Allatoona and Glynn Academy will close out the first day of the Georgia high school football state championships when they meet at 8 p.m. Friday in the Georgia Dome.
Here’s a look at five facets of the two finalists:
*How they got here: Allatoona lost to East Paulding 17-10 in the opener but won its final nine games of the regular season to claim the 5-AAAAA title. The Buccaneers played all four playoff games at home - beating Winder-Barrow, Starr's Mill, Houston County and Northgate. Their closest call was a 59-47 victory over a Houston County, a game they led by five points midway through the fourth quarter before pulling away. ... Glynn Academy's two losses came in consecutive games against Camden County and Coffee in September that dropped the Red Terrors to 2-2. Glynn finished as the No. 2 seed in Region 3 and beat Jones County, Dalton, top-ranked Stockbridge and Ware County in the playoffs. All four victories were by eight points or less.
*Offense: Both teams rely heavily on the run. Allatoona averages 282.9 yards per game rushing for the season and hasn't missed a beat since losing leading rusher Russell Halimon (1,543 yards) early in the first game of the playoffs. In his absence, the Buccaneers have rushed for an average of 277.8 yards in the past four games. Quarterback Brandon Rainey has passed for 1,579 yards. ... Glynn Academy averages 226.6 yards rushing and is led by two 1,000-yard rushers - quarterback Deejay Dallas (1,139 yards) and running back Garrison Hurd (1,077). The Red Terrors pass for just 89.1 yards per game but have shown some balance when necessary.
*Defense: Allatoona is giving up 14.9 points per game, but that number is skewed a bit by the 47 points put up by pass-happy Houston County in the quarterfinals. The Buccaneers have held five of their past six opponents, and nine of 14 overall, to 14 points or less. Linebacker Michael Robinson leads with 135 total tackles. ... Glynn Academy gives up 13 points per game and has not allowed any opponent to score more than the 24 points by Class AAAAAA Camden County in Glynn's 24-17 loss. Walter Thomas has 70 tackles, and Dexter Roberson has 13 sacks.
*Coaches: Gary Varner started the Allatoona program in 2008 and is 71-21 in eight seasons there. He was the offensive coordinator for Roswell's state championship team in 2006. ... Rocky Hidalgo is in his second season at Glynn Academy after serving for five years as the head coach at Walton, where he was 40-18 and led the Raiders to the 2011 Class AAAAA final. He is 21-6 in two years with the Red Terrors.
*History: Allatoona played a non-region schedule in its first two years before beginning region play in 2010, and it has made the postseason every year since. The Buccaneers have tied the school record for victories and are in the finals for the first time. A victory would make Allatoona the first Cobb County Schools team to win a state championship. ... Glynn Academy began playing football in 1913, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association, and is looking to win the second state championship in school history. This is the Red Terrors' first trip to the finals since the 1964 team beat Avondale 21-18 to win the Class AAA title.
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