The biggest statement in Class AAA football might have come from Bremen on Friday night, where the No. 4 Calhoun Yellow Jackets turned the Region 6-South sub-region championship game into a waltz and let the top three teams in the state know that Calhoun deserves to be in the state championship conversation.
Calhoun outclassed previously unbeaten and No. 7 Bremen 48-0. Quarterback Gavin Gray completed eight of 21 passes for 224 yards and four touchdowns, and running back Zack Fuller ran 21 times for 140 yards.
"I feel like our offense was really clicking tonight ," Lamb told Tyler Serritt of the Calhoun Times. "We knew that we had to rely on the deep ball, and if we hit a few we could have a successful night. I'm proud of Gavin and our group of receivers because they came out ready to play."
Calhoun (8-1) was summarily dismissed from the contender discussion after losing the Cartersville 58-6 earlier in the season. But the Yellow Jackets have won six consecutive games and have outscored AAA opponents 274-48. During that span, all eyes have been on defending champion and No. 1-ranked Cedar Grove, second-ranked Greater Atlanta Christian and third-ranked Peach County. Cedar Grove defeated GAC in last season's title game. GAC won a close game against Peach in the semifinals.
While Calhoun was making its statement, Cedar Grove and Peach County also showed no signs of letting up. GAC did not play. Here's how the top 10 played out Friday :
-- No. 1 Cedar Grove (9-0, 6-0) locked up the 5-AAA region with a 47-0 victory against McNair. The Saints will face Redan on Friday .
-- No. 2 Peach County (8-1, 5-0) grabbed the Region 4 title with a 49-21 victory against Pike County. Peach will host Jackson before taking the No. 1 seed into the playoffs.
-- No. 3 Greater Atlanta Christian awaits Dawson County to decide the 7-AAA title.
-- No. 5 Jenkins (9-0, 6-0) defeated Windsor Forest, 48-15, and grabbed the 3-AAA championship. The Warriors will face Beach on Friday .
-- No. 6 Crisp County (7-1, 3-0) moved past Dougherty, 44-6, and will face Worth County on Friday .
-- No. 8 Lovett fell to unranked Pace Academy, 17-14, in a crucial 5-AAA game which tied Lovett, Pace and Westminster (4-2) in region play behind top-ranked Cedar Grove.
-- No. 9 Westminster (4-5, 4-2) defeated Towers, 43-12, and will face Stone Mountain at home Friday .
-- No. 10 Morgan County (8-1, 4-0) defeated Franklin County, 42-17, and holds the lead in the 8-AAA standings. The Bulldogs will face Jackson County on the road Friday to decide the region.
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