The opening round of the state football playoffs proved to be a good one for The Herald’s coverage area. Four of the five teams who qualified are moving on to round two, which is an intriguing one to say the least.

All four teams have second-round rematches from last season. Spring Garden will be seeking revenge, as will Cedar Bluff. Meanwhile, Piedmont and Cherokee County both hope to recapture what allowed them to move on to the third round last season.

Like I said, intriguing.

And, like our playoff teams, I’m hoping for another good week following a 7-1 mark in the picks department.

Let’s see what’s in store for Rematch Friday.

Spring Garden (6-5) at Gaston (8-3): Let’s get one thing out of the way first.

Shame on me for not picking Spring Garden last week at Coosa Christian. I thought the Panthers would have a time keeping pace with the Conquerors’ offense, but as it turned out, it was the other way around.

Spring Garden put up 52 points in its opening-round victory behind a 195-yard, three-touchdown performance by senior tailback Trey Littlefield.

This week, it’s all about redemption at Gaston. The Bulldogs have leveled the Panthers in their last three meetings, including a 49-15 drubbing in last season’s second round.

This go-around, they won’t have to contend with the rushing of Clemson commitment Demont Buice, who injured his ankle against the Panthers back in Week 4. The Bulldogs still won that game 49-28.

That evens the odds a little bit, but Gaston is still piling up the points. Another shootout certainly looks possible. Plus, this five-game losing streak against Gaston has to end sometime, right? … Spring Garden 38, Gaston 35.

Cedar Bluff (8-3) at Appalachian (9-2): Like Spring Garden, you can bet revenge is on the minds of the Tigers this week.

Appalachian ended Cedar Bluff’s season a year ago with a hard-fought 7-0 decision. With all the offense the Tigers have put up the last couple of weeks, I don’t think a repeat of that game is in store. Especially with how senior quarterback Kyle Crane has played the past two weeks.

Crane has accounted for 680 yards worth of offense and 12 touchdowns in wins over Randolph County and Victory Christian. Folks, it doesn’t get that much better than that. Except for moving on to the third round … Cedar Bluff 35, Appalachian 26.

Piedmont (9-2) at Susan Moore (9-2): The Bulldogs were clicking on all cylinders last week as they crushed Pisgah, 44-19. Piedmont also pounded Susan Moore in the second round last year, 42-7.

I think another dominating performance is in store this week, with Piedmont moving on to the third round … Piedmont 41, Susan Moore 14.

Fayette County (8-3) at Cherokee County (11-0): Like Cedar Bluff’s Crane, Cherokee County quarterback Coty Blanchard is in the zone (and has been the entire season).

Last week against Haleyville, Blanchard accumulated 360 total yards and accounted for five touchdowns in the top-ranked Warriors’ 51-13 victory.

There’s nothing that can convince me he won’t do that again, especially with all the time Blanchard has been given by his offensive line to make good decisions.

It might come a little tougher, since Fayette County looks to avenge last year’s 47-15 loss to the Warriors last season. But it will come nonetheless … Cherokee County 44, Fayette County 16.

College Football

Tennessee Tech at Jacksonville State: You have to give the Gamecocks credit.

A lot of teams would have folded their tents after being shut out of a chance to play in the postseason. Instead, Jacksonville State has used that as tremendous motivation on its way to a 6-3 record.

I look for that motivation to carry on for the remainder of the season, including this week at home against Tennessee Tech … JSU 32, Tennessee Tech 24.

Alabama at Mississippi State: The SEC West Division has been wrapped up for the Tide, but there’s still plenty for Alabama to play for.

An undefeated season and a national championship come to mind.

Quarterback Greg McElroy returned to form last week against LSU. After a shaky start, McElroy threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns in the Tide’s 24-15 victory.

That was the confidence boost he needed, which is something I think he’ll add upon in Starkville against the Bulldogs … Alabama 35, Mississippi State 14.

Auburn at Georgia: The Tigers got to rest many of their top performers in the second half of last week’s 63-31 blowout of Furman. So did the Bulldogs in their shutout of Tennessee Tech. That means both teams will be at full strength.

This one is a pretty even matchup in my mind. So what do you do when you have to pick a game with evenly-matched teams? Flip a coin … Auburn 24, Georgia 23.