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Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009

Sunday Morning Quarterback

Game balls

Ÿ Marquez Lemon, Stratford: Lemon carried the ball 43 times for 246 yards and four touchdowns in the Eagles’ 37-22 win over Pinewood Christian in the first round of the playoffs.

Ÿ Tay Matthews, Upson-Lee: The quarterback rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns in the Knights’ 28-14 win over Jones County. He added 65 passing yards.

Ÿ Aarion Palmer, Howard: The senior rushed for 126 yards and three fourth-quarter touchdowns as Howard scored 20 unanswered fourth-quarter points to beat Southwest 20-14 and knock the Patriots out of the playoffs.

Ÿ Tucker Pruitt, Fitzgerald: The Vanderbilt commitment finished with 250 yards of total offense and two touchdowns in the Purple Hurricane’s 49-14 win over Thomasville to clinch the GHSA Region 1-AA championship. Pruitt had 167 receiving yards.

Ÿ Patrick Taylor, Peach County: Taylor passed for 239 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another touchdown as the Trojans clinched an undefeated regular season with a 35-7 win over Crisp County.

You might have missed

Three local teams needed to win Friday and get some help to earn a playoff berth. Neither Jones County nor Mary Persons got the help they needed. It wouldn’t have mattered for Jones County, which lost. But Southwest did get the help it needed in a win by Northeast over Greene County. The Patriots, however, struggled in the fourth-quarter points to lose to Howard.

What we learned

Warner Robins’ win over Northside was no fluke. The Demons battled Lowndes hard on the road and almost knocked off two of Class AAAAA’s heavyweights in back-to-back weeks.

Looking ahead

Ÿ Westfield at Tattnall: The Trojans scored 21 unanswered points to make a blowout competitive in a 28-21 loss to the Hornets earlier in the season.

Ÿ FPD at Deerfield-Windsor: FPD beat Deerfield earlier this season at home, but the Vikings must now go on the road to play the defending champion.

Ÿ Stratford at George Walton: Like all four second-round matchups in the GISA, these two teams have already played. George Walton won 34-12 on Sept. 4.

Ÿ Mount de Sales at Pinecrest: Another playoff rematch. The Paladins beat Mount de Sales 24-7 on Sept. 11.

Ÿ Cook at Northeast: The Raiders celebrate their first ever region title with a home game against Cook, which has lost to four playoff teams this year.

Ÿ Spalding at Peach County: Spalding has come on strong winning four of its past five games to make the playoffs. But the Jaguars must contend with an undefeated Peach County team.

Ÿ Dublin at Charlton County: The last time these two powers played, Charlton County and Dublin tied for the 2006 Class AA state championship. That game was at the Shamrock Bowl, but this one will be at The Swamp.

Ÿ Treutlen at Wilcox County: One of the best first-round matchups in Class A will feature two explosive offenses. Treutlen features the run, but it can pass it well. Wilcox County will throw the ball a ton.

Ÿ Mount Zion-Jonesboro at Westside: The Seminoles haven’t played their best the past two weeks, but they get a home playoff game to get things headed in the right direction. Mount Zion advanced to the quarterfinals last season and lost by one point to eventual runner-up Marist.

Ÿ Chapel Hill at Northside: Chapel Hill has won three straight games to close the season, but the Panthers haven’t faced a team of the caliber of Northside since they lost 41-0 to Newnan on Sept. 4.

Ÿ Savannah Country Day at Twiggs County: The Cobras could be the third local team to get upset by SCD this season if they aren’t careful. SCD beat Wilkinson County — the only team to beat Twiggs County — earlier in the season and then knocked off No. 8 Johnson County in a region playoff game to end the Trojans’ season.

Ÿ Hawkinsville at ECI: The Red Devils are back in the playoffs after a two-year drought, but they have to travel to play last year’s state runner-up Bulldogs.

Ÿ Greene County at Fitzgerald: Greene County got in the playoffs despite a loss on Friday when Southwest lost to Howard. The Tigers’ challenge will be huge against the undefeated Purple Hurricane.

Ÿ Troup at Washington County: WACO beat Troup 48-6,earlier this season, but Golden Hawks head coach Joel Ingram admitted that Troup was much better than that score indicated.