Brookwood may be the No. 1 team in Class AAAAAA, but the state tournament draw is not doing it any favors. The Broncos got a stern test from fifth-ranked Lassiter during second-round action on Tuesday evening, but they passed it to reach the quarterfinals. Samaan Williams and Alfredo Rivera scored second-half goals to break a 0-0 tie at the intermission and goalkeeper Andy Harris made several impressive saves to preserve a 2-0 shutout. Next up for Brookwood is No. 3 Campbell, which edged Colquitt County 2-1.

Other quarterfinal showdowns pit Harrison against Walton, Hillgrove against

Photo by Mike Kelly

Mill Creek and Douglas County against South Gwinnett. No. 4 Walton survived seventh-ranked Central Gwinnett 1-0 on a penalty-kick conversion by Chris Jensen. The visiting Black Knights almost equalized in the final minute but had a shot ricochet off a goalpost.

In Class AA, Region 6 representatives Greater Atlanta Christian, Lovett and Westminster moved safely through to the quarters. Four different players scored goals as top-ranked Greater Atlanta Christian routed Murray County 7-0. The Spartans did not find the back of the net until the 37th minute, when Davis Bryan redirected a corner kick past Murray County's goalie.

"We have learned how to manage the game," head coach Thom Jacquet told the Gwinnett Daily Post. "We had a lot of chances early that we didn't capitalize on. They know to keep playing and the goals will come.... Our defense is really fast. They played really well today to cut off opportunities."

Westminster also stifled its opponents in a shutout victory. The Wildcats found themselves in an early-round battle between two of the top three teams in the classification, as they had to travel to Calhoun on Tuesday. No. 3

Westminster scored on a header by Justin Greenfield in the 19th minute and that proved to be enough in a 1-0 win. Goalkeeper Benton Wood thwarted a host of free kicks and corner kicks for the No. 2 Yellow Jackets in the second half.

"We knew their strategy coming in and we knew they were the three-time defending state champion," Calhoun head coach Matt Rice told the Northwest Georgia News. "They know how to win. We matched their level tonight, but after they got that one score they were able to pack it in and preserve the lead. Our boys gave everything they had and created chances, but their goalkeeper made some great saves."

Westminster will face Toombs County for a spot in the semifinals. Lovett made easy 6-2 work of Coosa and will face Thomasville in the second round.

Round 1 state lacrosse playoffs began on Tuesday with the Class AAAAAA boys and Class A-AAAAA girls. Each 16-team bracket plays eight first round games and in the boys Class AAAAAA action, all four No. 1 seeds advanced but just two of four No. 2's won their first round matchups. No. 3 Walton

Photo courtesy Roswell HS/Studio 7

topped No. 2 Hillgrove 12-7 and No. 3 Lambert steamrolled No. 2 North Gwinnett 11-3. The Class AAAAAA boys Elite 8 is comprised of Harrison, Lambert, Johns Creek, Milton, Centennial, Roswell, Walton and Peachtree Ridge.

Lambert's 11-3 win over North Gwinnett handed the Bulldogs just their second in-state loss of the season. Senior Sean Carruthers scored two goals and tallied one assist and Longhorn teammate Spencer Wilson added a goal and an assist.

Peachtree Ridge eliminated a red-hot Chattahoochee team last night 13-11. The Cougars had won seven games to close out its regular season including a 12-7 win over Walton and a 13-12 home victory over Peachtree Ridge on a last minute goal. The Lions got revenge on Tuesday and were led by two incredible individual efforts. Steven Lee dished out four assist while netting four goals and Matty Ledon also scored four goals. Peachtree Ridge gets Walton next in the Elite 8, which like Chattahoochee, handed the Lions a one-goal defeat in the regular season (12-11).

The Class A-AAAAA girls first round had the same result as the Class AAAAAA boys. All four No. 1 seeds held court while two of four No. 2 seeds fell to visiting No. 3 seeds. No. 3 Pope fought back from a 7-5 halftime deficit to beat Starr's Mill 12-10 and No. 3 Blessed Trinity cruised past No. 2 Marist 15-6.

Zoe Szczotka led Pope's comeback with four goals and four assists and Sophia Bowers netted a hat-trick. One of the night's top performances from came in top-seeded Kell's 16-11 win over Lovett. Standout Haley Swift led the Longhorns with four goals and six assists. Teammates Leslie Ferguson and Izzy Palermo finished with four goals and three goals, respectively.

Kell, Northview, McIntosh, Blessed Trinity, Cambridge, Westminster, Pope and St. Pius X make up the girls Class A-AAAAA Elite 8.

The Class A-AAAAA boys and the Class AAAAAAA girls open their first rounds tonight.