By Steve Carter
Several area teams qualified for their state football playoffs in their respective classifications. Here is a look at some of those first round matchups.
Cook High at Blessed Trinity
Series Record: first-ever meeting
Preview: The Cook High Hornets will make the long trip up to Roswell to take face the Titans of Blessed Trinity in a first round Class AAA matchup. Cook is 7-3 on the year, and will face a Blessed Trinity squad that is 9-0-1, the one tie coming last week, 13-13, against Cedar Grove. Cook won their first round playoff game last season before falling to Hart County in the second round. Blessed Trinity, whose coach Tim McFarlin was the head coach of the Roswell High team that defeated Tift County in the state semifinals in 2006, made it to the state AAA semifinals last season, falling to Washington County.
Winner faces Pepperell-Jefferson winner.
Putnam County at Fitzgerald
Series Record: Fitzgerald leads 1-0
Preview: The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricanes will be led by James Graham and JD King Friday when they face the Putnam County War Eagles at Jaycee Stadium in a first round Class AA matchup. Putnam is 7-3 on the year, after finishing 2-8 in 2014. Fitzgerald's only loss came at the hands of Brooks County, 21-16 on October 16. Fitzgerald made the state semifinals in 2014, falling to Greater Atlanta Christian, 44-41.
Winner faces Greene County-Heard County victor.
Worth County at Locust Grove
Series Record: first-ever meeting
Preview: According to the MaxPreps website, the Worth County Rams (7-3) could be a road favorite against the Locust Grove Wildcats Friday in a first round Class AAAA matchup. The website has Worth ranked 12th in the state, and Locust Grove, 17th. It will be Worth's first visit back to the state playoffs since 2012, while Locust Grove was defeated by Burke County, 37-15, in the first round last season.
Winner faces Fayette County-Buford winner.
Two other area teams, Turner County and Irwin County, will begin their state playoff runs, November 20. Both teams will host playoff gams in the state Class A Public School bracket.
Turner, seeded sixth, will host a Trion Bulldog team that has come to south Georgia to face ironically, Irwin County, in 2012 and 2013.
Irwin, seeded third, will host Wilkinson County in what could be referred as the Jared Irwin Bowl. Irwin, a two-time Georgia governor, was honored by having Irwin County named after him, but also the Wilkinson County seat of Irwinton.
If both Irwin and Turner win, the two teams will face each other again in a rematch of last week's 34-24 Irwin win.
