Dublin at Fitzgerald

Two playoff veterans square off as the Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes host the Dublin Fighting Irish at Jaycee Stadium in the first round of the Class 2A state playoffs. Fitzgerald is currently ranked eighth by the GHSF Daily/AJC and has reached the semifinals the past two years. Dublin has played in four semifinals since 2002 and the Irish have compiled a record of 89-24-1 during Roger Holmes’ nine seasons as head coach. The two teams are familiar with each other having played 10 times with each winning five. However, Dublin leads 5-2 since 1991.

Woodward at Ridgeland

This is one of two playoff games pitting teams with 9-1 records. The Woodward Academy War Eagles, the fourth seed from Region 5, have not won a road playoff game since defeating Marist 14-10 in 1980 Class 3A final. Woodward’s overall road playoff record is 1-16 since 1980, but they have two state titles to their credit: 1970 and 1980. The Ridgeland Panthers are region champion for the third straight year and defeated Allatoona in the Region 7 title game after losing to the Buccaneers during the regular season. The Panthers sport a playoff record of 1-6.

St. Pius at Allatoona

Allatoona (8-2) hosts their first playoff game ever against playoff veteran St. Pius X. The Buccaneers are in only their second season of varsity football and will be the youngest Cobb team to host a playoff game. The Golden Lions (8-2) are the third seed from Region 5 and lost last year to eventual state champion Peach County 21-14 in overtime in the quarterfinals. St. Pius X, with one state title to its credit in 1968, has been to the state playoffs eight of the past nine seasons.

S.W. DeKalb at Flowery Branch

The Falcons are the second seed from Region 8 and will host the SW DeKalb Panthers Friday night. The Panthers are the third seed from Region 6. The Falcons have played nine straight road playoff games since last hosting in 2007, a 47-34 loss to Chamblee. The road games have not been a problem for Flowery Branch the last two years; losing to Gainesville last year in the semifinals 29-21 and to Cairo 28-14 in the 2008 finals. SWD is making its first trip to Hall County since the 1972 Class 2A championship, a 16-12 loss to Gainesville. The Panthers carry a 47-30 overall state playoff record. This is the first meeting between the two teams.

Pope at Chattahoochee

The Greyhounds are the fourth seed from Region 5 and will travel to Fulton County to tangle with Region 7 champion Chattahoochee. The Cougars, making their 10th playoff appearance, completed the second undefeated season in school history and won the school’s sixth region title, the last came in 2003. Pope is making its first playoff appearance since 2000. The Greyhounds (7-3) had their best regular season since 2000, the last time they won a region title and made the state playoffs. Pope is led by Score44 offensive lineman and Auburn commitment Thomas O’Reilly. This is the sixth meeting between the schools with each team winning three.