After not facing off in three seasons, two powerhouse private schools, Prince Avenue Christian and Hebron Christian, will line up Friday night for a shot at a Class 2A-Region 8 championship with major postseason implications on the line.
The Wolverines are 6-3, and are coming off winning their second-straight state championship a year ago, beating Swainsboro in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 49-32. After losing two-time starting state championship quarterback Aaron Philo to Georgia Tech, the Wolverines return a good amount of production from last year’s championship roster and are primed to make it back to the big stage. Hebron Christian is one of the few teams standing in the way of a possible Wolverines three-peat as the Lions are 8-1 on the season as they strive to not only win their first region championship in program history, but make it to the state championship for the first time in the programs short history since not having a football team until 2007.
The game will be broadcast live on the Peachtree Sports Network starting at 8 p.m., and digitally on Atlanta News First, ZEAM and the National Federation High School Network.
Prince Avenue Christian leads the all-time series 10-1 against Hebron Christian, with the Wolverines on a 10-game win streak against the Lions dating back to 2011. The last matchup between the two, Prince Avenue won 35-6 in 2021. Hebron Christian last defeated Prince Avenue Christian in 2010, though the two programs played every season from 2010-2017.
This will be the first time that Prince Avenue Christian head coach Greg Vandagriff and Hebron Christian head coach Jonathan Gess will line their teams up against one another and there’s mutual respect abound.
“Prince Avenue is the gold standard really,” said Gess. “They have won three state championships in the last four or five years and Coach Vandagriff has just done a phenomenal job there. They are a team that has been super successful since around 2010. They have had a great program for a long time and this is kind of the program that we are striving to be like and we get to play them for a region championship. It’s like if you were writing a story, two- and-a-half years ago, this is probably how you would want it written with a chance to play against one of the premier private schools in the state.”
Vandagriff is in his ninth season with the Wolverines football program and has posted an astonishing record of 103-15 during his time in Bogart. The Prince Avenue head coach is responsible for the only three state championships in program history, winning it all in 2020 and back-to-back years in 2022 and 2023. The last two seasons of Wolverines football were the winningest in program history, registering an incredible record of 28-1 record during that span.
This year’s Wolverines are led by a two quarterback system with senior Jake Bobo and sophomore Ben Musser. Both quarterbacks bring something to the table for the Prince Avenue Christian offense. Musser brings a more athletic option at the position while Bobo brings a veteran leadership presence. The two have combined for over 1,700 yards through the air with 17 touchdowns with Musser adding almost 400 yards on the ground to go along with three touchdowns. The pair have led the Prince Avenue offense to the highest scoring average in Class 2A this season, averaging a little over 42 points per game.
“What’s happened is it has allowed these guys to relax a little bit,” said Vandagriff. “They are able to work with each other and they know that they don’t have to have a great game every game because the other guy can help them. I think they both have played well and since we started with the two quarterback system in Week 4 I believe we have averaged over 40 points per game.”
Expect to see both quarterbacks in some capacity throughout Friday’s matchup.
It would be very difficult to talk about the Prince Avenue Christian offense without mentioning dynamic sophomore running back, 4-star Andrew Beard who has been all over the field for the Wolverines in his first season in the program. Beard has registered almost 2,000 all-purpose yards on the season as the sophomore has been sensational, making an impact everywhere for the Wolverines.
Beard is rated as a 4-star on the 247Sports website and has received numerous offers from prominent college football programs such as Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Miami and Arkansas. Beard’s impact is felt all around the field as he is a real threat to the opposition on the ground and as a receiver through the air, leading the team in yardage in both categories.
The success Beard has had this season on the ground would not be possible without the work done in the trenches by the Prince Avenue Christian offensive line. Jake Atha, Gabe Prince, Mason Townsend have all played meaningful snaps for Wolverines and know what it’s like to play in the big moments.
The pass catchers for the Wolverines include three 300-yard receivers including Beard, sophomore wideout Hudson Hill and junior receiver C.J. Dockery. Each pass catcher has over 18 receptions on the season with Dockery leading the Wolverines in touchdown receptions with seven on the season while averaging over 17 yards per reception.
The Wolverines defense is led by none other than 4-star defensive lineman, Georgia Tech commit Christian Garrett. The senior has recorded 60 total tackles on the season including nine tackles for loss and six sacks while leading the Wolverines defensive front. The senior made headlines earlier in the season when he decommitted from Georgia and ultimately committed with the Yellow Jackets to continue his football career.
The Prince Avenue defense is filled with senior defensive talent, including Garrett. Kyler Giddens and Mac Bradley have been massive for the Wolverines from their linebacker position with Bradley registering a little over 90 tackles and Giddens with 80 tackles on the season. The two senior linebackers lead the team in tackles and have combined for nine tackles for loss and six sacks. Sophomore free safety Judd Shoemaker has been an impact player for the Wolverines, forcing four turnovers including three interceptions and a fumble.
Gess leads an 8-1 Hebron Christian team that is coming off of a 38-21 victory last week against Franklin County. The Lions are on a four-game winning-streak, scoring 191 points over that span. Gess is in his third year in the program and has a 23-9 record with the school. With a victory Friday, Gess looks to bring home Hebron Christian’s first-ever region title and bring the Lions to the playoffs for the ninth year in a row.
The Hebron Christian offense is led by quarterback Thomas Stallworth who has led the third highest-scoring offense in Class 2A this season. The senior quarterback has led a balanced attack from the quarterback position, getting the ball to his playmakers in space and making smart decisions while leading his team to eight wins so far on the season.
In the ground game, junior running back Devon Caldwell has emerged as the primary running back for Hebron Christian. In a matchup against Hart County this season the running back rushed for 200 yards and added four touchdowns, solidifying himself as a true threat for opposing defenses.
Caldwell is one of many skill position players on the Lions’ offense that make this unit special as guys like Jarvis Mauthrin, Gerritt Kemp, Sian John and K.J. Thomas have all proved they are more than capable of making a big play on the outside once they are able to get the ball into open space. Kemp, a North Carolina State commit, is a big body receiver at 6-foot-3, 180-pounds that has the size and speed of a wideout at the next level.
The hard-hitting Prince Avenue defense will have a tough task of accounting for each Hebron Christian playmaker as they are going up against an offense who has amassed 360 points on the season.
The defense for the Lions is led by senior defensive lineman, Virginia-commit Sichan John, who totaled 12 tackles in the Lions last matchup against Stephens County. The senior defensive tackle was recently named to the ‘Mr. Georgia Football Watchlist’ after his impressive performance a week ago. Along with John in the front seven for the Lions is Georgia Tech-commit, senior Carrington Coombs who has created havoc recently for Hebron Christian. The combination of John plugging up the middle with Coombs’ lightning speed off the edge has become a dynamic duo for the Lions as they are causing chaos for opponents. Max Steve and Stroud Morrison have been impressive from their safety positions, holding down the backend of the Lions’ defense while John and Coombs attempt to get into opposing backfields.
With a No. 1 or No. 2 playoff seed on the line Friday at Hebron Christian, look for this matchup to be one of the best high school football games in Georgia this weekend.
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