With Jefferson just days away from playing for a State Championship in the Benz, we look at some of our local football teams and their state title game histories.
BANKS COUNTY
State Title Game Appearances: 0
Closest: 2016 2nd Round
The Leopards have never really gotten close, putting together one 2nd-round appearance in 2016 as part of a 7-win season. That’s not the best season by any means, as the 1985 team was 9-1, and the 1981 team was 9-2. The program has 230 wins in 59 seasons but has yet to win a region title.
COMMERCE
State Title Game Appearances: 5
State Championships: 1981, 2000
The Tigers of Commerce have been arguably the most successful team in the state, winning two state titles (’81, ’00) and 19 region titles in 99 seasons. Commerce has won 660 games in that span, with the two biggest being the 1981 state title over Greene County and 2000 over Buford. The 1976 team was State Runner-Up, as were the 1973 and 1965 Tiger teams.
DAWSON COUNTY
State Title Game Appearances: 0
Closest: 2015 Quarterfinals
The Tigers have yet to play in the State Championship, but the closest they got in the bracket was the 2015 Quarterfinals, which was a 9-win team. The team has two region titles in its history and one 10-win season, with 213 total wins in 57 years.
HABERSHAM CENTRAL
State Title Game Appearances: 0
Closest: 1973 Semifinals; 1984, 1990, 2006, 2007 Quarterfinals
The Raiders haven’t played for a title, but the 5-time region champs have made some deep playoff runs. That includes the 1973 semifinal run, and quarterfinal runs in 1984, 1990, and 2006-2007, with Tavarres King and Bo Hatchett carving up the opposing defenses. Overall, Hab Central has 285 wins in 55 seasons, complete with five region titles.
JEFFERSON
State Title Game Appearances: 5
State Championships: 2012
The Dragons are set to play in their 5th State Championship in a matter of days. They also played for one in 2000 with Malaki Starks and company, falling to Marist. Before that, they won the coveted trophy in 2012 in a magical run to the Dome with legendary coach T McFerrin going out a winner for the 14-1 Dragons against Calhoun…as fate would have it, that’s who the Dragons have again this time. Jefferson, an all-time great program with 526 wins and 13 region crowns in 78 years of existence, also played for a title in 1977 and 1975.
LUMPKIN COUNTY
State Title Game Appearances: 0
Closest: 2023 Quarterfinals
Lumpkin County’s 2023 Quarterfinals run, in which the team finished 12-1. That was the best season in school history, bar none, with an elite offense (546 pts) and the program’s lone region title. Lumpkin has 212 wins all-time in 64 seasons.
RABUN COUNTY
State Title Game Appearances: 1
State Championships: 0
The golden age of Rabun County football will be that stretch from 2014-2022, as the Wildcats won nine straight region titles and, if you add in 2023, made nine straight Quarterfinals. The 2017 State Runner-Up finish polished off a 14-1 season with QB Bailey Fisher leading the charge. The Cats fell to Hapeville Charter, playing at home in Tiger on a cold and wet December night. The team remained close in each of the nine Quarterfinal runs, including a semifinal loss at Callaway in 2020 with Gunner Stockton at QB. Rabun has 437 all-time wins with ten region titles in 76 years.
STEPHENS COUNTY
State Title Game Appearances: 2
State Championships: 1958
The Indians had their State Championship in 1958 in a 12-0 perfect season. One of the most consistent teams in the state, with the expectation always being to play in the postseason, Stephens County also made a title game run in 1988, finishing 14-1 that year as the State Runner-Up. Overall, this program has 533 wins in 94 years, winning 16 region titles.
TOWNS COUNTY
State Title Game Appearances: 0
Closest: 2017 1st Round
Towns County has yet to win a region title or make a run past the first round, with the Indians’ lone playoff trip coming in 2017. The history includes 51 seasons with a win total of 84.
UNION COUNTY
State Title Game Appearances: 0
Closest: 1972-1973 Quarterfinals, 2019 2nd Round
The Panthers have 316 wins in 68 seasons, including a pair of region titles. Union hasn’t played for a championship but did make Quarterfinals runs in 1972 and 1973. Those teams were 3- and 4-win teams, respectively, though. So perhaps more accurately/recently, the team’s closest run to a title was in 2019, when Union posted its first-ever and only 10-win season to date while making the second round.
WHITE COUNTY
State Title Game Appearances: 0
Closest: 2010 & 2013 2nd Round
The Warriors have 319 all-time wins going back 67 seasons but still lack a region title and a title game appearance. The closest came in 2010 when White County won 9 games and made the 2nd Round with star RB/DB Ashely Lowery. They made another 2nd Round appearance a few years later.
