Thomasville ended the luminous Rabun County career of quarterback Gunner Stockton, Benedictine edged defending champion Marist, and Buford stayed the course toward a third straight state title Friday night in three football playoff games between teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2.
In other quarterfinals, Langston Hughes and North Oconee claimed historic victories for themselves, reaching the semifinals for the first time.
Thomasville, ranked No. 2 in Class 2A, defeated No. 1 Rabun County 49-24. That puts Thomasville (12-1) two victories from its first state title since 1988 while blocking Rabun County’s bid for a first state championship.
Stockton, who has committed to the University of Georgia, entered the game 410 yards short of Trevor Lawrence’s career passing record of 13,902 yards and likely fell short, though his final statistics are not official. Rabun County was 46-7 in Stockton’s four years as a starter, including 11-2 this season.
Benedictine, the No. 2 team in 4A, beat No. 1 Marist 24-21. No. 1 Buford, of Class 6A, went into South Georgia and defeated No. 2 Lee County 27-0.
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