It’s down to the finals this week and Buford and Athens Christian are among the teams still in the title hunt. Here’s how the semifinals played out on the way to Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta.
Class 7A
Collins Hill 31, Grayson 0: Collins Hill led only 10-0 at halftime but drove 84 yards on 16 plays for a touchdown to open the second half, then scored again after forcing a turnover. Sam Horn was 24-of-32 passing for 230 yards and rushed for 99 yards on eight carries. Travis Hunter had eight receptions for 75 yards. Spenser Anderson rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Jaylen George had three tackles for losses. The shutout was Collins Hill’s sixth of the season.
What it means: Collins Hill avenges its loss in the 2020 championship game, improves to 14-0 with no game closer than 15 points and moves closer to its first state title. Grayson, unranked after the regular season, finishes 10-4 despite heavy graduation losses.
Milton 52, Walton 17: Milton trailed 10-0 midway in the second quarter but scored the game’s final 52 points. Jordan McDonald rushed for 155 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries. Devin Farrell was 5-of-14 passing for 105 yards and rushed for 61 yards. Walton’s Jeremy Hecklinski was 26-of-37 passing for 350 yards but was intercepted three times.
What it means: Milton, the preseason No. 1 team, takes a 12-game winning streak and a 43.1-point scoring average into the final, where the Eagles are chasing their second state title, first since 2018. Walton ends up 9-4 in its best season since the 2011 state runner-up finish.
Class 6A
Buford 21, Carrollton 6: Ashton Daniels’ 7-yard TD pass to Nate Norys with 1:54 left in the third quarter gave Buford a 21-6 lead. Daniels was 8-of-11 passing for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Victor Venn rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Josiah Wyatt had 2.5 of Buford’s nine tackles for losses. Carrollton’s M.J. Morris passed for 172 yards but was sacked three times as Carrollton was held to 52 yards rushing.
What it means: Buford, the No. 1 team, moves closer to its third consecutive state title and 14th overall. The Wolves are 14-0 in the playoffs under coach Bryant Appling. Carrollton finishes 12-2 with its first semifinal finish since 2013 under first-year coach Joey King.
Hughes 41, Dacula 14: Prentiss Noland threw TD passes of 63 and 60 yards to Rodney Shelly in the first six minutes, and Hughes led 34-7 at halftime, Dacula’s only first-half score came on a kickoff return. Noland was 12-of-17 passing for 248 yards and four touchdowns. Shelley had four receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns and intercepted a pass. Antonio Martin rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
What it means: Hughes, a 12-year-old school, is in the finals for the first time. Hughes is the first south Fulton County team to reach a final since Creekside won Class 5A in 2013 and second in more than 30 years. Dacula finishes 9-5 after a 1-3 start under first-year coach Casey Vogt.
Class 5A
Calhoun 24, Blessed Trinity 7: Calhoun took a 21-0 halftime lead on three Christian Lewis TD passes. Lewis was 13-of-15 for 120 yards. Two touchdowns went to Cole Speer, who had five receptions for 77 yards. Caden Williams rushed for 72 yards. Blessed Trinity’s Justice Haynes rushed for 157 yards on 34 carries, but Calhoun allowed only 56 other total yards.
What it means: Calhoun beats the Titans for the second time this season and advances to its first final since the 2017 Class 3A championship. It will be Calhoun’s first final under third-year coach Clay Stephenson and first ever in a larger classification, as the previous 10 were in Class 3A or below. Blessed Trinity, the preseason No. 1 team, finishes 9-5 under first-year coach Tom Hall.
Warner Robins 40, Creekside 15: Warner Robins led 23-0 at halftime and 40-7 in the fourth quarter. Chaz Sturn rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, and Fred Perry rushed for 60 yards and four touchdowns on eight carries. Warner Robins’ edge in total yards was only 340-291, but the Demons intercepted three passes and did not turn the ball over. Vic Burley, a junior five-star recruit, had three tackles for losses.
What it means: Warner Robins stays on course to defend its title and reaches the finals for the fifth straight time, something only Buford, Calhoun and Eagle’s Landing Christian have done previously. Creekside finishes 11-3 with its best playoff advancement since its 2013 Class 5A championship.
Class 4A
Benedictine 42, North Oconee 32: Leading 35-32 in the fourth quarter, Benedictine iced the game with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that hit paydirt with 3:39 left. Holden Geriner was 15-of-24 passing for 215 yards and three touchdowns. Za’Quan Bryan had seven receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Justin Thomas rushed for 126 yards.
What it means: Benedictine wins its 12th consecutive game after an 0-2 start and reaches its first final since the 2016 Class 2A championship. North Oconee’s nine-game winning streak, which includes victories over four top-10 Class 4A teams, is over. The Titans’ semifinal finish is their best in history.
Carver (Columbus) 22, Cedartown 21: Jaiden Credle scored on a 54-yard run with about three minutes left, and Devin Riles ran in the conversion for a 22-21 lead. Cedartown didn’t threaten from there. Riles was 13-of-17 passing for 162 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 107 yards on seven carries. Credle rushed for 104 yards, putting him nine short of 2,000 on the season, and had five receptions for 37 yards.
What it means: Carver wins its 13th consecutive game and reaches the finals for the first time since its Class 3A title under current Georgia running backs coach Dell McGee. Cedartown finishes 11-2 with its deepest playoff run since 2001.
Class 3A
Cedar Grove 27, Appling County 6: Jamar Graham was 14-of-16 passing for 267 yards and threw three TD passes in the second half. Cedar Grove led only 6-3 at halftime, and Appling County missed a chance at a 10-0 lead by fumbling into the end zone for a touchback. Cedar Grove’s Rashod Dubinion was limited to 55 yards rushing. The Saints had nine tackles for losses, including two sacks by Camren Jackson.
What it means: Cedar Grove, the preseason No. 1 team under first-year coach John Adams, reaches its first final since winning the title in 2019 and moves into position to claim its fourth championship in six seasons. Appling County finishes 12-2 under first-year coach Jordan Mullis for the Pirates’ best finish since 2011.
Carver (Atlanta) 19, Pierce County 17: Carver took a 19-3 halftime lead on Quintavious Lockett’s three touchdowns and stopped Pierce County’s two-point attempt for the tie with about two minutes left. Lockett rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Jarveous Brown rushed for 108 yards on 16 carries. Bryce Bowen was 9-of-15 passing for 154 yards.
What it means: Carver is in the finals for the first time since 1967 and is the first Atlanta city school to play for a title since Mays was the Class 5A runner-up in 2014. Pierce County, the defending champion, finishes 11-3.
Class 2A
Fitzgerald 27, Swainsboro 6: Fitzgerald scored on its first two drives for a 14-0 lead and used its ground game and defense to keep Swainsboro at bay. DeNorris Goodwin had 143 of Fitzgerald’s 297 rushing yards. Jakorrian Paulk rushed for 87 yards and caught a 34-yard TD pass, one of Fitzgerald’s two completions. Fitzgerald held Swainsboro to 165 total yards.
What it means: Fitzgerald, the 2020 state runner-up, beats its third straight region champion on the road to arrive in the finals for the seventh time since its last and only title in 1948. Fitzgerald advances to get a rematch of the region game that Thomasville won 15-8 on Oct. 22. Swainsboro finishes 11-3 with its deepest playoff run since its 2000 Class 3A championship.
Thomasville 31, Callaway 6: Malik Harper returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and Thomasville seized full control in the second quarter after Callaway’s 80-yard drive ended in a missed field goal. Two players later, Shannen White threw an 81-yard TD pass to Jordan Williams for a 17-0 lead. White was 8-of-19 passing for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Thomasville running backs Harper (15-45) and Ricky Fulton (13-47) were contained, but Thomasville held Callaway to 36 yards rushing.
What it means: Thomasville, chasing its first state title since 1988, defeats its sixth top-10 opponent this season to reach its first championship game since 1993. Callaway, the defending champion, finishes 10-3.
Class A Private
Trinity Christian 48, Eagle’s Landing Christian 45: David Dallas threw a 12-yard TD pass to Aaron Gates on a busted play in the second overtime after ELCA kicked a field goal. The game featured 13 ties or lead changes, and Trinity never led until scoring in the first overtime. ELCA matched that touchdown, then kicked a field goal, but Gates’ touchdown ended it. Dallas was 27-of-34 passing for 334 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns.
What it means: Trinity Christian, seeking its first state title, is 13-0 and back in the finals for a rematch with Prince Avenue Christian. ELCA finishes 7-7 but with only two losses to a Class A opponent, Trinity. Trinity’s previous closest game had been a 34-3 victory over ELCA on Oct. 1.
Prince Avenue Christian 38, Fellowship Christian 28: Aaron Philo was 25-of-33 passing for 385 yards and two touchdowns, both to Elijah Dewitt. Their second TD connection covered 59 yards and gave Prince Avenue a 35-21 early in the fourth quarter. Dewitt had five receptions for 146 yards and scored on a 4-yard run. Philo rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown.
What it means: Prince Avenue, the defending champion, returns to the finals with its 13th straight victory since an opening loss to Calvary Day. The victory is Prince Avenue’s sixth over a ranked opponent and second straight against a top-10 region champion on the road. Fellowship finishes 12-2 in its first season under coach Tim McFarlin.
Class A Public
Irwin County 45, Wilcox County 14: Irwin County scored three third-quarter touchdowns to take a 45-7 lead. Damarkus Lundy rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, and Cody Soliday was 4-of-6 passing for 105 yards and three touchdowns, one to Lundy. Irwin County held Wilcox to 206 total yards and forced three lost fumbles.
What it means: Irwin County moves within one victory of becoming the first Class A public-school program to win three straight state titles since Lincoln County in 1985-87. Wilcox County finishes 10-4 in its deepest playoff run since 2012.
Brooks County 49, Metter 7: Brooks County took a 28-0 first-quarter lead and cruised. Omari Arnold rushed for 153 yards (surpassing 2,000 for the season, 6,000 in his career) and three touchdowns on 11 carries. Jamal Sanders was 8-of-9 passing for 181 yards and two touchdowns, both to Willie Brown.
What it means: With a third consecutive road playoff victory, Brooks County reaches the finals for the third straight season in pursuit of its first championship since 1994. Metter finishes 13-1 for the second straight season.
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