A live streaming feed begins with pregame at 7:15 p.m. and the kickoff at 7:30 p.m. The stream is provided by the Statesboro Herald, our partner in coverage for the game.
Tonight, three local football teams that have met with success and recognition throughout the season will represent their schools, their communities and Northwest Georgia in the quarterfinals of GHSA state playoffs.
In the Class AA bracket, No. 6 Pepperell (11-1) will host Fitzgerald (10-2) and No. 10 Calhoun (10-2) welcomes Toombs County (9-3) to Phil Reeve Stadium.
Meanwhile, Rome (10-2) must hit the road for the second week in a row to play No. 7 Statesboro (11-1) in the Class AAAA bracket.
Each team carries the hopes of a state title with them and the possibility of bringing a championship to Greater Rome for the first time in 10 years.
Coincidentally, Pepperell is having its best season in a decade having already matched the total wins from 1998 when the Dragons ended the season in the Georgia Dome in the semifinals of the Class AAA playoffs.
Making it to the quarterfinals for the second year in a row, Pepperell will clash with an offense that has been just as potent as they have been.
The Dragons have scored an average of 38.7 points per game this year and use their speed to run around opponents on both sides of the ball. They took their first round game against Riverside Military Academy 38-10 and then beat Callaway on the road last week 40-20.
Fitzgerald’s scoring average is 37.5 with the Purple Hurricanes of Region 1-AA holding wins over South Georgia power Charlton County and Henry County through the first two weeks of the postseason.
For the past seven seasons, the Calhoun Yellow Jackets have continuously made a run at a state championship and this year has been no exception.
With eight region championships in a row, Calhoun has made it back to the quarterfinals after coming up a game short last year and bouncing back from a 1-2 start to the season.
Now on a nine-game winning streak and on a roll after outscoring their last two opponents 111-20, the Jackets will take on a scrappy Toombs County squad.
The Bulldogs are in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2000 and, like Calhoun, met with adversity early this season in the form of a three-game skid.
That has led to a seven-game winning streak and a shot at making it to the semifinals for the first time in their school’s history.
The Rome Wolves have turned a loss in the final game of the regular season and a runner-up finish in Region 7-AAAA into a legitimate spot among the final eight teams left in Class AAAA.
They will try to get past the quarterfinals after losing to Northside-Warner Robins in the Elite Eight a year ago.
Last week saw the Wolves upset the No. 2 team in the state with a 19-13 win over Sandy Creek on the road in Tyrone.
Statesboro is ranked the No. 7 team in Class AAAA and is comparable to the Wolves in nearly every aspect.
Now, the wait is on to see who will advance to the semifinals and have a chance to play for a state title in the Georgia Dome in two weeks.
NOTE: If you can’t get to tonight’s game, you can watch it live on the Internet. Go to the romenewstribune.com home page and look for the story on the Rome-Statesboro game. In the story will be a link. Click on the link and it will take you to the broadcast of the game.
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