The Class A and Class 3A state finals were played Saturday at the Georgia Dome. In two defensive battles, the best teams were decided in each contest. Here’s more on those games.
The following recap was written by Chip Saye of the Georgia High School Football Daily for the AJC:
The Wilcox County offense was barely on the field long enough to work up a sweat in the first 40 minutes of Saturday’s Class A championship game at the Georgia Dome.
But after watching Savannah Christian go on one time-consuming drive after another, quarterback Nick Marshall and the Patriots (13-2) finally took control, scoring 16 points in the final eight minutes for a 30-21 victory to capture the first football state championship in Wilcox County history.
“Bringing it home to Wilcox, our first one ever,” coach Mark Ledford said. “Man, it doesn’t get any better than this.”
Marshall, a junior, accounted for all but eight of Wilcox County’s 339 total yards, completing 14 of 23 passes for 244 yards and rushing for 87 on 13 carries. He ran for two touchdowns, passed for another and completed three passes on two-point conversions.
“Their QB is something special,” Savannah Christian coach Donald Chumley said. “He’s the best I’ve ever seen, simply the best we’ve ever played.”
After Marshall’s 5-yard run cut Savannah Christian’s lead to 21-20, he passed to Jatarius Jackson with the go-ahead two-point conversion with 7:58 remaining in the game. The Patriots’ drive covered 48 yards in three plays, including a spectacular 47-yard reception by Tay Porter, who juggled the ball as he was going down and made the catch lying on his back at the 1-yard line.
After forcing Savannah Christian (14-1) to punt on its next possession, the Patriots put the game away with a 40-yard touchdown drive that took 5:27 off the clock. Marshall capped the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Griffin and a two-point conversion pass to Jonathan Howard with 36 seconds left.
“That’s what Nick does,” Ledford said. “All the people that got to see him for the first time tonight, they saw what he’s capable of doing. It’s not surprising to me that he was able to put the team on his shoulders and do what he did.”
Wilcox County was efficient when it got its opportunities, scoring on four of its seven possessions and outgaining Savannah Christian 339-275, despite having possession of the ball for just 16:42 of the game’s 48 minutes.
Chris Barnwell led Savannah Christian with 143 rushing yards on 37 carries. Quarterback Harrison Curry had 13 carries for 67 yards. The Raiders did not attempt a pass until the final three plays of the game.
The first two possessions of the first quarter gave an indication of what type of game this would be. Savannah Christian drove 74 yards on 15 plays and took 8:05 off the clock. Wilcox County answered with a seven-play, 64-yard drive that took 1:20.
“I knew that was going to be their game plan,” Ledford said. “That’s what they do. They were going to keep the clock. They did on the first drive of the game. That was not surprising that that happened. It was just that at some point, when they got down there, we had to have a few stops.”
The following recap was written by Todd Holcomb of the Georgia High School Football Daily for the AJC:
For Luke Crowell, it might have been the final football play of his life. Colleges aren’t that interested in a 5-foot-8, 185-pound linebacker.
So with Peach County leading 13-12 and Gainesville going for two on the final snap of the Class AAA championship game Saturday night at the Georgia Dome, Crowell made a football memory of a lifetime when he knocked down a pass from Alabama-bound quarterback Blake Sims to Notre Dame-bound receiver Tai-ler Jones.
It clinched Peach County’s third state championship in five seasons, first since 2006.
“They had 9 [Jones] split out by himself, and I figured they would go to their best guy,” Crowell said. “So I cheated that way and batted it down.”
For Peach County coach Chad Campbell, it was his first state title as a head coach. He and Lee Campbell, who won Class A titles at Hawkinsville in 2003 and 2004, are the only brothers to win Georgia High School Association state titles as head coaches.
For Gainesville, which had held the No. 1 ranking most of the season, it was another heartbreaking end. The Red Elephants are 0-for-6 in state championship games.
Peach County led Gainesville 10-0 entering the fourth quarter after dominating time of possession 24:53 to 11:07.
But Sims, who finished 14-of-29 passing for 205 yards, hit Jones on 49-yard touchdown pass with 10:56 left to make it 10-6. It came after linebacker Thomas Sprague forced a fumble, Peach County’s only turnover.
But the extra-point kick was wide.
With 7:00 left, Gainesville had another chance with a fourth-and-4 at the Peach County 27, but Crowell intercepted at the 21 and returned it to the Gainesville 30. Peach County drove for a Russ Evatt field goal and a 13-6 lead.
Gainesville’s final shot started from its 34 with 50 seconds left. Sims twice hit Jones (seven receptions, 142 yards) and had Gainesville at the Peach County 21 for the final play in regulation. Sims threw a bullet in the end zone to Michael Lorentz, making it 13-12. An extra point would have sent the game to overtime.
“We were a little shaky on our first extra point, and I didn’t want to try it,” Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said. “I didn’t want to go overtime with them. I felt like they were running the ball too well. Looking back, you can second-guess yourself all the time.”
Gainesville outgained Peach County 291-235, but Peach had three interceptions, two against Sims. Peach County’s Patrick Taylor was 12-for-18 for 169 yards. Jontavious Davis had two interceptions for Peach County.
Loading ...
