Class A Div. I Blog: Toombs, Northeast vie for first-ever titles

No. 1 ranked Toombs County (12-1) advanced to the finals for the first time in program history and served host Dublin (13-1) its first loss of the season in the semifinals with a 42-15 road victory. The Bulldogs capped their opening drive with a 6-yard touchdown run by Alex Scott. Quarterback TJ Stanley connected with Lagonza Hayward for a 14-yard score to push the lead to 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. Dublin answered with a 2-yard run by Willie Batts touchdown run and two-point conversion midway through the second quarter, but Stanley hooked with Hayward for a 5-yard Toombs County touchdown to put the Bulldogs up 21-8 at the half. Stanley was 10-of-12 passing for 152 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 78 yards on 11 carries. Hayward, who signed with Florida earlier this month, had four receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns and made five tackles.

Northeast—making its first-ever semifinal appearance—led 25-0 at the half and punched its ticket to the finals with a 46-14 win over visiting Fitzgerald. The Raiders got on the board with a 27-yard field goal with 8:15 left in the opening quarter. Northeast padded the lead with a 49-yard touchdown pass from Reginald Glover to Keandre Jackson to push the lead to 10-0. Nick Woodford, a week after rushing for 374 yards and four touchdowns on 35 carries against Fannin County, rushed for 350 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries and caught a 27-yard TD pass. Glover was 7-of-11 passing for 139 yards and rushed for 85 yards on 10 carries. Head coach Jeremy Wiggins is a Northeast alum—who is 54-28 while leading the Raiders and has taken the program to its first quarterfinal (2022) and final (2024) in the school’s 55-season history.

Northeast-Macon head coach Jeremy Wiggins led his team to a 27-14 win over Toombs County in the first round of the 2020 playoffs—marking his first playoff victory as a head coach. That is the only previous time these two teams have played and this is the first time that either team has been ranked. Toombs County has been the No. 1 ranked team in Class A Div. I all year long, while Northeast-Macon has had to climb back into the top 10 on its way to earning its No. 5 pre-playoff ranking. Northeast senior Nick Woodford has rushed for 1,039 yards and 13 touchdowns in the last four rounds of the playoffs (260 ypg) off of 89 carries—resulting in 11.7 yards per carry.