Eyes on the state title: Get the Savannah-area GHSA Soccer matchups here
The Georgia High School Association soccer playoffs get started this week and several local teams are primed to make deep playoff runs.
The Savannah Country Day boys enter the playoffs ranked No. 1 among Class 3A teams in the state by Score Atlanta, with the Hornet girls at No. 3. The Richmond Hill girls squad enters the Class 7A playoffs with a record of 15-0-2.
Here's a look at the first-round matchups with teams from the Greater Savannah area.
Richmond Hill girls primed for playoffs How a dominating Richmond Hill girls soccer team is looking to go deep in the playoffs
Islands boys break through for title How a young Islands soccer team broke through for a region crown with win over Benedictine
SCD boys soccer team on impressive run How a strong team dynamic has Savannah Country Day boys soccer team on track for playoff run
Boys
Class 7A
South Gwinnett (8-10) at Richmond Hill (9-7-2), Wednesday 7 p.m.
The Wildcats earned a first-round home game as the No. 2 team out of Region 1-7A and have gone 4-2-1 in their last seven games.
Class 6A
Forest Park (9-5) at South Effingham (14-2-1), Friday
South Effingham is one of the top teams in the Coastal Empire as the Mustangs earned a No. 2 seed coming out of the tough Region 2-6A. Both Mustang losses came against Glynn Academy. Senior Edson Escobar leads the squad with 14 goals and 14 assists, while Desmond Prince (10 goals and eight assists), Cole Hoffman (10 goals and six assists and JP Alonso (nine goals, four assists) are key cogs offensively on a team known for its depth.
Class 5A
Bradwell (12-5-1) at Cross Keys (11-2-1), Wednesday
Junior Jahdai Prince has 22 goals and five assists for a Bradwell squad that earned a No. 3 seed out of Region 1-5A. The Tigers will be looking to slow down sophomore Jefferson Diaz, who leads Cross Keys with 20 goals.
Class 4A
Spalding (8-6) at Islands (11-5-1), Thursday 7 p.m.
Islands broke through to beat Benedictine 3-1 last week to claim the Region 3-4A title. Evan Narvaez (16 goals and 16 assists) and Ryan Winters (15 goals and three assists) lead the Sharks offense, with sophomore Julian Roma an anchor defensively.
Griffin (11-7) at Benedictine (9-6-2), Friday 6 p.m.
The Cadets, who reached the Class 4A Final Four last season, have a number of standout players including Parker Lewis. Asher Herrin and Mills Hollis. Griffin enters the playoffs on a three-game win streak.
Class 3A
Upson-Lee (11-6) at Savannah Country Day (13-0-1), Tuesday 6:30 p.m.
SCD enters the playoffs ranked No. 1 among Class 3A teams in the state by Score Atlanta. Captains Wesley Hooker, Madden Gerlach and Athon Herron are leaders on a disciplined, unselfish Hornet squad looking to make a deep playoff run.
Savannah Christian (11-4) at Pike County (16-3), Wednesday 5 p.m.
Junior Reid Hampton (16 goals and five assists) and his classmate Brodie Williams (16 goals, five assists) for a dynamic scoring punch for the Raiders, the No. 4 seed out of Region 3-3A.
Groves (5-4-2) at Mary Persons (11-4-2), Wednesday
The Rebels earned the No. 3 seed out of Region 3-3A and are on the road to face Mary Persons.
Class A Division I
Dublin (4-9-1) at Woodville-Tompkins (9-4-1), Wednesday at Savannah High, 5 p.m.
Woodville-Tompkins repeated as Region 3A Division I champions and reached the state quarterfinals last season under coach Kalen Pinckney. The Wolverines enter the playoffs ranked seventh in the state led by senior captain Luis Lopez, who has 21 goals and four assists. Standout freshman Chris Varner has 14 goals and four assists.
Bryan County (2-14) at East Laurens (11-4-1), Tuesday, 7 p.m.
GIRLS
Class 7A
South Gwinnett (11-6) at Richmond Hill (15-0-2), Wednesday 5 p.m.
The Wildcats have won three straight region titles and have reached the state quarterfinals three years in a row. The young team has been dominating in all phases of the game and is primed for another playoff run.
Class 4A
Baldwin (11-5-1) at Islands (8-6-1), Thursday 5 p.m.
The Sharks won the Region 3-4A title and are led by senior Olivia Gentner (nine goals and seven assists) and sophomore Holly Kachmar (eight goals and two assists).
New Hampstead (3-11-1) at Perry (17-0-1), Thursday
The Phoenix are the No. 4 seed out of Region 3-4A and will be on the road to face an undefeated Perry squad.
Class 3A
Upson-Lee (9-9) at Savannah Country Day (13-2), Tuesday 4:30 p.m.
SCD beat St. Vincent's 1-0 last week to clinch the Region 3-3A title and the Hornets enter the playoffs ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 3A by Score Atlanta. The Hornets have a plethora of scoring options in Sophia Okumu (16 goals, six assists), Harris Stone (13 goals, 10 assists), Reese Baily (13 goals, nine assists) and AC Davis (12 goals, 10 assists).
Jackson (3-10) at St. Vincent's (9-5-1), Tuesday, April 16, at Memorial Stadium 5 p.m.
The Saints were edged 1-0 by Savannah Country Day for the region title, but are always a threat come playoff time. SVA reached the Class 3A state semifinals last year and enter the playoffs ranked No. 7 among Class 3A teams in the state by Score Atlanta.
Calvary Day (8-5) at Mary Persons (9-5-1), Tuesday 5 p.m.
The Cavs earned the No. 3 seed out of Region 3-3A and will be on the road in the first round. The Cavs feature one of the state's top goal scorers in junior Abby Walsh, who has netted 31 goals with 13 assists on the year. She notched her 100th career goal in a win over Beach last week.
Class 2A
Central Macon (7-6-1) at Savannah Arts (14-4), Thursday at Daffin Park, 5 p.m.
The Panthers earned the No. 2 seed out of Region 3-2A and are battle tested behind a tough non-region schedule. Sophomore Amelia Reci has 43 goals and seven assists on the year. Freshman Jordan Gunn has 23 assists and 16 goals, while Ava Thomas has 13 goals and eight assists. The Panthers are ranked No. 5 in the state among Class 2A teams.
Class A Division I
Swainsboro (5-12) at Bryan County (9-6-2), Tuesday 6 p.m.
Bryan County earned a No. 2 seed out of Region 3A Division I and will host in the first round.
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: Who Savannah area soccer teams matchup with in GHSA state playoffs
