Prince Avenue Christian seized control of its semifinals showdown with Wesleyan with a trio of first-half touchdowns by star quarterback Brock Vandagriff, continuing the top-ranked Wolverines’ tear through the postseason — and securing a shot at their first state title in program history — with the 50-3 win.
It was the second time this season the Wolves suffered a loss at the hands of the Wolverines, and in both games, Wesleyan was first on the board. Unlike October 2nd’s 52-26 defeat, however, Brooks Sturgeon’s 33-yard field goal was the only success Wesleyan’s offense would have all night. Vandagriff scored on a 1-yard keeper late in the opening frame, then threw a pair of touchdown passes to seniors Zac Dyer and Phillip Kelley for a 21-3 advantage midway through the second quarter. Bryson Franklin sent a 37-yarder through the uprights as the half came to a close, and after sophomore Uriah Howard’s block of a Wesleyan punt for a safety and senior Landon Owens’ rushing score from 11 yards out, the junior kicker hit another field goal to give the Wolverines a 36-3 lead heading into the fourth.
Vandagriff, who entered the game with 3672 passing yards and 41 touchdown completions (along with 15 rushing scores), connected with senior Jake Pittman for his third touchdown pass of the night with 8:44 to play. Owens scored again shortly after on a 31-yard run, and sophomore Josh Britt punctuated the big win with an interception in the final minutes.
Prince Avenue has outscored its opponents 193-37 in the playoffs, and only the Trinity Christian Lions now remain between the Wolverines and that elusive state title.
Here is the semifinal wrap by Todd Holcomb.
Class 7A
Class 6A
Lee County 35, Westlake 14
Westlake knotted the game with a pair of touchdowns late in the second quarter before Lee County closed out the semifinals matchup between the Lions and the top-ranked Trojans with 21 unanswered points to secure a shot at the Trojans’ third state title in four years. Senior running back Caleb McDowell finished with four scores for Lee County, including back-to-back touchdowns early in the second quarter for a 14-0 lead. Senior Corzavius Smart put the Lions on the board with a 62-yard run with 4:26 left in the half, and sophomore quarterback RJ Johnson connected with senior Leo Blackburn Jr as the clock expired for a 14-14 tie at the break. The Trojans defense kept Westlake out of the end zone through the rest of the game, however, and another pair of touchdowns from McDowell in the third quarter had Lee County firmly in control well before senior quarterback Chauncey Magwood found junior TE Tyrus Washington in the fourth for the final points of the night. The Trojans will square off with the Buford Wolves in the title game, who came away with a 45-26 win over Valdosta this week.
Class 5A
Warner Robins 56, Jones County 21
Warner Robins quarterback Jalen Addie accounted for seven touchdowns — six passing and one rushing — to lead the host Demons over Jones County. Addie threw two touchdown passes to Armon Porter in the first half for 59 and 50 yards. He found four other Demons receivers for scores, including 37 yards to Kaleb Howard, 10 yards to Jahlen Rutherford, 10 yards to De’Andre King and 8 yards to Malcom Brown. Addie also rushed for a 4-yard touchdown for the first points of the game. The Demons led 42-14 at halftime and capped the scoring with a 6-yard Rutherford touchdown rush in the third quarter.
Cartersville 24, Coffee 17
Host Cartersville broke a 17-17 tie in the fourth quarter when Evan Slocum scored on a 40-yard screen pass from Carlos Del Rio-Wilson at the 8:32 mark, taking a 24-17 lead after Oscar Hernandez made the PAT. After the teams traded punts, Coffee took possession with under four minutes to play and drove deep into Cartersville territory, but Cartersville preserved the win by breaking up three straight A.J. Wilkerson passes into the end zone from the 20-yard line, including a fourth-down pass intended for wide receiver Maurice Turner with eight seconds remaining. Del Rio-Wilson put Cartersville ahead 7-0 in the first quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run, and Amarai Orr gave the Purple Hurricanes a 14-10 halftime lead on a long fumble return for a touchdown with 1:24 remaining in the first half. Hernandez gave Cartersville a 17-10 lead with a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter. Coffee tied the game at 17-17 with 10:44 remaining in the game on a 9-yard Wilkerson pass to Turner, and Turner also scored on a 7-yard run from a direct snap to tie the game at 7-7 in the second quarter. Noah Saylor made a 36-yard field goal in the second quarter to give Coffee a 10-7 lead.
Class 4A
Marist 42, Bainbridge 0
Top-ranked Marist went on the road to shut out Bainbridge, with quarterback Champ Davis and fullback Andrew Mannelly rushing for a pair of touchdowns apiece in the semifinals matchup between the War Eagles and Bearcats. Davis found the end zone in the first and third quarters, and Mannelly rushed for a 12-yard touchdown in the second and another in the third to put Marist ahead 35-0 before it pulled its starters. Lincoln Parker also rushed for a goal-line touchdown in the first quarter for the War Eagles, and Preston Larmore capped the scoring with a 5-yard TD run with 8:14 remaining in the game.
Jefferson 42, Benedictine 35
No. 2 ranked Jefferson came out on top of a back-and-forth battle with Benedictine behind a transcendent performance from junior quarterback Malaki Starks, who finished the game with 30 carries for 321 yards and four rushing scores (including the game-winner), a 32-yard passing touchdown, and an interception in the back of the end zone with a minute to play to seal the 42-35 victory. The Dragons traveled 243 miles for their first-ever matchup with the No. 4 ranked Cadets, and they entered the night averaging 271.4 rushing yards and 44.2 points per game. The Dragons defense has only allowed 8.27 ppg this year, but Benedictine’s offense found success early when junior quarterback Holden Geriner connected with sophomore Za’quon Bryan for a 46-yard touchdown on the Cadets’ opening drive. Set up by his own 45-yard run, Starks found the end zone for the first time late in the first quarter for the first of the game’s five ties. Junior Justin Thomas finished with a trio of scores for Benedictine, and his first followed a 45-yard reception by Trent Broadnax early in the second. Again, Jefferson responded. Paxton Corkery blocked a Benedictine punt and Kolton Jones capitalized with a 22-yard TD run for a 14-14 score at the break. The teams traded touchdowns throughout the third as well; Benedictine scored on Geriner’s 27-yarder to Kameron Edge one play after the Cadets recovered a Jefferson fumble on the opening kickoff and on a 13-yard TD run from Thomas, and Starks answered each with rushing scores from 5 and 6 yards out before his 32-yard touchdown completion to Spencer Neese on 4th-and-7 gave Jefferson its first lead of the night (35-28) with 10:20 remaining. Thomas’ third scoring run knotted the game again, but Starks broke free for a 65-yard go-ahead touchdown on the Dragons’ next drive to reclaim the lead, then intercepted Geriner’s potential game-tying pass. Jefferson advances to the finals for the first time since the Dragons’ 2012 championship season, and will face Marist following the War Eagles’ 42-0 rout of Bainbridge.
Class 3A
Oconee County 21, Greater Atlanta Christian 20 (2OT)
Pierce County 25, Crisp County 13
No. 5 ranked Pierce County outscored Crisp County 16-0 in the fourth quarter to secure the program’s first-ever trip to the finals. The Bears led 9-7 at the half following a late safety that provided the edge. Crisp County grabbed a 13-9 lead heading into the final frame before Pierce County closed out the win with a field goal and fumble recovery touchdown.
Class 2A
Fitzgerald 24, Jefferson County 0
No. 1 ranked Fitzgerald previously defeated the Warriors 14-12 on Sept. 25 and swept the season series with a shutout victory at home to advance to the program’s third finals since 2015. Mario Clark put the Purple Hurricanes on the board with a rushing touchdown in the first quarter, and Fitzgerald booted a field goal before the half to make it 10-0 at the break. Clark added his second touchdown in the fourth quarter and Chance Gamble iced the game with a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown. Teammates Jacquavious Pope (fumble recovery) and Todkevious Wallace (interception) also produced turnovers in the victory.
Callaway 41, Rabun County 17
Host Callaway turned a 14-10 lead late in the first half into a runaway win with 27 straight points in just over a quarter of play. Cavaliers running back Charlie Dixon rushed for three touchdowns, including two in Callaway’s big third quarter. Dixon’s first touchdown came on a 2-yard rush in the first to give Callaway a 14-0 lead, and his third-quarter scores came on a 10-yard rush and a 77-yard run in which he spun away from several Rabun County defenders at the line of scrimmage to break free and put Callaway ahead 41-10. Callaway quarterback Demetrius Coleman rushed for a 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter to give the Cavaliers a 20-10 lead at halftime and threw a 49-yard touchdown to tight end Sam Williams early in the third quarter. Callaway’s Jalin Shephard scored the first points of the game on a 70-yard interception return of a Gunner Stockton pass that was tipped by a Cavaliers teammate. Stockton threw a touchdown to Adriel Clark in the second quarter and rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Class A Private
Trinity Christian 17, Calvary Day 7
No. 7 ranked Trinity Christian outscored visiting Calvary Day 10-0 in the second half to advance to the finals for the second time since 2017. Both teams recorded two interceptions in the first half and went into the break tied 7-7. David Dallas connected with Danny Baird for a 12-yard touchdown to get the Lions on the board, and Calvary Day’s score came on a Greg Daniel 5-yard touchdown run. Dallas and Baird connected again with 1:55 left in the third quarter for a 37-yard touchdown and Ryan Earl’s interception set up Noah Maupin for a 20-yard field goal to push the lead to 17-7.
Class A Public
Irwin County 44, Metter 10
Defending state champion Irwin County served top-ranked host Metter its first loss of the year and advanced to its fourth-straight finals under its first-year head coach Casey Soliday. The Indians jumped out to a 24-0 lead with 3:09 left in the third quarter before coasting to victory. Irwin County finished the game with 248 rushing yards and outgained the Tigers 303-to-194 in total yards. Kam Ward led the way with 161 yards and two rushing scores and teammate Donavan Thomas racked up 62 yards and a touchdown off five carries. Derrick Taylor contributed a 103-yard interception return for a touchdown in the victory.
Brooks County 42, Clinch County 0
No. 4 ranked Brooks County took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter with Omari Arnold’s 24-yard touchdown run and then poured on 28 points in the second quarter to take a 35-0 halftime lead. The Trojans previously defeated Clinch County 45-3 during the regular season. With the victory, Brooks County returns to its second-straight finals and will match up with Irwin County—which handed the team its only loss of the season in a 21-13 battle on Oct. 9.
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