /> Jefferson 27, Dodge County 7<br /> West Laurens 30, Stephens County 14<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>STATE QUARTERFINAL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE, NOV. 28</b><br /> CLASS AAAAA<br /> Gainesville at Allatoona<br /> <br /> CLASS AAAA<br /> Marist at Buford<br /> <br /> CLASS AAA<br /> Blessed Trinity at Jefferson<br /> <br /> CLASS A PUBLIC<br /> Calhoun County at Commerce

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