How second round of state football playoffs could unfold for Savannah area's remaining teams
Football fans have been talking about the possible Class 3A quarterfinal matchup between No. 2 Calvary Day and No. 1 Cedar Grove, the defending state champion, since the GHSA brackets came out and the teams are on a possible collision course.
But Calvary Day (10-0) is focused on a second-round matchup with Dougherty — an impressive team in its own right.
The Cavaliers host the Trojans (9-2) in a second-round playoff game at 7:30 on Friday night.
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Dougherty is led by Kam Davis, a quarterback who has committed to Florida State. The junior, who has a host of offers including Georgia and Alabama, is a serious dual threat who has rushed for 826 yards and nine touchdowns, while throwing for 1,863 yards with 16 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Calvary's Troy Ford Jr., the senior linebacker committed to UCF, is a force for the Cavs along with defensive tackle Terry Simmons Jr., who has committed to Duke. Simmons sat out the game against Salem with an injury but said he should be ready to go for this game.
"We've watched a lot of film on Dougherty and know that Davis is their best athlete," Ford said. "He's an excellent runner and we've been working on ways to contain him, and our secondary has plans to slow down that passing game. I think we're going to be ready for this game."
Junior Jacob Stallworth is another weapon in the Trojans' run game with 641 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns. Senior Larry Lane leads the team with 39 catches for 696 yards and five scores. The defense features lineman Octovius Griffin, who has 5.5 sacks and 12 tackles for losses among his 27 stops.
Calvary wasn't challenged in a first-round 49-0 blowout over an overmatched Salem squad that finished the season with a 2-9 record.
Quarterback Jake Merklinger had another incredible game, even though the four-star junior played only the first half as the Cavs scored seven touchdowns before intermission. He was 10 of 14 for 288 yards and five touchdowns — and it could have been more as there were two drops mixed in those numbers.
He connected with his fellow four-star and classmate Michael Smith four times, all for touchdowns, for 172 yards.
Merklinger hightailed it from the afternoon game to a recruiting trip to Florida as he saw the Gators dominate in a win over South Carolina.
He has completed 68% of his passes for 1,828 yards with 32 touchdown passes and just two interceptions on the year.
Smith has 21 catches for 536 yards and 12 touchdowns — amazing numbers considering 57% of his catches have gone for scores this year.
Spalding (7-4) at Benedictine (9-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Memorial Stadium
Benedictine, ranked No. 4 among Class 4A teams by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, beat No. 9 Whitewater 34-10 in a first-round matchup last Friday.
The score didn't reflect the test that the Cadets faced as Whitewater ran a wing-T offense that is tough to prepare for. Whitewater had a solid first half, dominating time of possession in the first quarter as the Wildcats were able to go to intermission tied 10-10. But BC's talent and depth were too much to overcome.
Luke Kromenhoek rushed for 56 yards and a pair of scores and was 11 of 18 passing for 214 yards and two touchdowns as he connected with Thomas Blackshear six times for 142 yards and two scores. Za'Quan Bryan had four catches for 60 yards and had a career-high 16 tackles to lead five players with double-digit stops against the run-heavy Whitewater offense.
Junior Cur'Tavian Clark is a top player for Spalding. The dual-threat quarterback leads the team with 790 yards rushing and nine touchdowns and has thrown for 1,619 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions.
His classmate Cedric Evans, leads the Jaguars with 50 catches for 690 yards and seven touchdowns.
BC advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season with the win over Whitewater and is looking to reach the quarterfinals for the ninth time in the last 10 years.
Savannah Christian (10-1) at Peach County (8-3)
Savannah Christian, the No. 2 seed out of Region 3-3A, will be on the road to face Peach County, ranked No. 5 among Class 3A teams by the AJC.
SCPS is coming off a 41-26 win over Hephzibah as Zo Smalls had another stellar performance at running back. The sophomore rushed for a career-high 212 yards and a touchdown in the win, while Paulus Zittrauer completed 12 of 13 passes for 224 yards and a score.
Junior David Bucey is a star on both sides of the ball for SCPS. He had nine solo stops among his 15 tackles and caught six passes for 128 yards and a score.
He's part of an excellent SCPS defense led by sophomore four-star lineman Elijah Griffin and rising sophomore star Logan Brooking at linebacker.
Peach County has a two-way star of its own in Skielar Mann, the senior linebacker/tight end who has committed to Ole Miss. He caught a 62-yard scoring pass in a 23-0 win over Crisp County last week, while Chris McMillian rushed for 228 yards and two touchdowns. McMillian, a senior, has offers including Arkansas and Mississippi State.
Liberty County (7-4) at Thomasville (8-3)
Liberty County, the No. 3 seed out of Region 3-3A, went on the road and took down No. 2 seed Morgan County 19-14 behind another strong game from junior quarterback Carlos Singleton, who had a pair of touchdown runs.
James Summersett put the game away for the Panthers with a 65-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Liberty County, under coach Tony Glazer, has dedicated its season to its late coach Kirk Warner, who died from cancer over the summer. Glazer, a longtime assistant, was promoted to lead the program. Liberty is looking to reach its first quarterfinal since 2017.
Singleton has thrown for 1,832 yards and 14 scores with seven interceptions (stats through the first 10 games, per Maxpreps.com) and has rushed for 420 yards and four scores.
Summersett has 33 catches for 670 yards and seven scores, and Ron Golden has 42 receptions for 609 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Paul Brown leads the ground game with 694 yards and eight touchdowns.
Thomasville entered the playoffs ranked No. 6 among Class 3A teams. Jay Randall leads the team with 769 yards rushing and has seven touchdowns. Freshman Lavonte Cole has eight rushing touchdowns and 424 yards on the ground.
Freshman Camren Hill is the starting quarterback; he threw for 185 yards in a 42-21 win playoff win over Jackson last week.
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: High school football playoffs: Second-round games for Savannah teams
