The top-ranked team lost. Two unranked teams advanced. And each of the four programs that reached the Class 3A semifinals moved down in class after this season’s reclassification cycle.
It’s a strange new look for the classification.
Calhoun’s 38-28 quarterfinal victory against top-ranked Peach County was important to the team, the program and the coach. It was one of coach Clay Stephenson’s career-defining victories and placed Calhoun against Stephenson, after the Yellow Jackets missed the Class 5A playoffs last season. Calhoun, ranked No. 8, found the key to ousting Peach County (11-2) during its 38-28 victory.
Keep the Trojans off the field.
The Yellow Jackets mounted long, clock-eating drives and scored. Peach County had its chances but could not capitalize on key drives late in the game. With the score tied at 28 with 7:29 remaining, Calhoun’s Emaree Winston capped an 80-yard drive on a 2-yard run to give Calhoun a 35-28 lead. Carlos Lopez added a 40-yard field goal.
Stephenson (10-3), moving down from Class 4A during reclassification, defeated Southeast Bulloch 36-3 by scoring 29 points in the second half. Stephenson was nursing a 7-3 advantage at halftime.
Stephenson was ranked No. 9 after beating Dutchtown 21-20 in the third game of the season but fell out of the poll after losing to Mt. Zion-Jonesboro 20-14 in Week 4. It then coasted through Region 5′s remaining games but remained outside the Top-10.
Romando Craddock had 15 total tackles with one tackle for a loss to lead the Jaguars defense. Stephenson had 12 tackles for loss against Bulloch, with junior defensive lineman Sergio Mason totaling 11 tackles and five tackles for a loss. Anthony Booker had 14 carries for 231 yards and three touchdowns to lead Stephenson’s offensive attack, which totaled 433 total yards in 40 plays.
LaGrange, moving down from Class 4A, advanced by defeating North Hall 49-17, marking the most lop-sided result from the quarterfinals. Malachi Fannin was a big piece of the puzzle, scoring three touchdowns, one on a 95-yard run.
The Grangers opened the season ranked No. 3 but suffered an 18-3 loss to Douglass-Atlanta in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic. After a 53-0 victory against Early County in Week 2, LaGrange lost to then-No. 1 Sandy Creek 27-7, then cruised through the remainder of its Region 2 schedule until losing to Upson-Lee 18-15 in its final game of the regular season.
In the second round, the Grangers pulled one of the biggest surprises of the playoffs, upsetting No. 2 Sandy Creek.
The prize for LaGrange’s victory? A meeting at No. 2 Jefferson, which moved down from Class 4A, and its star quarterback Gavin Markey. The Dragons defeated Cherokee Bluff 42-28 in the quarterfinals.
Markey is 74-of-130 passing for 1,238 yards and 16 touchdowns and leads the team in rushing with 183 carries for 1,445 yards and 21 touchdowns. He passed for two touchdowns on three attempts and ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns against Cherokee Bluff.
Class 3A schedule
LaGrange at Jefferson
Stephenson at Calhoun
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