It’s rare to have the four top-ranked teams playing in the semifinals of the playoffs, because inevitably, there’s an upset here or there that sends a higher-ranked program packing.
But if you were trying to predict the final four programs for the playoffs, this season’s AJC rankings would have been a good place to start.
Top-ranked Manchester, No. 2 Bowdon, No. 3 Irwin County and No. 4 Brooks County advanced to the semifinals. Irwin will travel to Bowdon, and Manchester will entertain Brooks.
First thought? Could there be a state championship rematch between two-time defending champion Bowdon and runner-up, but top-ranked, Manchester? In short, yes.
Would last year’s championship game against Bowdon and Manchester have looked different if Brooks and Irwin County didn’t have to play Swainsboro (Brooks) and Prince Avenue (Irwin) in Class A Division I last season? Probably. Brooks ran into a strong Swainsboro team. Irwin ran into Aaron Philo, who finished as the state’s all-time leader in passing yardage.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
No. 1 Manchester outlasted Lincoln County 20-17 in the quarters behind junior Darrius Favors, who had 23 carries for 186 yards and three touchdowns. He has rushed for 19 touchdowns and 1,704 yards this season. Manchester relies on its running game and has passed for four touchdowns this season. It has 44 rushing touchdowns. Qua Cooper has added 105 carries for 917 yards and eight touchdowns.
After its 28-7 victory against Jenkins County in the quarterfinals, Brooks County’s youthful and balanced team is riding momentum. Sophomore George Lamons Jr. had six carries for 88 yards and three touchdowns and a touchdown reception. Sophomore quarterback Junior Burrus was 11-of-17 passing for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Bowdon moved past Clinch County 31-13 and will rely heavily upon senior quarterback Charles Maxell III in the semifinals matchup against Irwin. Against Clinch, Maxell was 9-of-18 passing for 161 yards and three touchdowns, one each to Kaiden Prothro, Mason Daniel and Jonah Wilson. He is 129-of-199 passing for 2,348 yards and 34 touchdowns and has run for 686 yards and nine touchdowns. Prothro has 51 catches for 1,096 yards and 20 of the team’s 34 touchdown receptions.
Irwin County defeated Trion 40-30, and in typical Irwin County fashion, it relied on a six-touchdown performance from its run game to do it. The team averages 102 passing yards to 290 rushing yards per game. Junior Jason Jackson had 11 carries for 186 yards and three touchdowns, and senior Shane Marshall had 25 carries for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Luke Snyder had nine carries for 51 yards and a touchdown. Marshall leads the running game with 227 carries for 1,817 yards and 28 touchdowns, and Jackson has 103 carries for 1,030 yards and 14 touchdowns. Snyder has rushed for 592 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
Class A Division II schedule
Irwin County at Bowdon
Brooks County at Manchester
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