It was a thrilling night of football in the state semifinals on Friday night. Ten teams emerged from the fray with their tickets punched to the Georgia Dome; here’s how they got there.
CLASS 5A …
Northside-Warner Robins defeated Newnan in Coweta County to earn a spot in the title game for the third year out of the last four. In 2006 and ’07, Northside was the Class 4A champ, but will represent one half of the final pairing in 5A this year.
In the other 5A game, Camden County held off Colquitt County 19-10 at home. RB Aundre Johnson scored the game-icing touchdown in the fourth quarter to put away the upstart Packers. The Wildcats are going for their second straight state title.
CLASS 4A …
Sandy Creek reached its first state title game ever with an upset win, 22-15, over No. 1 Griffin. Making the Patriots’ win all the more impressive is the fact that the game had to be moved to Griffin because Sandy Creek’s stadium did not meet playoff standards for capacity.
Clarke Central dominated its Region 8 foe Rockdale County to the tune of a 28-0 blowout win in Athens. The Gladiators will be going for their first state title since 1985, when they won under legendary head coach Billy Henderson.
CLASS 3A …
Blake Sims hit Tyson Smith for a game-winning touchdown pass with 18 seconds left for Gainesville, lifting them over Flowery Branch 29-21 in a game in which they had trailed the entire time. Flowery Branch was up 14-0 at halftime after a pick-6 right before the half, but Sims took a kickoff back 96 yards for a score to open scoring in the second half.
Peach County held on against Eastside 21-14 to earn their way to the Dome. The Trojans will be looking for their first state title since 2006; they took home two straight championships in ’05 and ’06.
CLASS 2A …
We will have a rematch in the Class 2A state title game. Last year’s participants, Buford and Calhoun, moved through to the final after outlasting Fitzgerald (38-28) and Lovett (49-41), respectively. Buford defeated Calhoun last season in the championship game to win their second straight title. Calhoun is looking for its first title since 1948.
CLASS A …
Wilcox County took a close win over Clinch County, 20-14 to reach the title game. In the other semifinal, Savannah Christian defeated Darlington in a battle of private schools in Rome. The Class A final will be the only championship matchup featuring a private school this season.
For more coverage, visit AJC.com/sports/high-school.
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