It’s that time of year again, when in each classification we truly find out who the top teams in the state are.
Last year, the semifinals were moved to home sites for the first time since 1995, when the likes of Southwest DeKalb, Josey, Elbert County and Lincoln County were on their way to state titles in the four classifications. Through last year, Semifinal Weekend caught the attention of Georgia high school football fans, as 20 teams graced the Dome’s artificial turf in two days.
Now, the fourth round of the playoffs will be held at the schools for the second year in a row.
The 20 teams that remain in the 2009 GHSA State Playoffs have all proven their mettle, though some of them have come from further back than others to get to where they are now. Exactly seven of the 20 semifinal teams were not ranked in the Georgia High School Football Daily Top-10 poll (Todd Holcomb/Chip Saye) going into the postseason: Colquitt County (Class AAAAA), Rockdale County and Clarke Central (AAAA), Flowery Branch and Eastside (AAA), and Clinch County and Darlington (A).
Among the semifinalists, there are two defending champions still playing, Buford and Camden County; and two of the other teams still alive (Flowery Branch and Calhoun) were finals participants from last season.
GREAT STORYLINES …
Just like any season, we can look back at this point and relive the compelling stories from around the state, even if they don’t involve teams that are still in the running for a state title.
Lassiter’s two-year turnaround from perennial loser to state contender turned heads, as did the Trojans’ matchup with Colquitt County in the quarterfinals, where Colquitt head coach Rush Propst met his former offensive coordinator in Chip Lindsey. Grayson received top-10 billing throughout the season from many of the national rankings services, even rising to as high as No. 2 according to RivalsHigh. Meadowcreek, usually the forgotten Gwinnett school, got attention for being featured in a New York Times article on the unique situation of the struggling program. The nation was introduced to Georgia football with prime-time ESPN games between Camden County and Hoover, Ala., and Stephenson and M.L. King. And to remind us of the business aspect of high school football, Valdosta head coach Rick Tomberlin, despite a playoff berth, was let go by the school board after it decided to forgo a scheduled vote on the issue.
Dalton completed the program’s 50th consecutive winning season, an incredible streak that is believed to be a national record. Avondale completed an impressive turnaround of its own, finishing 6-5 with a playoff berth, its first winning season and postseason appearance since 1989. Lovett defeated Buford on a last-second interception, breaking up an amazing 32-game winning streak by the Wolves. Tonight, both teams will be in action and looking to force a rematch against their region rival (the teams also met with the title on the line in 2007).
In perhaps the most poignant and touching storyline of them all this season, Greenville head coach Jeremy Williams coached perhaps his final high school game two weeks ago in a second-round loss to Wilcox County. Williams, who suffers from the terminal illness ALS (or Lou Gehrig’s disease), had led the Class A school to an 11-0 record before the playoff defeat. Wilcox fans in attendance that night surely were witness to all that’s right about high school athletics, as Williams embraced his players one by one after the game.
TAKING A LOOK BACK …
The playoffs have already produced some great games and exciting endings, and a number of our semifinalists emerged from the pack after some nail-biting finishes.
Camden County survived Lowndes 10-7 for a huge win at Chris Gilman Stadium in the second round. The Class AAAAA state championship has gone through one of these two schools for five out of the last six seasons. Colquitt County survived a scare in Round 2 as well, but eked out a 22-21 victory over Stephenson of DeKalb County thanks in part to three interceptions and two huge fourth-quarter kickoff returns by Quin Roberson. Newnan got a blocked field goal from Alec Ogletree to take a 9-7 win over Grayson in the quarters, and Northside got a 32-yarder from Devon Pike in overtime to put the Eagles over Peachtree Ridge, last season’s runner-up.
Sandy Creek nipped Tucker, the defending AAAA champ, 17-14 in the second round, while Clarke Central took down perhaps the favorite in the class, Southwest DeKalb, 19-17.
Peach County went to overtime with St. Pius in the quarters but came out with a victory, and Flowery Branch pulled off an incredible 35-33 victory over 2007 champ Carver-Columbus on the road last week; the Falcons scored the last 14 points of the game.
Lovett went on the road to Folkston last weekend and outlasted Charlton County, 35-32, despite an incredible performance from Charlton QB/PR/KR Chris Milton.
Darlington played its closest game of the playoffs against Warren County in Round 1, holding on to a 16-14 victory after going up 16-0 to start the game. Savannah Christian sealed a 14-10 first-round victory over Irwin County with an interception with seven seconds left, and Wilcox County’s Nick Marshall led the Patriots on a 61-yard scoring drive with five minutes left in the quarterfinal game against Wesleyan to take a 20-15 win.
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