Savannah-area football quarterfinal matchups include epic Benedictine-North Oconee showdown

Benedictine and North Oconee have been atop the Class 4A state football rankings all season long.

BC (12-0), the two-time defending state champion in the classification, is No. 1 as the Cadets are riding a 23-game win streak. North Oconee is also 12-0 on the season and the Titans have been dominant -- beating opponents by an average score of 46-7.

What seems like an ideal matchup for the state championship game will come a bit earlier in the playoff bracket as Benedictine will host the Titans at Memorial Stadium Friday night in a Class 4A quarterfinal game.

The Titans are coming off a 35-9 win over Cedartown, a team that knocked them off in the state semifinals last year before losing to BC 14-13 in a memorable state final game in Atlanta. Tate Titshaw and Trey Lenhardt had scoring runs for North Oconee.

BC looked solid in an impressive 31-7 win over LaGrange on Friday. Na'Seir Samuel had another big game with 121 yards and a touchdown in 11 carries, while Bryce Baker scored on each of his offensive touches — with a 30-yard touchdown run and a 60-yard scoring reception from Luke Kromenhoek, who was 11 of 18 passing for 138 yards. Baker also had eight tackles, including three for losses, and an interception at linebacker and Kromenhoek came in at free safety late in the first quarter and recorded six tackles on the night, with a couple big hits.

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BC coach Danny Britt said Baker and Kromenhoek are leaders on and off the field for the Cadets, and Kromenhoek, the FSU commit, could see more time on defense down the stretch in the playoffs, possibly against North Oconee. The Titans have lost in the state semis the last two years, losing to BC 42-32 to end their season in 2021.

The Titans have a star quarterback in Max Wilson. Last season, he had 2,530 yards combined rushing and passing and 14 rushing scores to go along with 14 touchdown passes to earn Region 8-4A Offensive Player of the Year honors.

"North Oconee has had a lot of success in the last few years under Coach (Tyler) Aurandt," Britt said. "They are a well coached team that does everything right and we have a lot of respect for them. We're going to have to be playing at our best to beat them."

Kromenhoek, who was a standout safety for BC's state championship squad in 2021 before taking over as the starting quarterback en route to another title as a junior last season, said he is ready to do whatever it takes to help the team.

"If the coaches feel like they need me to play defense, I'm always up for it," Kromenhoek said after the win over LaGrange. "We have the mindset that we're going to do whatever it takes to win, and I love playing defense. I'm going to do whatever is needed to help our team."

It will be the final home game for Benedictine's senior class. The GHSA's universal coin flip on Monday awarded the top bracket home field advantage when like seeds meet in the semifinals -- meaning BC will be on the road to face the winner of Stockbridge/Spalding in a possible Final Four matchup.

Class 3A

Wesleyan (9-3) at Calvary Day (12-0)

Calvary is known for its explosive offense, led by Tennessee-bound quarterback Jake Merklinger, which averages 46 points per game. But the Cavalier defense has put together an incredible run of seven straight shutouts, including playoff wins over Jackson (48-0) and Thomasville (49-0) in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Merklinger had another impressive showing in the win over Thomasville Friday as he was 12 of 16 passing for 238 yards and three scores. Caden Arnold had three catches for 103 yards and a score and Michael Smith had five for 69 yards and a touchdown. Doopah Coleman had a touchdown run and a scoring reception as he comes back into the fold after recovering from injuries.

The Cavs, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, are hoping to get Thomas Blackshear, the star junior receiver, back for this game after he has missed the last two games with an injury.

Junior Cutter Powell leads the team with 74 tackles, and Buddy Mathis anchors things up front, with Trevor Strowbridge a key man in the backfield.

Calvary will be focused on slowing down Wesleyan quarterback Ben Brown, who threw for 356 yards and four scores, while rushing for 109 yards on 29 carries in a 33-29 win over Stephens County last week. Syracuse commit Jamie Tremble, had four catches for 217 yards.

It will be the final home game for Calvary seniors as the GHSA coin toss will have them on the road to face the winner of Cedar Grove/Mary Persons if the Cavs advance to the semis.

Savannah Christian (10-2) at Lumpkin County (12-0)

The Raiders went on the road and had no problem with a 33-10 win at Morgan County, a week after their epic 4-overtime win over visiting Peach County.

The versatile Raider offense, which features a number of playmakers, was on display again in the victory as Zo Smalls rushed for 100 yards and three scores, while Kenry Wall rushed for 152 yards, with 219 all-purpose yards.

Jaden Miles led the defense once again with 13 tackles, while sophomore Isaiah Redmond added 11. Freshman Damion Guyton and senior David Bucey had nine stops each, and Jamari McIvory picked off his sixth pass of the season, while 5-star junior defensive lineman Elijah Griffin and Clemson commit Logan Brooking also had big games.

Now the Raiders, who entered the playoffs ranked No. 4 among Class 3A teams in the state by the AJC, are on the road again to face No. 5 Lumpkin County. The Indians are led by senior running back Mason Sullens, who has rushed for 2,000 yards and 31 scores on the season. Quarterback Cal Faulkner has rushed for 846 yards and 16 touchdowns and thrown for 1,372 yards and 15 scores.

Class 5A

Jenkins (4-7) at Cartersville (12-0)

The Warriors went on the road to edge Dutchtown 28-27 last week, after knocking off host, and No. 1 seed, Arabia Mountain 14-13 in the opening round. The Warriors are the only team with a record under .500 left in the playoffs, across all classifications.

Kentucky commit Lorenzo Cowan and Jeremiah James have come up big in the last two games. Cowan blocked an extra point that proved to be the winning margin against Dutchtown and added nine tackles and a sack. James had eight tackles, while Sylvester Harris added 10 stops and rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown. Jayaun Albert rushed for 100 yards and a score on 13 carries.

Now Jenkins, which played the toughest schedule in Class 5A, hits the road once again to take on No. 4 Cartersville, which is playing in its eighth quarterfinal matchup in the last 10 years. Khristian Lando rushed for 148 yards in a 28-9 win over Eastside. He leads the team with 1,108 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns.

Junior Jamauri Brice leads the Hurricanes with 32 catches for 532 yards and five scores and has a plethora of offers including Kentucky, Oregon, Auburn, Ole Miss and Wisconsin.

Class A Division I

Commerce (11-1) at Bryan County (11-1)

Bryan County's breakthrough season continued as the squad dominated in a 34-8 win over Pelham Friday to advance to the state quarterfinals for the first time in school history. BC had already won the first playoff game, first region title and posted the first nine-win season in school history prior to the win over Pelham.

Senior Austin Clemons racked up 178 yards rushing and three scores on 24 carries and recorded seven tackles in the win.

Tanner Ennis had 15 stops and caught a scoring pass, while Luke Holcombe had 11 tackles and a sack. Jacari Carney added 113 yards on 17 carries.

Now Bryan County faces its toughest challenge yet in Commerce. The Tigers beat Dade County 34-14 last week as quarterback John Paul Allen ran for two scores and threw for three more, while Jaiden Daniels scored a pair of touchdowns.

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: No. 1 Benedictine hosts No. 2 North Oconee in quarterfinal matchup