Cambridge, Cherokee Bluff making first trip to quarterfinals

Cambridge and Cherokee Bluff made history by reaching the football quarterfinals for the first time, and Sprayberry, Jenkins County and Southeast Bulloch are back in a final eight after absences of more than 40 years.

Unranked teams LaGrange, Stephens County and Aquinas victimized Sandy Creek, Callaway and Athens Academy, respectively, in the second round’s biggest upsets.

In the highest class, Buford and Douglas County fended off top-10 opponents, and West Forsyth and Hillgrove completed unlikely runs to the quarters as unranked teams.

And there will be no south Georgia team in the quarterfinals of the highest classification for the first time since 2000, as Valdosta, Colquitt County and Lowndes were eliminated.

Cambridge, a 13-year-old north Fulton County school, defeated Central-Carrollton, Class 4A’s Region 3 champion, 41-22 to reach the quarters for the first time. An unranked team under first-year coach Tyler Jones, Cambridge (10-2) won on the road for the second consecutive round after beating No. 6 Cedartown last week.

Cherokee Bluff, a Hall County school in its seventh season, made its first quarterfinal with a 21-14 victory over Luella in Class 3A. Cherokee Bluff (11-1) is ranked No. 5.

Unranked Sprayberry beat Newnan 35-7 to reach the Class 5A quarterfinals, the Yellow Jackets’ deepest advance in the playoffs since 1982. Sprayberry (11-1) also set a school record for victories in a season.

Southeast Bulloch is in the quarters for the first time since 1974 after beating Harlem 21-0 in Class 3A, and Jenkins County is in the quarters for the first time since 1960 with a 35-21 victory over Wheeler County in Class A Division II. Southeast Bulloch and Jenkins County are from bordering counties in southeast Georgia.

In perhaps the round's biggest upset, unranked LaGrange beat second-ranked Sandy Creek 38-22 in Class 3A. Sandy Creek had beaten LaGrange 27-7 in the regular season, and LaGrange entered with two other losses and recently fell out of the top 10.

Stephens County, a four-loss unranked Class 2A team, beat No. 2 Callaway 35-33. Stephens County’s losses came against teams ranked in the top five of other classes or the 3A-private division and finished behind private-school powers Prince Avenue Christian and Hebron Christian in region play.

Aquinas beat No. 4 Athens Academy 31-20 in a Class 3A-A private game. Athens Academy entered 10-0 but had not played in four weeks because of schedule oddities.

All No. 1-ranked teams got through. Marist of Class 4A had the toughest call, trailing for much of its game against Jones County before winning 22-14. No. 1 Carrollton beat Valdosta 49-13 in Class 6A.

Buford, the No. 2 team from Class 6A, beat No. 9 Lowndes 42-7, and No. 5 Collins Hill beat Colquitt County 28-14. Those losses, along with Valdosta’s, mean no south Georgia teams advanced beyond the second round for the first time in 24 years.

Also in Class 6A, Hillgrove beat Peachtree Ridge 30-14, and West Forsyth beat Archer 45-28. All four teams were unranked, making Cinderella teams of the winners.

Also impressive last week were No. 4 Douglas County, a 31-10 winner over No. 7 and previously unbeaten North Cobb in 6A; No. 4 Hughes, a 31-21 winner over No. 5 Roswell in Class 5A; and No. 5 Eastside, a 21-10 winner against defending Class 4A champion Perry.