Brunswick, Pierce County, Ware County eye state quarterfinal spots in football

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The second round of the Georgia High School Association football state playoffs arrive on Friday night. Only three area teams remain in the postseason — Brunswick, Pierce County and Ware County.

Georgia High School Association playoffs, Round 2

Class 5A

Coffee (9-2) at Brunswick (10-1), 7:30 p.m.

Road here: Coffee d. Jackson County, 31-7; Brunswick d. Villa Rica, 43-13.

Winner gets: Sequoyah or Woodward Academy in the state quarterfinals on Nov. 29. Brunswick would host Sequoyah but travel to face Woodward.

Glance: A big-time collision and Brunswick’s biggest challenge since a Week 1 game against Camden County. Coffee went 15-0 last year and cruised to the Class 5A state title behind a wicked defense that gave up just 100 points all season. Brunswick could put an end to Coffee’s title quest. RB William Heck (1,411 rushing yards, 10 TDs) and QB Grant Moore (2,191 passing yards, 21 TDs) are the headliners for Garrett Grady’s Pirates. WRs Heze Kent, Waseem Murray and Jamarious Towns have combined for 17 TD grabs. LB J’shawn Towns leads Brunswick in tackled (111) and has three picks. DBs Sekhi Ashley and Aviyon Addison have four interceptions each to lead Brunswick’s larcenous defense.

Class 4A

Ware County (6-5) at North Oconee (11-0), 7:30 p.m.

Road here: Ware County d. Tucker, 38-0; North Oconee d. Eagle’s Landing, 40-0.

Winner gets: Starr’s Mill or Cartersville in the state quarterfinals on Nov. 29. Ware would host Starr’s Mill but travel to face Cartersville.

Glance: The Gators have been competitive in every game this season with a 31-21 loss to Perry the biggest setback of the season. The ground game of Ware County, RBs Jamir Boyd and Tayshaun Franklin have combined for 20 TDs on the ground and more than 1,000 yards rushing. QB Luke Hooks has 20 TD passes. S EJ Mathusla has 45 tackles and a team-best four interceptions.

Class 2A

Pierce County (10-1) at Columbia (5-6), 7:30 p.m.

Road here: Pierce County d. Jackson, 56-0; Columbia d. Butler, 46-12.

Winner gets: Carver Columbus or Ringgold in the state quarterfinals on Nov. 29. Pierce would host Ringgold but travel to face Carver Columbus.

Glance: The Bears continue to roll. They’ve won six consecutive state playoff games dating back to last year’s 2A state championship win over Rockmart. QB Caden McGatha is one of the best players Blackshear has seen. He had three TD passes last week. The Bears defense held Jackson to just 17 yards. Head coach Ryan Herring has kept Pierce at an elite level in his six seasons. The win over Jackson gave Herring another double-digit win total in Blackshear. He’s been past the second round four straight seasons entering this game, including championships in 2020 and last year.