State football championships are won by a team, but it never hurts to have a few individuals who are better than anyone on the other side. As the GHSA playoffs move into the quarterfinals, here is a look at the individual on each of the remaining eight teams in Class 4A who could be a difference maker.
Eastside at Creekside
Credit: Jeremiah Ferdilus
Credit: Jeremiah Ferdilus
Eastside’s Jayden Barr is a Georgia Tech commit with the propensity to rise at the occasion in a crucial spot. He returned the opening kickoff in last week’s win over defending state champion Perry and went on to rush for 89 yards in the 21-10 victory. Barr has rushed for 961 yards and 23 touchdowns, including three against Oconee County in the team’s lone loss. He was named Region 8 co-player of the year. He is tagged to play safety at the next level.
Creekside quarterback Cayden Benson has thrown for 1,916 yards and 23 touchdowns in his first season as the starter. Considered a three-star prospect, the junior was voted the Offensive Player of the Year in Region 4. Benson threw for 159 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 165 yards and one touchdown in last week’s 42-35 win over Kell.
Cambridge at Marist
Cambridge quarterback Weston Hall led Class 4A in passing yards this season. The senior has thrown for 3,061 yards and 33 touchdowns and has a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Craig Dandridge and Hudson Cocchiara. Hall, a left-hander, is a dropback passer whose strength is reading the defense finding the open receiver.
Marist is led by three-year starting quarterback Jack Euart, who will play baseball in college. Euart understands the Marist offense almost as well as the coaches and knows how to keep it cool under pressure. Last week the War Eagles were losing in the fourth quarter when he engineered a couple of drives that ate up almost 12 minutes.
Benedictine at Blessed Trinity
Benedictine has dealt with a series of debilitating injuries all season. It helps that linebacker Herbert “Third” Scroggins has remained healthy. Through 10 games he had 70 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss, 19 sacks and eight hurries. Scroggins is a four-star player who has committed to Miami.
Blessed Trinity has been living on its defense for most of the season, with sophomore D.J. Jacobs playing well enough to be named Region 6 Defensive Player of the Year. Jacobs (6-5, 220) is a four-star edge rusher who already has offers from all the schools in the SEC. Through 10 games he had 93 tackles, including 25 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Cartersville at North Oconee
Cartersville receiver Jamauri Brice is a big-time receiver and favorite target for QB Nate Russell. Brice has a team-leading 53 receptions for 651 yards and five touchdowns. Last week he broke through for 12 receptions for 134 yards in the 53-35 win over Starr’s Mill. He has more than 2,000 yards receiving in his career as a Purple Hurricane. Rated as a three-star prospect, Brice has committed to Georgia Tech.
North Oconee quarterback Harrison Faulkner keeps putting up big numbers. Last week the junior threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns, completing 12 of 18, in the 30-6 win over Ware County. He is closing in on 3,000 passing yards. Faulkner, the Region 8 co-player of the year, has great targets in Landon Roldan (a UGA commit) and tight end Khamari Brooks (another UGA commit), but has the skills needed to find the right guy and deliver the ball. His knowledge of the offense is off the charts.
Credit: Steve Colquitt, Oconee Count Schools
Credit: Steve Colquitt, Oconee Count Schools
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