The GHSA Drive to the State Championship makes its final stop this Friday night with Gwinnett County powerhouses Norcross and Grayson battling in the semifinals for a spot in this year’s Class 7A state championship. The game kicks off at 8 ET and will be broadcasted live on PeachtreeTV. In total, there will be 16 semifinal games played on Friday to set the stage for the 2020 state championships. Here’s a look into each classification.
CLASS 7A
No. 1 Grayson at No. 3 Norcross
No. 4 Lowndes at No. 6 Collins Hill
Undefeated Gwinnett County powerhouses Norcross and Grayson will faceoff in a televised prime time matchup this Friday. Norcross has compiled a 13-0 record for just the second time in program history this season. The last time the Blue Devils were in this position was 2012—when they closed out a flawless 15-0 campaign and won the school’s first-ever state crown. This year’s success has been fueled by an offensive resurgence that has seen Norcross average a whopping 7.74 yards per play this season and 39.8 ppg. Defensively, Norcross has also been stout with a 14.46 average points per game surrendered average—resulting in a 25.3 average margin of victory. This postseason, The No. 3 ranked Blue Devils have tallied three impressive victories—including last week’s 17-7 win over the No. 2 ranked Colquitt County Packers. This victory was noticed in the national rankings and Norcross climbed all the way to No. 16 in the Maxpreps National Poll. Norcross’ success this season has been driven by an experienced cast of playmakers and senior leadership—including Class of 2021 quarterback Mason Kaplan. On the defensive side, the Blue Devils’ speed and athleticism has produced more than 180 tackles for loss this season. Junior outside linebacker Zakye Barker is a major disrupter and posted a career-high seven tackles for loss in Norcross’ 23-20 win over Mill Creek on Oct. 23. Grayson has been the No. 1 ranked team in the state for the entire season in most polls and its 31-point average margin of victory has validated this recognition. The Rams’ 12-0 record this season results in the program’s 13th double-digit win season since 2007 and their seventh-straight. Offensively, Grayson has the firepower to match Norcross’ explosive offense with a 39.2 ppg average and the defense is also playing at a championship pace with its 8.17 ppg average. Second-year head coach Adam Carter has gone 23-2 in his first 25 games at the school, but even that impressive winning percentage fails to recognize just how dominant this year’s team has been. The first three rounds of this year’s playoffs have put Grayson’s immense talent on full display and they have outscored Tift County (43-0), Harrison (30-6) and West Forsyth (33-0) by a combined 106-6—Under center is four-star transfer quarterback Jacob Garcia—who joined the team in late October after getting ruled ineligible following his journey from California to Valdosta earlier in the year. Garcia is one of the nation’s highest rated passers and contributed a rushing and passing score while running backs Sean Downer and Joe Taylor each found the end zone once on the ground in last week’s 33-0 win over West Forsyth. On the left side of the bracket, No. 6 Collins Hill (11-2) will host No. 4 Lowndes (10-1). The two teams have previously met twice in the quarterfinals (2001, 2010) and Collins Hill won both matchups. Leading the way will be two of the most talented Class of 2022 quarterbacks in the nation. Lowndes’ Jacurri Brown has accounted for 14 rushing touchdowns and 14 passing scores this season. Collins Hill’s Sam Horn has racked up 35 passing touchdowns and 3,287 yards through the air.
CLASS 6A
No. 6 Valdosta at No. 2 Buford
No. 3 Westlake at No. 1 Lee County
The Class 6A semifinals contains four powerhouses and a pair of historic first-ever meetings. No. 6 ranked Valdosta will visit defending state champion Buford. The Wolves defeated visiting No. 2 seed Langston Hughes 44-15 last week, holding the Panthers scoreless until the third quarter. Buford got two touchdown runs from Gabe Ervin Jr., a 2-yard score in the first quarter for the first points of the game and a 5-yard rush in the second quarter to put the Wolves up 20-0. Ervin finished with 48 yards rushing on eight carries. Victor Venn led Buford with 149 yards rushing on 10 carries, including a 22-yard touchdown run in the first possession of the second half to put the Wolves ahead 30-0. Valdosta was a 36-15 winner over Carrollton. Carrollton took a 15-14 lead in the third quarter after a touchdown pass from James McCauley to Grant Briscoe, but No. 2 seed Valdosta dominated from there with 22 straight points to get the road win. No. 3 Westlake took a 27-10 lead into the fourth quarter and held off Allatoona to advance to semifinals for the second time in school history with a 27-24 win. As for Lee County, the Trojans lit up the scoreboard in a 49-31 win over River Ridge.
CLASS 5A
No. 5 Coffee at No. 4 Cartersville
No. 10 Jones County at No. 2 Warner Robins
In Class 5A, Coffee will take on Cartersville for the first time in its history and Jones County will take on Warner Robins in the program’s first-ever postseason clash. Coffee is fresh off a 27-17 win over Calhoun that saw the Trojans outscore the Jackets 14-7 in the second half. Cartersville’s semifinal victory was a hard-fought 34-31 win over Ware County. Quante’ Jennings ran in three Cartersville touchdowns, including a game-winning 4-yard score with 9:29 left to lift the No. 4 ranked Purple Hurricanes past the host Gators. Warner Robins advanced to the semifinals with an epic 35-28 win over three-time defending state champion Blessed Trinity. The Demons will now host Jones County—which toppled Eastside 28-7. In the victory, Andrew Carner rushed for three touchdowns and John Alan Richter threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Maleek Wooten to lead host Jones County past Eastside.
CLASS 4A
No. 1 Marist at No. 6 Bainbridge
No. 2 Jefferson at No. 4 Benedictine
Class 4A has two historic semifinal clashes set for Friday night. Both matchups will be first-ever meetings between teams—a theme that has persisted throughout this postseason inside Class 4A. In fact, 23 of the 30 playoff games this year inside the classification have been first-ever matchups. The other overarching theme is that none of the semifinalists has dropped a game within the classification this season. Additionally, the two road teams this week will be making their longest road trips of the year; Marist has a 255-mile trip to Bainbridge and Jefferson has a 243-mile trip to Benedictine. Marist (11-0) makes its 23rd all-time semifinal appearance at Bainbridge (10-3) this Friday night. The host Bearcats have won nine-straight games and are coming off a massive 21-10 win over No. 7 ranked Cedartown that saw them rally back from a 10-7 halftime deficit. Bainbridge is 2-5 all-time in its semifinal appearances and 2-2 in its championship appearances (1982, 2018). Marist holds an 11-11 all-time record in its semifinal appearances and has dominated the competition all year long. In the playoffs. Marist has outscored its opponents Central-Carroll (49-0), Flowery Branch (24-0) and Perry (36-7) by a combined 109-7. Only two of 11 opponents have scored touchdowns against Marist this season and the War Eagles defense is allowing just 3.09 ppg this season, while the offense is posting 37 ppg. Jefferson (11-0) took out No. 3 ranked Carver-Columbus 28-22 in last week’s quarterfinals after opening up the postseason with a 65-0 win over Mt. Zion and a 35-0 victory over Hapeville Charter. The Dragons are 3-2 all-time in the semifinals and boast a rushing attack that has accounted for 271.4 yards per game and a whopping 47 touchdowns. Additionally, Jefferson’s offense averages 44.2 ppg and its defense is allowing just 8.27 ppg. Benedictine (9-2) is 2-4 all-time in its semifinal appearances and has battled through three challenging arounds of opponents this postseason. The Cadets took out Troup 42-35 in the first round and then topped Cairo (45-23) and Riverdale (48-13) this past week. Benedictine quarterback Holden Geriner has accounted for 23 passing touchdowns with just one interception this season and has also rushed for six scores. As a team, Benedictine has averaged 241.4 passing yards per game this season. Wide receiver and three-sport star Trent Broadnax has tallied over 1,000 yards receiving this season and notched his 14th touchdown reception in last week’s win over Riverdale. Broadnax also returned a punt for a touchdown against the Raiders—marking his second punt return touchdown of the year.
CLASS 3A
No. 2 Oconee County at No. 6 Greater Atlanta Christian
No. 4 Crisp County at No. 5 Pierce County
Oconee County entered Class 3A this season after losing to Blessed Trinity in the Class 4A state championship last year and now the Warriors are one win away from a return trip to the title game. GAC, a program which has never won a state title, stands in its way. Jacob Wright leads a balanced Warriors offense averaging 170 rushing and 144 passing yards per game. The 6-foot, 170-pound junior is 76-of-135 passing for 1,401 yards and 20 touchdowns. Wright has 49 carries for 278 yards and three of Oconee’s 20 rushing touchdowns. Deymon Fleming Jr. is GAC’s signal caller and leads a Spartans offense that averaged 139 rushing and 162 passing yards per game. The 6-2, 195-pound senior is 132-of-224 passing for 1,750 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has rushed 79 times for 424 yards and six touchdowns. On the other side of the bracket, Crisp County is one win away from returning to the title game after losing to Cedar Grove at Georgia State Stadium a year ago. The Cougars beat top-ranked Cedar Grove in Cordele last week 16-13 to advance to the semifinals. Crisp is led by A.J. Brown and A.J. Lofton at the quarterback spot, but Crisp favors sophomore Brown and Lofton factors on certain plays. The pair help lead a Crisp County offense that averages 206 rushing and 109 passing yards per game. Brown, a 6-0, 192-pound sophomore, is 61-of-127 passing for 966 yards and eight touchdowns and has rushed for 580 yards and three touchdowns. Lofton, a 5-0, 160-pound senior, is 16-of-37 for 308 yards and six touchdowns and has rushed for 676 yards and seven touchdowns. Pierce County is led by senior Jermaine Brewton. He controls a Pierce offense that averages 203 rushing and 151 passing yards per game. The 6-1, 195-pound senior is 108-of-154 passing for 1,673 yards and 24 touchdowns and has rushed for 604 yards and 14 touchdowns.
CLASS 2A
No. 2 Rabun County at No. 9 Callaway
No. 6 Jefferson County at No. 1 Fitzgerald
When Rabun County faces Callaway on Friday, the Wildcats will be led onto the field by the best quarterback for the junior class, Gunnar Stockton. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound junior is rated as a five-star recruit by 247Sports and is committed to South Carolina. Stockton is 208-of-304 passing for 3,021 yards and 44 touchdowns to lead a Wildcat offense that averages 243 passing to 233 rushing yards per game. Of Rabun’s 40 rushing touchdowns, Stockton has 25 of them on 167 carries for 1,474 yards. Sophomore Lang Windom carries the rest of the weight in the backfield with 141 carries for 1,271 yards and 12 touchdowns. A favorite target – senior Adriel Clark – has 71 receptions for 1,482 yards and 27 touchdowns. Callaway has three three-star seniors on its roster – quarterback Demetrius Coleman, Jalin Shephard and Charlie Dixon. Coleman has an offer from Alabama to go with three other Power 5 offers. Dixon has been offered by West Virginia, Nebraska and Mississippi State and leads the Cavalier backfield. Across the bracket, top-ranked Fitzgerald will face No. 6 Jefferson County. Fitzgerald’s senior renaissance player Chance Gamble lines up at quarterback, running back, safety, receiver and punt/kick returns and will factor heavily for the Purple Hurricane. The programs played on Sept. 25 where Fitzgerald won 14-12. Senior quarterback Izaiah Gaines will lead Jefferson County and is 29-of-58 passing for 496 yards and nine touchdowns. But the Warriors – who average 250 rushing to just 70 passing yards per game – feature multiple touchdowns from six different players. Senior Aquavious Hunter leads with 135 carries for 1,064 yards and 17 touchdowns. Senior Ja’Quine Gilmore has 58 carries for 448 yards and 13 touchdowns.
CLASS A-PUBLIC
No. 5 Irwin County at No. 1 Metter
No. 8 Clinch County at No. 4 Brooks County
Top-ranked Metter has dominated its competition this season, outscoring opponents 502-56 and the Tigers are looking to stay undefeated in its first semifinal appearance since back-to-back semi games in 2001-02. The Tigers have never played against Irwin County, the defending state champions, who are back in the semifinals for the fourth straight season. Metter is coming off a 28-6 victory over Warren County. Irwin County is led by sophomore quarterback Cody Soliday who is 99-of-183 passing for 1,690 yards and 21 touchdowns. Senior back Kam Ward has 121 carries for 1,010 yards and 15 touchdowns. Senior Gabe Benyard leads receivers with 30 catches for 765 yards and eight touchdowns. Across the bracket, Class 2A runner up Brooks County is one win away from another championship appearance. The Trojans are led by senior quarterback Nitvaion Burrus who is 101-of-170 passing for 1,812 yards and 22 touchdowns. Juniors Willie Brown and Omari Arnold are Brooks’ most productive receivers. Brown has 23 catches for 475 yards and six touchdowns, Arnold has nearly an identical stat line with 24 receptions for 472 yards and six touchdowns. The two players are separated by just one reception and three yards. In the backfield, Arnold has 142 carries for 1,416 yards and 22 touchdowns while Burrus has 109 carries and eight touchdowns. Sophomore Jamal Sanders has 74 carries for 574 yards and nine touchdowns. Clinch County has faced Brooks County 23 previous times and Brooks leads 13-9 in the series. The Panthers are in the semifinals for the sixth consecutive season and have three state titles from 2015-2018 (’15, ’17 and ’18).
CLASS A-PRIVATE
No. 1 Prince Avenue Christian at No. 5 Wesleyan
Calvary Day Christian at No. 7 Trinity Christian
All eyes in Class A Private have to be on top-ranked Prince Avenue Christian. The Wolverines defeated ELCA 39-0 last week and in doing so, it ended the Chargers’ streak of five consecutive state championships. Led by UGA commit and five-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff, PACS is the favorite. The Wolverines average 312 passing to 146 rushing yards per game and that’s no surprise considering that Vandagriff is rated as the No. 2 quarterback for the senior class and No. 2 overall recruit in Georgia by 247Sports. He is 213-of-301 passing for 3,638 yards and 41 touchdowns and has rushed for 390 yards and 15 touchdowns. Vandagriff has passed to nine different receivers for touchdowns but senior Logan Johnson leads with 63 catches for 1,102 yards and 18 touchdowns. Senior Zac Dyer has 53 catches for 1,091 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior Landon Owens has 38 receptions for 448 yards and seven touchdowns. Owens also has 120 carries for 1,013 yards and 14 touchdowns. Wesleyan presents a balanced offense and averages 164 passing to 153 rushing yards per game. Senior quarterback Ryan Rose is 156-of-237 passing for 2,074 yards and 13 touchdowns. Junior Griffin Caldwell leads the backfield with 231 carries for 1,387 yards and 17 touchdowns. Junior Cooper Blauser has 42 receptions for 553 yards and six touchdowns for Wesleyan. Across the bracket, unranked Calvary Day is coming opff a 26-14 upset over No. 9 George Walton Academy in the quarterfinals. The Cavaliers are led by freshman quarterback Jake Merklinger who was 148-of-222 passing for 1,992 yards and 18 touchdowns entering the quarterfinals. Senior Greg Daniel leads the Calvary Day backfield with 245 carries for 1,664 yards and 14 touchdowns before the George Walton game. Trinity Christian beat No. 3 Fellowship Christian 41-27 to earn its semifinal berth. The Lions average 153 passing to 117 rushing yards per game and are led by junior quarterback David Dallas who is 132-of-211 passing for 1,559 yards and 11 touchdowns. Junior Tyson Wall has 173 carries for 946 yards and nine touchdowns.
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