Our scouts are back for the third round roundtable. Let’s not waste any time and hop right into it.

First Round Roundtable Discussion
Second Round Roundtable Discussion

Quarterfinals Roundtable Discussion

1. Before we look ahead, let’s take a look back. What picks did you get right and what picks did you get wrong?

Blake Davis: Westminster appeared to be poised to make a run after taking down top seed Jefferson, but the North Hall Trojans had other plans.  

Kyle Colletta: Well, my three original picks are still in contention (Tattnall Square, Cartersville, Parkview), and I added Houston County to the mix, who won last week; however, I put some stock in Calhoun’s offensive ability and the bats did not show up in the second round.

Andy Sroka: I’m proud to say most of my picks are hanging tough in the GHSA playoffs. On the 7A side, Hillgrove bounced back from a big game one loss to Woodstock to win two straight. I really like how they’re playing. In the 6A bracket, Winder-Barrow has yet to lose in the postseason and I don’t foresee a loss this round against Effingham County, either. On the 5A side, my Decatur Bulldogs are proving they belong. Big wins over Rome and Walnut Grove have me convinced they can push past Harris County this week and could compete alongside the likes of Buford and Loganville. Blessed Trinity looks invulnerable in the 4A bracket. However, I did famously jinx 3A Jefferson with this line: “Jefferson Dragons, lock it up.”

 

Sorry, Jefferson.

Phil Kerber: I thought the Winder-Barrow vs. River Ridge matchup would be a more competitive contest, but Winder-Barrow simply overpower River Ridge in two games (8-2, 10-0). The Kennesaw Mountain vs. Etowah series lived up to the hype going three games. Despite not definitively picking a winner in the Kell/Buford series, I thought this might be Kell’s year, unfortunately that did not pan out.

Greenbrier looked like a team that was finding its stride after they dismantled Brunswick in two games (12-2, 12-2). However, the No. 4 seed Lee County had other plans, solidifying their status as a Cinderella team.

My one pick to win state that I did get wrong was Marist. North Oconee ended Marist’s run in the second round, taking them down in a three game series (4-2, 6-8, 7-1).

2. Are you still confident in your picks to win the state championship or has another team caught your eye?

Blake Davis: 7A - Hillgrove is still dancing and looking strong with a tough test against Mill Creek. Look out for Etowah as they look poised to play Cinderella once again.

6A - I picked Pope, and nobody executes better. I am hopeful for Winder vs Pope Showdown.

5A - Both Loganville and Buford are still alive and I love this matchup.

4A - Blessed Trinity has a tough test this week, as Woodward rolls into town.

3A  - Bracket busted early here with Jefferson's first round exit, but still love the pieces on this club and they will be back. Love the Hart County story taking place, and they are still a young club.  3A needs to be on notice for the next couple years.

2A - Still alive here and hope to get a Rockmart vs. Bremen final.

1A Public - Schley County still alive in this one.

1A Private - May of been caught betting with my heart on Lakeview Academy.

Kyle Colletta: I am still confident in my picks. I think all three teams had some battles, even though they all swept. As the playoffs progress, rested arms will be huge, so that just makes me believe that these schools are gearing up for continued success even more.

Teams such as Pope, Winder-Barrow and Blessed Trinity have obviously been on the radar the whole year, but they are playing really good ball at the perfect time. I am interested in seeing how 1A Public, Gordon Lee will continue to play as they get further in the bracket. 2021 Georgia commit Jake Poindexter has done a great job and will be heavily relied on if the Trojans want to be the last ones standing.

Also keep an eye on Pace Academy, as they have run through their first two opponents, thus far.

Andy Sroka: If there were an “easy” side of the 7A bracket, my pick Hillgrove is on it. They have Mill Creek this week, a team they’ve already beaten this spring, and would play the winner of Newnan and Grayson in the semis. They’d be favored in either match-up. On the other side of the bracket, some team has to come out of the other side of a dogfight between Parkview-Walton and North Gwinnett-Etowah. I like Hillgrove’s chances.

Frankly, Winder-Barrow looks like the most dominant force in class 6A. I feel good about their chances of going the distance still.

Decatur will be favored against Harris County this week, but they’ll be seriously tested if they make it to the next round to face Buford, which plays Ola. The Wolves are really picking it up after an uneven spring, by their lofty standards.

I thought on the 4A side that the Titans from Blessed Trinity to coast to a deep playoff run, and that’s been largely true. I was hoping for a title series against Marist, but the War Eagles were upset last round by North Oconee. Either way, I’m not sure how you can project anything other than a Blessed Trinity championship, they’re the heavy favorites.

Phil Kerber: I am still very confident in North Gwinnett and Winder-Barrow taking the state title in 7A and 6A, respectively. The North Gwinnett offense is a train that cannot be stopped right now, scoring double digit runs in three of their four playoff games. I have seen first-hand the talent Winder-Barrow carries, and right now they are clicking on all cylinders.

In 5A I took the cowards way out and did not pick a winner between Kell/Buford. I personally thought that it would be Kell who would emerge from this series, but I was wrong. Buford has the experience and the talent. However, they are going to meet an Ola team who is red hot. Ola has the pitching depth and offensive firepower to go toe-to-toe with Buford. This series may very well be one of the most competitive of the year. I say that now, come next week it will be the winner Ola/Buford vs. potentially Decatur, which would set up another big time series.

As I said in the previous question, I got Marist wrong in 4A. So I'm going to make a new pick for 4A. There is really no other place for me to go since I have been so supportive of this team from the outset. I think first year school Denmark is going to run the table in 4A and cap off an incredible inaugural season with a state title. Don’t let me down Danes!

3. In your mind, who made the biggest statement advancing to the quarterfinals?

Blake Davis: Lee County upset a good young hitting club with legit arms in Greenbrier.

Kyle Colletta: Allatoona, a team who has had some ups and downs this year, and battled the injury bug, has done a great job coming together and advancing to the final 8 of Class 7A. They obviously have experience in making runs in the state playoffs. They are no stranger to grinding it out. Coach Hanson and the Bucs will always be a problem when it comes to the postseason, and they are proving that right now.

I also think Hillgrove made a statement this past week. They dropped the first game of the series against Woodstock by a score of 14-2 and rebounded by taking the next two games to advance to the next round. They showed that they can fall behind and fight their way back with a team full of depth.

Andy Sroka: North Oconee has been consistently underappreciated, our own GA Power 25 included. The 3A Titans went 22-7 this spring, 11-1 inside their own region, but we couldn’t personally get past their early season series losses to Jefferson and Heritage. Well, clearly that’s all in the past because their series win over Marist was highly impressive and they’ve earned a greater spotlight.

Elsewhere, Denmark looks legitimately good in the 4A bracket, Locust Grove is totally capable of upsetting Riverwood in class 5A, and Allatoona has been convincing thus far in the 6A bracket, with a series against Heritage next.

Phil Kerber: It may not be a huge statement, but the Etowah we saw early on in the season is BACK. I picked North Gwinnett to win 7A, but it would not surprise me to see Etowah pull of the “upset” and move on to the semifinals.

I agree with Blake, Lee County definitely made a huge statement by taking down Greenbrier. After witnessing Bryce Melear and Chase Dollander deal against Brunswick for Greenbrier, I thought they were a team who could go all the way.

4. What matchups are you looking forward to the most in the quarterfinals?

Blake Davis: Etowah and North Gwinnett is a monster clash, and both play really good baseball. Walton and Parkiew will put some tradition on the line this week also. Allatoona and Heritage-Conyers looks like an interesting matchup.

Kyle Colletta: I am pretty excited for the Houston County and Harrison series. UGA recruit, Colin Caldwell, will go up against a powerful lineup along with the three-headed monsters in Georgia State-bound Dawson, Jones, and Woods.

North Oconee, off a great three game series against Marist, will go up against a tough Columbus team. I look for that to be the most competitive 4A matchup this round.

Andy Sroka: There’s so many. I agree with Kyle that HoCo and Harrison could be the most competitive. I personally have loved to watch Etowah this spring and getting to see them suit up against the No. 3 team in the state is stealing all of my attention. I can’t wait for that series. Don’t forget to keep tabs on Locust Grove and Riverwood, either.

Phil Kerber: There a ton of heavy weight matchups in the quarterfinals. You have No. 1 seeds Grayson vs. Newnan and Parkview vs. Walton in 7A, but it may be the Hillgrove vs. Mill Creek and North Gwinnett vs. Etowah quarterfinals series that turn out to be the better.

I will have my eye on the Winder-Barrow vs. Effingham County series in 6A. Winder-Barrow has not really been challenged through the first two rounds of the playoffs, can Effingham County match them in a best-of-three?

5A presents some very juicy matchups on one side of the bracket. You have Ola vs. Buford and Harris Co. vs. Decatur. A case can be made for any four of those teams to win state.

5. Last week we went out on a limb to make some bold predictions. Did your predictions hit? Finally, what are your bold predictions for the quarterfinals?

Blake Davis: Hart County will be final four bound in 3A. Look out for Newnan to take down Grayson this week is my bold prediction in 7A.

Kyle Colletta: I had Etowah taking down Kennesaw Mountain, and they did just that, winning an incredibly exciting series, that our very own Mike Marra was in attendance for.

I am not sure how bold this pick is, but I think Denmark’s amazing run will come to an end against West Laurens. They are putting up great offensive numbers, so they will be tough to stop this week.

Andy Sroka: Ola’s really clicking right now. They’ve won eight straight, going back into the regular season, and I wonder if they have the pieces to upset Buford this week. The Wolves are playing arguably their best baseball of the spring, but it’s taken a winding road to get to this point. The Mustangs have the right concoction of talent to topple the heavyweight, including a supremely talented rotation.

Phil Kerber: I went out on a limb last week and said five of the six No. 4 seeds remaining would advance, and that Lee County would not be one of them. Survey says, I was wrong. Only three of the six No. 4 seeds advanced with Lee County being one of them. Lee now faces one of the top teams in the state, Pope. After pulling off two upsets in the first two rounds, who is to say Lee can’t make it a third. Etowah currently looks like they could go all the way in 7A, it may not even be that bold of a prediction to say they will win the state title. Down in 4A, first year school Denmark is rattling some cages, and letting the rest of the class know that they are going to be a force for years to come. I for one am all aboard the Denmark bandwagon and am pulling for them to run the table.