CLASS 5A (by Brian Jones)
The Peachtree Ridge Lions and the Grayson Rams did battle at the Lions Den in what was a heavyweight battle between two of the best teams in Gwinnett County. The Rams were able to strike first with a Harrell Gunn 8-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. The Lions were able to strike back as Ronnie Smith fumbled at the Rams’ 1-yard line but it was recovered in the end zone by offensive lineman Corey Brabham to tie the game. After that, both offenses had a hard time scoring and the game went into overtime. After both teams missed field goals in the first overtime, Grayson’s Austin Clark kicked a 37-yard field goal in the second overtime to go up by three. But Smith was able to punch it in from the Rams 1-yard line to give the Lions the 13-10 victory. This will be the second time in three years that the Lions will play for the state title. … Down in Newnan, the Cougars took on undefeated Camden County. The Camden County Wildcats proved that they are worthy of being called one of the best teams in the state, as they won big 27-7. The Wildcats built a 20-0 lead early in the first half and never looked back. This is the first time in five years they will play in the finals.
CLASS 4A (by Ricky Dimon)
Tucker crushed Griffin 34-0 in the semifinals on Friday night to improve its record to 13-1 and extend its winning streak to nine games (a streak that includes a 31-20 quarterfinal drubbing of top-ranked Westside-Macon). Quarterback Chris Beck scored on two long touchdown runs, the first of which opened the night’s scoring midway through the first quarter. With a flair for the big play, Jonathan Davis provided Tucker’s second touchdown in the form of a 48-yard run and Drayton Calhoun rambled home with the exclamation point late in the fourth from 37 yards out. … Arguably the most exhilarating game of the entire high school football season ended in dramatic 19-17 fashion with Marist wide receiver Kevin Allman just barely falling into the endzone for the game-winning touchdown as time expired. With the War Eagles facing their last chance of the game on fourth-and-goal, Allman scored on a reverse from four yards out despite getting hit at the two-yard line. “I just thought to myself that it is up to me to get us to the Dome,” Allman said of next Friday’s state championship against Tucker. “I didn’t think about what it all meant while the play was going on, but I didn’t want to let this team down.” Marist trailed the entire game starting with a Rome touchdown early in the first quarter and even found itself down 14-0 just seven minutes into the game. Nonetheless, the War Eagles survived two blocked punts and three fumbles in their successful comeback attempt. Quarterback Kyle Farmer led the way with 125 yards on 22 carries while adding 73 yards through the air.
CLASS 3A (by Fletcher Proctor)
Four became two Friday night when Flowery Branch and Cairo both advanced to the Georgia Dome and will compete for the state title this Saturday. In the first semifinal, Flowery Branch faced off against LaGrange and Lee Shaw’s Falcons were on their game all night long. After the coach’s son, Connor, threw for a second-quarter score, tailback Daniel Drummond took over in a big way. Drummond scampered in from 63 yards just after halftime to give the Falcons a 14-0 lead. He then added an 88-yard score and a 9-yard TD jaunt to pace the Falcons to a 28-0 victory. The Falcons will now face wire-to-wire No. 1 Cairo, which topped defending state champion Carver-Columbus, 42-13. Cairo was led once again by QB Angelo Pease and the running back tandem of Ronnie Wooten and Reggie Bryant. Pease accounted for four scores as Carver-Columbus’ bid for a repeat came up 29 points short. The state final should feature two power offenses going full tilt. Flowery Branch has yet to be challenged in these playoffs and have already knocked off Baldwin and LaGrange. Cairo meanwhile looks to grind its way to the title that just managed to elude it last season.
CLASS 2A (by Corey Mitchell)
The Class 2A State Championship will be decided next Friday afternoon by two great squads, as Calhoun and Buford earned their tickets to the final game in completely different ways. The defending champion Buford Wolves turned in another overpowering performance in their 44-14 victory over the previous red-hot Fitzgerald team. Buford has won all of its postseason games by at least 30 points while displaying a strong running game that has worn down opponents. The three-pronged attack of Cody Getz, Storm Johnson and Jessel Curry all accounted for scores in the semifinal triumph and will be looked to again in the Georgia Dome for more of the same. … The Calhoun Yellow Jackets stopped Brooks County on the goal-line as time expired to capture a dramatic 38-35 win in Veterans Memorial Stadium. On the game’s final play with the ball on the Calhoun 3-yard line, Brooks ran a dive play with Arlester McKinnon only to come up inches short from paydirt. Yellow Jacket quarterback Michael Johnson had a big game for Calhoun, tossing for 246 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for two more scores. The finals appearance will be the first for Calhoun since 2005, when it lost a heartbreaker to Charlton County, 27-21.
CLASS A (by Derek Wiley)
The Class A semifinals were as close as those of any classification, with both games tied in the third quarter. Defending state champions Emanuel County Institute jumped on Wilkinson County early with a 32-yard touchdown run by Washaun Ealey to put the Bulldogs up 7-0 in the first quarter. The Bulldogs led at halftime, but a fumble by Ealey in the third quarter gave Wilkinson County the ball at the Bulldogs’ 15-yard line, which was prime position for quarterback Tony McCrea to reach the end zone a few plays later from four yards out to tie the game at 7-7 going into the fourth quarter. The game remained tied until 1:38 remaining in the game, when Ealey ran 7 yards for his second touchdown and a two-point conversion gave the Bulldogs a 15-7 win. Ealey finished with 126 yards. … Lincoln County’s defense had been dominant in the playoffs, only allowing 12 points, but Wesleyan was able to find a few holes in the secondary on Friday night as quarterback Conor Welton passed for three touchdowns, two in the second half, to give the Wolves the 20-12 win and send Wesleyan to the state championship game for the first time in school history. A.G. Middlebrooks and Jafabian Green each had touchdown runs for Lincoln County.
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