Our Quarterfinals Game of the Week takes us to Jefferson for the fifth time this season in a third round playoff matchup.
Jefferson
The Dragons…oh man, what a dominant performance to prove they are worthy of the #1 overall rank in the state, and that the prior loss to Oconee County was a bit of a fluke. 42-6 to move to 7-0 on the home field, that’s unreal. For a second straight week, the Dragons will play a region foe in a rematch from a recent game. Gavin Markey had 3 more TDs last week, and Rett Hemphill is making a strong case for why he should be Player of the Year!
Cherokee Bluff
The Bears have tied their program’s win record with 11, and have a similar team statistically as Jefferson in terms of points and points allowed. Cherokee Bluff, in the Quarterfinals for the first time, return to Jefferson with hopes of avenging the loss from about a month ago. Brooks Brien at QB and KT Thompson at WR are the straws that stir the drink.
By the numbers (2024)
Jefferson
9-3 (8-AAA Champions)
Region Standings: 1st
35.0 OFFENSE AVG
15.7 DEFENSE AVG
#1 State Ranking
Cherokee Bluff
11-1 (8-AAA Runner-Up)
Region Standings: 2nd
34.1 OFFENSE AVG
16.2 DEFENSE AVG
#5 State Ranking
Game highlights
Be looking for highlights post-game later tonight as well as a story recapping the Quarterfinals. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get Jefferson coverage on the big market show! (schedule is different this week). You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (5G pending).
Team overview
We typically make a case for both, with our official pick linked below. Let’s begin with the Dragons. First off, they’re at home. We said this last week too, but going 7-0 at home shows why it’s a hard place to win. Jefferson doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel. What worked last time in a 35-7 victory over Cherokee Bluff can work again if executed properly. If they play clean ball, it’s their win. The Bears need to come up with some explosive plays. If they can come up with those 20-plus yard plays and convert in the red zone, they can make this interesting.
Matchup details
TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: Jefferson HS / Jefferson, GA / Memorial Stadium
LAST MEETING: 2024 (Week 11) / #3 Jefferson 35, #3 Cherokee Bluff 7
ALL-TIME RECORD: Jefferson leads 1-0 in the all-time series
RECORDS: #1 Jefferson Dragons (9-3) vs #5 Cherokee Bluff Bears (11-1)
HEAD COACHES: Travis Noland (219-96; 27 Seasons); Tommy Jones (106-99; 19 Seasons)
Historically speaking
These teams have squared off just a few weeks ago. That marks the sole contest, a 35-7 win that helped seal a region title for the Dragons. This is the second – and most important – meeting yet.
Team leaders (2024 stats)
*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps
Jefferson
Passing
Gavin Markey – 1,244 pass yds, 14 TD, 6 INT
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Rushing
Gavin Markey – 1,217 yds, 18 TD
Dallas Russell – 733 yds, 10 TD
Rett Hemphill – 355 yds, 6 TD
Mickell Pittman – 339 yds, 4 TD
Receiving
Talan Childress – 455 yds, 5 TD, 22 rec
Dalton Dye – 419 yds, 5 TD, 25 rec
RJ Hinton – 143 yds, 3 TD, 10 rec
Rett Hemphill – 84 yds, 1 TD
Dallas Russell – 75 yds, 1 TD
Defensive leaders
Max Brown – 115 TKL, 10 TFL, 2 Sacks, 3 FR, 1 FF
Rett Hemphill – 110 TKL, 10 TFL, 3 Sacks, 5 INT, 1 FR, 2 BLK
Kelan Butler – 74 TKL, 10 TFL, 5 Sacks, 1 FF, 1 BLK
Jayden Yang – 73 TKL, 4 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 FR, 1 BLK
Dashaun Keith – 54 TKL, 3 INT
Darren Pinkard – 50 TKL, 10 TFL, 5 Sacks, 1 FR
Cherokee Bluff
Passing
Brooks Brien – 2,274 yds, 24 TD, 5 INT, 63% completion
Rushing
Jackson Pirkle – 676 yds, 10 TD
Connor Griffin – 578 yds, 3 TD
KT Thompson – 61 yds, 2 TD
Brooks Brien – 35 yds, 5 TD
Receiving
KT Thompson – 895 yds, 11 TD, 53 rec
Malcolm Millsap – 457 yds, 4 TD, 26 rec
Dylan Haley – 338 yds, 3 TD, 19 rec
Landon Kemp – 307 yds, 4 TD, 23 rec
Defensive leaders
Colin Muyres – 75 TKL, 2 TFL
Tyler Underwood – 49 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 FR
Caleb Cooper – 47 TKL, 6 TFL
Landon Kemp – 40 TKL, 5 INT
Hudson Davis – 38 TKL, 5 TFL, 2 Sacks
Rylan Ackerman – 38 TKL, 5.5 TFL, 4 Sacks, 1 FR
Connor Griffin – 37 TKL, 11.5 TFL, 6.5 Sacks, 2 FF
Tony Rushin – 30 TKL, 6.5 TFL, 4 Sacks, 1 INT, 1 FR
