Grayson High Prepping For State Quarterfinals

While most high school students will be tackling nothing but turkey for the rest of the week, Grayson High’s football team has more than Thanksgiving on its mind.

The undefeated Rams will head to College Park on Friday to face Westlake in the quarterfinals of the Class AAAAAA playoffs. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Westlake Stadium.

Grayson (12-0) enters the quarterfinals on the strength of a blowout 54-21 victory over perennial state powerhouse Valdosta last Friday.

Running back Cameryn Brent rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the win and quarterback Chase Brice -- who has thrown for 2,191 yards and 27 touchdowns on the year -- tossed for another two scores.

Westlake (11-2) will take the field on the heels of a 28-9 upset win over sixth-ranked Peachtree Ridge. Westlake’s dual-threat quarterback Malik Willis had the best game of his career in the victory, going 7-for-9 through the air for 92 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for another 113 yards.

Westlake has losses on the season to Newton and East Coweta.

Grayson, meanwhile, has looked unstoppable.

The Rams’ unblemished record includes a Week 3 win over then No. 1-ranked Archer. They have scored more than 50 points five times this season, including a 70-6 win over Berkmar in Week 5.

In their second-round playoff win over Valdosta, Grayson, the 2011 Class 5-A state champs, led 54-7 at the end of the third quarter, having scored on every possession except one.

The winner of Friday’s contest will take on the winner of the game between Collins Hill and Roswell, also scheduled for Friday night.

Archer, out of Lawrenceville, remains alive in the playoffs as well. Should Grayson make it all the way to the Georgia Dome for the 6-A finals, they could possibly be looking at a rematch of the early-season contest they won, 26-24.

Tickets for Friday’s game will be on sale Thursday from 8:30-10:15 a.m. All tickets are $12 and may also be purchased Friday at Westlake.