It will be the comforts of home for two Greater Rome football teams tonight in the second round of the GHSA state football playoffs.

But the visiting teams have Calhoun and Darlington on their guard and will be looking to deal out some postseason upsets on the road.

The top-ranked Yellow Jackets, coming off of their ninth straight region title, will host North Oconee in Calhoun for the Class AA playoffs while Darlington locks up with Commerce for a meeting of the Tigers in Class A.

Both games begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 and the price is set by the GHSA.

“We’ve had a good week,” Calhoun head coach Hal Lamb said. “I think the guys were a little more focused than they were last week and that’s a good sign.”

The Jackets (11-0) started out slow against Avondale last week but went on to win 42-14.

“You just sense a different attitude at practice and even in our first team meeting Sunday night,” Lamb said. “They know that in order to go deeper into the playoffs you have to be extra ready.”

This is just the second year that North Oconee (8-3) has made it to the playoffs. The Titans have won at least seven games in the last four seasons under head coach Terry Tuley.

“They’ve played some good football teams and are a pretty new school but coach Tuley has done a good job with that program,” Lamb said.

“They are a running football team but they do have the ability to throw the ball. They’ll try some slot backs to keep it out of our guys’ hands.”

Darlington (7-4) will try and shake off a near-loss in a 16-14 win over Warren County in the first round and come out strong against Commerce.

“We’re very excited to be in the second round and to be home in the second round is a privilege for our kids,” Darlington coach Tommy Atha said.

“It ought to be a great atmosphere and I think we’ll have a tremendous crowd.”

Atha said that he hopes that they’ll attract the support of the Rome community as well as the Darlington community as they try to continue a season that has seen them go from 0-3 to Region 6-A champions.

“What we have is a bunch of guys who all pull in the same direction and have just found a way to win,” Atha said.

“Honestly, I know expectations were low at the beginning of the season and nobody gave us a chance to be really good at all.”

Commerce (7-4) comes equipped with a number of weapons, including running back Deon Brock and quarterback Cody Streetmen, who has bee proficient in their option offense.

“It’s one of those games where you have two good football teams getting ready to face off and the one that executes and has the fewest mistakes will win this game,” Atha said.

PLAYOFF

CAPSULE

North Oconee (8-3) at

No. 1 Calhoun (11-0)

TIME: 7:30 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY: First meeting

HOW THEY FINISHED: North Oconee – No. 3 seed from 8-AA; Calhoun – No. 1 seed from 7-AA

2008 POSTSEASON: North Oconee – lost to Buford, 44-7, in second round; Calhoun – lost to Buford, 45-21, in Class AA state final

OUTLOOK: The Titans will be looking for a burst of speed to get them past the second round for the first time in the school’s short history as they step onto the turf at Phil Reeve Stadium. Calhoun took some time to kick into high gear last week before settling down. North Oconee could strike early, especially with running back Brandon Whitlock, but the game swings the Jackets’ way at the line.

 RN-T PICK: Calhoun, 35-21

 RADIO: WEBS-AM 1030

PLAYOFF

CAPSULE

Commerce (7-4) at Darlington (7-4)

TIME: 7:30 p.m.

SERIES HISTORY: Darlington leads 1-0

LAST MEETING: Nov. 27, 1981, Commerce won 37-6

HOW THEY FINISHED: Commerce – No. 2 seed from 8-A; Darlington – No. 1 seed from 6-A

2008 POSTSEASON: Commerce – lost to Wilkinson County, 21-7, in the first round; Darlington – lost to ELCA, 17-6, in first round

OUTLOOK: Darlington has met with some tough times on the football field this season and learned how to overcome them to win a region title. After a close call in the first round, the Tigers will need to muster the same stubbornness that has got them to this point as they face a team steeped in tradition with Commerce coming to Chris Hunter Stadium. A flawless finishing kick will be the decisive blow.

 RN-T PICK: Commerce, 21-14

 RADIO: WLAQ-AM 1410

History and records provided by the Georgia High School Football Historians Association — www.ghsfha.com.