Class 7A
*Collins Hill 31, Lowndes 14: Sam Horn was 37-of-53 passing for 372 yards and four touchdowns, three to Travis Hunter, whose 33- and 45-yard scores in the third quarter broke the game open. Hunter had 11 receptions for 184 yards and intercepted a pass. Collins Hill held its fourth consecutive playoff opponent to 14 points or less.
What it means: Collins Hill (12-2), which opened in 1994, is in the finals for the first time and will get a rematch with Grayson, which beat the Eagles 28-7 on Sept. 18. It will be an all-Gwinnett County final, the first since North Gwinnett-Norcross in 2013. Lowndes, the 2019 runner-up, finishes its first season under coach Jamey DuBose with a 10-2 record.
*Grayson 28, Norcross 0: Grayson scored two touchdowns on its first three drives for a 14-0 lead and held Norcross to 84 total yards and eight first downs for the game. Grayson also intercepted two passes. Jake Garcia was 10-of-20 passing for 185 yards and two touchdowns, though was intercepted twice. Jaden Smith had 100 yards receiving. Grayson posted its fourth shutout, third in the playoffs.
What it means: Grayson (13-0), the No. 1-ranked team, can win its third state title in 10 seasons, first since 2016. Norcross (13-1) concludes its best season since its 2013 state championship.
Class 6A
*Buford 45, Valdosta 26: Buford got touchdowns in the first six minutes on a 76-yard pass from Dylan Wittke to Jake Pope, a 70-yard interception return by Tommy Beuglas and a 33-yard run by Victor Venn for a 21-0 lead that grew to 31-0 by halftime. The Wolves led 45-14 with 5:02 remaining before surrendering two late touchdowns. Venn had 142 of Buford’s 292 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. Gabe Ervin, who signed last week with Nebraska, ran for 88 yards and a TD.
What it means: Buford (12-1) remains in contention for its second consecutive state title and 13th overall. Valdosta’s first season under coach Rush Propst ends in the semifinals, the program’s best finish since 2016.
*Lee County 35, Westlake 14: Lee County and Westlake were tied 14-14 at halftime, but two touchdown runs by Caleb McDowell in the third quarter helped Lee County pull away. McDowell, who signed with South Carolina last week, ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns and caught a TD pass, giving him 16 touchdowns in the Trojans’ four playoff games. QB Chauncey Magwood rushed for 145 yards and threw touchdown passes to McDowell and Tyrus Washington. Lee County finished with 354 yards rushing.
What it means: Lee County (12-1), the No. 1-ranked team, moves closer to a third state title in four seasons, while Westlake, Fulton County’s last remaining playoff team, falls short of its first state final appearance.
Class 5A
*Cartersville 24, Coffee 17: Carlos Del Rio threw a 40-yard TD pass to Evan Slocum to break a 17-17 tie with 8:32 left. Coffee had the ball at Cartersville’s 20-yard line in the final minute and Cartersville broke up three passes in the end zone. Del Rio was 17-of-26 passing for 225 yards. Slocum, in addition to his TD reception, rushed for 89 yards on 13 carries while playing full-time in the secondary. Del Rio signed with Florida last week. Slocum signed with Wake Forest.
What it means: Cartersville (12-1), in its first season up in Class 5A, stays alive in pursuit of its third state title in six seasons, first since 2016 and first since Trevor Lawrence left for Clemson.
*Warner Robins 56, Jones County 21: Jalen Addie was 16-of-18 passing for 309 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Armon Porter had four receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Jahlen Rutherford rushed for 94 yards. LB Demarcious Robinson had three tackles for losses. Warner Robins led 42-14 at halftime and outgained Jones County 591-323.
What it means: Warner Robins (12-1) is in the finals for the fourth straight time and ends the run of Jones County and its coach, Mike Chastain, who was Warner Robins’ coach for those first two state final runs.
Class 4A
*Jefferson 42, Benedictine 35: Malaki Starks ran for 321 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries and was 2-of-4 passing for 47 yards and a TD. His 67-yard touchdown run with 4:52 remaining broke a 35-35 tie, and his interception in the end zone in the final minute preserved the victory. Jefferson never trailed by more than seven points but did not take its first lead until Starks’ 32-yard TD pass to Spencer Neese made it 35-28 early in the fourth quarter. Jefferson finished with 550 yards of total offense, 503 rushing.
What it means: Jefferson (12-0) reaches its first state final since its 2012 state championship. Its final with Marist will be the only one between undefeated teams.
*Marist 42, Bainbridge 0: Marist held Bainbridge to minus-5 yards rushing on 15 carries and 96 total yards and recorded its third shutout in four playoff games. The War Eagles are giving up just 2.83 points per game, best in the state. QB Champ Davis and Lincoln Parker had touchdown runs less than five minutes apart late in the first quarter to seize control. Davis finished with 78 of Marist’s 267 yards rushing and was 5-of-6 passing for 55 yards. Davis and Andrew Mannelly ran for two touchdowns each.
What it means: Marist (12-0) posts its eighth shutout of the season and reaches the finals for the fourth time since its 2003 state championship.
Class 3A
*Oconee County 21, Greater Atlanta Christian 20: Trailing 20-14 in the second overtime, Oconee County converted a fourth-and-16 pass from Jacob Wright to Justin Coleman. It went 20 yards to the 1, where Coleman ran for the touchdown on the next play. Nico Silva’s point-after then won it. Coleman had 56 yards from scrimmage, two touchdowns and 13 tackles. Oconee converted a fourth-and-10 on a scoring drive in the first quarter.
What it means: Oconee (12-0) reaches the finals for the second time in a row in chasing its first championship since 1999. GAC’s pursuit of its first state title is ended.
*Pierce County 25, Crisp County 13: With Pierce trailing 13-12 with 2:01 left, Ty Little stripped the ball from Crisp’s quarterback, and Austin Jernigan returned the fumble 69 yards for a touchdown. Then leading 18-13, Pierce scored on a fumble again with John Manghir forcing the ball loose on a sack in the end zone, where D.J. Bell recovered with 1:22 for a 25-13 lead. Bell also rushed for 80 yards. Crisp led in total yards 309-201 but also turnovers 2-0.
What it means: Pierce (12-1) denies Crisp a return trip to the finals and reaches its own final for the first time. Pierce is 219-218 all-time – over .500 for the first time since 1989).
Class 2A
*Callaway 41, Rabun County 17: Callaway led 14-10 in the second quarter but scored 27 unanswered points to pull away. Charlie Dixon’s 76-yard touchdown run made it a 41-10 game late in the third quarter. Charlie Dixon also scored on runs of 10 and 2 yards. Demetrius Coleman had a 64-yard touchdown run and a 48-yard touchdown pass to Sam Williams. Jalin Shephard scored the game’s first points on a 70-yard interception return.
What it means: Callaway (11-1) reaches the finals for the first time and keeps alive its dream of a first state title, while Rabun County’s dream of the same is ended.
*Fitzgerald 24, Jefferson County 0: Fitzgerald held Jefferson County to 128 total yards and forced three turnovers in defeating the Warriors for the second time this season (Fitzgerald won 14-12 on Sept. 25). Mario Clark had 68 yards rushing on 20 carries and ran for a touchdown in each half. Chance Gamble returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Fitzgerald finished with 232 yards of total offense and did not commit a turnover.
What it means: Fitzgerald (13-0) is in the finals for the sixth time since its 1948 championship, while Jefferson County is stopped in its bid for its first championship-game appearance.
Class A Private
*Prince Avenue Christian 50, Wesleyan 3: Brock Vandagriff was 21-of-30 passing for 269 yards and three touchdowns to three receivers. Zac Dyer had seven receptions for 139 yards. Landon Owens rushed for 132 yards. Uriah Howard blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety.
What it means: Prince Avenue (12-1) continues its playoff dominance (average score 48-9) and moves a step closer to its first state title while denying Wesleyan a second consecutive appearance in the finals.
*Trinity Christian 17, Calvary Day 7: David Dallas was 19-of-32 passing for 177 yards and two touchdowns, both to Danny Baird, and overcame three interceptions. Tyson Wall rushed for 101 yards. Josh Dallas had 86 yards from scrimmage and a team-leading six solo tackles. Trinity led only 326-276 in total yards but forced five turnovers.
What it means: Trinity Christian (12-2) reaches its first GHSA final since leaving the Georgia Independent School Association after the 2017 season. Calvary Day’s quest for its first final since 2013 and championship is over.
Class A Public
*Irwin County 44, Metter 10: Irwin County led 24-0 in the third quarter and coasted to a victory against the No. 1-ranked team that put the Indians in the final for the sixth time in seven seasons. Kam Ward rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, and Donivan Thomas had 73 yards and a TD on six carries. Derrick Taylor returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown. Metter had given up just 56 total points in its first 13 games.
What it means: The defending champion remains alive while ending the unbeaten season of No. 1-ranked Metter, which was seeking its first state title. Metter is the fifth No. 1-ranked team – including finals opponent Brooks County – that Irwin (11-3) has beaten in the past four seasons.
*Brooks County 42, Clinch County 0: Brooks County broke open the game with a 21-point second quarter and went on to its second 42-point victory this season against its Region 2 rival (Brooks beat Clinch County 45-3 on Nov. 6). Omari Arnold had 138 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 14 carries. Jamal Sanders ran for 69 yards and two touchdowns on four carries. Ni’Tavion Burrus was 7-of-8 passing for 84 yards and a TD and ran for 49 yards on seven carries. Brooks County has won its four playoff games by an average of 38 points.
What it means: Brooks County (13-1), the Class 2A runner-up last season, is within one victory of its first state title since 1994, which was won in coach Maurice Freeman’s first season at his alma mater. Brooks also gets a rematch in the finals with Irwin, which beat Brooks 21-13 on Oct. 9. Clinch County, an eight-time former champion, is shut out in the semifinals for the second straight season.
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