By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

When the state playoffs began, there were 32 teams hoping of winning the Class AA state championship.

Two weeks into the playoffs, and that number has been whittled down to eight.

Those eight teams, including the Callaway Cavaliers, will be in action this week as they each try to move one step closer to a state title.

Callaway (11-1), which has won 11 straight games since a season-opening loss to Opelika, will host Douglass-Atlanta (11-1) on Friday in one of four quarterfinal games in the Class AA playoffs.

If Callaway wins, it would advance to the state semifinals for the fourth time since 2013, and it would play either Metter or Brooks County.

On the other side of the bracket, it’ll be Rabun County playing Thomasville, and Hapeville-Charter taking on Dublin.

The last two teams standing will meet in the championship game at Georgia State Stadium in Atlanta.

Callaway has beaten Chattooga and Fitzgerald to reach the quarterfinals, while Douglass-Atlanta has vanquished Elbert County and Jefferson County.

Callaway is the Region 5-AA champion, while Douglass-Atlanta is the number two teams from Region 6-AA.

The Cavaliers are in the state quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive season, and they’re coming off an impressive 50-31 win over Fitzgerald.

“I’m really proud of this win over a quality football team in Fitzgerald,” Callaway head coach Pete Wiggins said. “We have to go back to work and get ready for the next opponent. It’s a great win for our program.”

Next up for Callaway is a showdown with a Douglass-Atlanta team that’s having a phenomenal season.

Douglass kept it going with a 12-8 road win over Jefferson County last week in a defensive slug-fest.

Douglass, since losing to Hapeville-Charter, has won six consecutive games.

CLASS AA QUARTERFINALS

Douglass-Atlanta at Callaway

Brooks County at Metter

Hapeville-Charter at Dublin

Rabun County at Thomasville