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Welcome to the playoffs

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

AAAAA: Starr’s Mill (9-1) will host Riverdale (6-4) in the opening round of the state playoffs. The Panthers are the second seed from Region 4-AAAAA, while Riverdale is the third seed from Region 2-AAAAA. Last year, the two teams were in the same region and Riverdale won 28-17. It is a loss the Panthers would like to avenge.

Starr’s Mill has had a good season. They missed completing a perfect regular season with a one point overtime loss to region champion Lovejoy on Sept. 24. That game marked the second time all season that Starr’s Mill’s defense gave up more than 21 points. In fact, Starr’s Mill’s defense has been very good this year, allowing an average of 12.4 points per game. Players like Justin Dupont, Jeff Partlow, Dante Allen, Bradley Connor Matt Johnson and Carter Scurry are just some of the defensive players who have stood out but more often than not coach Mike Earwood credits the entire defense for playing a complete game.

Offensively, sophomore quarterback Robby Davis is at the helm with a number of weapons at his disposal. it seemed like each game featured a new hero of sorts which made it hard for teams to defend. If they tried to focus on Antonio Scott, Kyle McCreary could have a big game. Get a handle on McCreary and Scott and Sean O’Brien could step up. These players were just the tip of the iceberg offensively, as nearly every offensive player had a big catch or run that figured into a win. Starr’s Mill also benefitted from solid special teams, especially punter Erick Murphy, who has helped the team win the battle for field position week in and week out.

Riverdale did not finish the season particularly strong, losing to Douglass and Stephenson in the final two weeks. The Raiders also lost to Lovejoy this season, 23-20. Riverdale’s offense averaged close to 24 points per game, while their defense gave up just over 18 points per game.

AAAA: Sandy Creek (10-0) will host Jones County (5-5). The Patriots completed their second consecutive undefeated regular season for their second straight region championship with a win over previously undefeated Creekside last week. That game should have prepared them for the playoffs, as the atmosphere at the game was electric and Creekside battled until the final second. The Patriots have outscored their opponents 297-102 this year, illustrating an explosive offense and a defense that has the ability to stifle its opponents.

Josh Haney has been the quarterback for the lion share of the season but Jake Turing has also spent some time at the helm during the season as well. The Patriots running game has been their most dominant aspect, with Reggie Ellington and Jamal Rome getting most of the carries and the rushing touchdowns. Ellington had an exceptional game against Creekside last week rushing for three touchdowns and seemingly taking over in troublesome spots during the game. Rome scored the final touchdown for Sandy Creek, bursting through the Creekside defense and showcasing some amazing speed. The Patriots also have some big time receiver in Brent Brewer, who also had two interceptions last week, and Tim Russell. Like Starr’s Mill, Sandy Creek has had numerous players make great plays and have big nights during the season, including Ishmael Gordon, Angelo Garibaldi, as well as several others.

Defensively, the entire Patriot unit plays extraordinarily well together. in addition to Brewer and Gordon, the defense is also led by Rickey Nicholson, Michael Anderson, Michael Lockett, Corbin Miles and Gerren Griffin, among others. Though they gave up 28 points last week, that was the first time all season that they had given up more than 14 points in a game. In fact, they only gave up 14 points once. The Patriots have also seen kicker Michael Jones improve throughout the season, especially on field goals.

The Jones County Greyhounds are the fourth seed from region 2-AAAA. They closed out the season with a 28-20 win over Effingham County but had lost two games prior to that. They have scored 103 points this season, not including the 1-0 forfeit they received over Dublin, Aug. 27., and have given up 177 points. They are not slouches though, having beat Baldwin, the second seed from the region, earlier in the season.

A: Landmark Christian (6-4) won their third straight region championship with a 34-21 win over Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy last week. They will host Aquinas (7-3) tonight.

The War Eagles finished the season strong with five straight wins after starting the season with a 1-5 record. Quarterback Matt Moody has come on strong during the team’s winning streak and with the return of leading receiver Miles King last week and the play of Jimmy Edens in King’s absence, Landmark has to be feeling some confidence in their offense. The defense has also been superb of late, limiting their opponents to 80 points in the last five games. Among the standouts on defense for Landmark are Zech Glaize and Aaron Braxton but Landmark’s success on both sides of the ball comes down to a team effort.

Aquinas started the season with five straight wins but closed it out with two straight losses. Their defense has given up 136 points this year, while their offense has scored 281 points. Among play between common opponents, Aquinas defeated Our Lady of Mercy 45-8, while Landmark defeated the Bobcats 55-21.

Our Lady of Mercy (1-9) made the playoffs with a 13-12 win over Mt. Zion, Carroll last week. They will travel to Lincolnton to take on Lincoln County (9-1). The Bobcats have had solid play this season from Jason Bryant, who had two touchdowns last week, as well as Bernard Michel and Doc Lee, among others. They have scored 99 points this season and have given up 400 points. Before starting their region schedule, Our Lady of Mercy played some of the top teams in Class A and AA.

Lincoln County, the top seed from region 7-A, has only allowed 43 points this year. They have shutout three opponents and only allowed over nine points twice. In their last five games the Red Devils have only allowed eight points.

All games scheduled for tonight will start at 7:30 p.m.