St. Pius at Carrollton

The undefeated and fourth-ranked Carrollton Trojans play host to the St. Pius X Golden Lions, the No. 3 seed from Region 5 of Class 3A. The Lions (9-2) outlasted Allatoona last week 24-17 after leading 21-0. St. Pius X is known for its ground-oriented triple-option attack from the veer formation. Quarterback Trey White rushed for 179 yards on 16 carries, and attempted only three passes in last week’s victory. Trojan running back Broderick Snoddy rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns in their 63-20 first-round victory over Stephens County. Snoddy who has more than 1,100 yards on the season is being recruited by Georgia Tech. This is the first meeting between these two schools.

Eastside at Cairo

The Cairo Syrupmakers, ranked No. 2 in Class 3A, play host to the Eastside Eagles at West Thomas Stadium in Cairo. Cairo’s defense allowed a total of 34 points during the regular season, but gave up 17 in a 34-17 victory over Richmond Hill last week. The Eagles defeated Westside-Macon in the first round of the playoffs 41-13, as the defense combined for six sacks and eight tackles for loss. Eastside quarterback Califf Carnes passed for 216 yards and five touchdowns in the victory which made head coach Rick Hurst the winningest coach in Eastside history with 42 wins in six seasons.

Marist at Chattahoochee

Perennial state power Marist, the No. 2 seed from Region 6, travels to The Arena in Johns Creek to play the Chattahoochee Cougars- the No. 1 seed from Region 7. The Cougars are ranked No. five in Class 5A and are led by state player-of-the year candidate quarterback Tim Byerly. Byerly is a dual threat who has rushed for 1,117 yards and 17 touchdowns while passing for 1,854 yards and 26 touchdowns. Chattahoochee is averaging 44 points per game. Marist is led offensively by quarterback Andy Perez who has 591 yards rushing. The War Eagles have only attempted 98 passes this season. The Marist defense is allowing just 11.8 points per game.

Grayson at North Gwinnett

The Grayson Rams (8-3), the No. 3 seed from Region 8, play the North Gwinnett Bulldogs in a game between the two most successful Gwinnett County Class 5A programs over the past five years. Grayson has a record of 49-14 while North Gwinnett is 57-8 during that time. Both schools rely on defense, as they rank 1-2 respectively in scoring defense in Class 5A. Auburn commitment C. J. Uzomah, a player-of-the year candidate, is a triple threat with 782 yards passing, 535 yards rushing and 258 yards receiving. He has accounted for 18 touchdowns this season. The winner plays the Valdosta/McEachern winner. This is the first meeting this year between the two Gwinnett County schools, although they scrimmaged each other prior to the regular season.

Norcross at Brookwood

The Brookwood Broncos host the Norcross Blue Devils at Brookwood Community Stadium in Snellville. The Broncos (10-1) have reached 10 victories for the 12th time in school history and are experiencing their best season since the 2005 state finalist team, which lost to Lowndes. Led by running back Nick Thompson’s 182 yards rushing and three touchdowns and Ben McLane’s 166 yards passing and two touchdowns, the Broncos secured a 44-13 victory over Alpharetta last week in the first round. Norcross beat Walton in the first round 28-3 behind two interceptions returned for touchdowns by Demetrius Alston and Silverberry Mouhon. A Norcross victory would be the school’s fifth 10-win season in school history and first since 2007