Championship games will be at the Georgia Dome on Dec. 9 and Dec. 10.
Class AAAA
Thomson 30, Spalding 7
How the game was won: Host Thomson opened up a 7-0 lead with a Mike Thomas touchdown run and finished off the first quarter with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Mills Ridings to Trey Parker to increase the lead to 13-0. Thomas added his second rushing touchdown with 5:12 left in the half from 13 yards out, and then Ridings found Parker again for a Thomson touchdown (27 yards) to increase the lead to 27-0. A.J. Moses put Spalding on the board with a 6-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to make it 27-6. Thomson’s Dakota Gergen kicked a 34-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter to tally the final score 30-7. With the victory, five-time state champion Thomson moves to 13-0 for the first time since 2002.
Top performers: Thomson running back Mike Thomas rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns in the first half to fuel the Bulldogs’ 27-0 lead. Thomson quarterback Mills Ridings connected with Trey Parker for two first-half touchdowns.
Mary Persons 28, Blessed Trinity 27:
Quen Wilson gave Mary Persons its first lead of the game (14-10) with a 9-yard touchdown run with 4:30 left in the half. Blessed Trinity kicker Brooks Hosea cut the deficit to 14-13 with his second field goal of the game as the teams entered the half. A Josh Smith to Ryan Davis touchdown gave the Titans a 7-0 lead before Mary Persons’ Zach Harvey tied the game with an early second quarter touchdown. Blessed Trinity reclaimed the lead in the third quarter with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Jake Smith to Will Carlton and Steele Chambers ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 21-14. The Bulldogs answered with a 80-yard drive to tie the game at 21-21 with 4:19 left. Hosea added his third field goal in the fourth quarter to give Blessed Trinity a brief 24-21 lead before Caleb Speir connected with Roger Akins from 69 yards out to put Mary Persons up 28-24 with 10:44 left. Hosea was successful on his fourth field goal of the game to cut the deficit to 28-27. After a series of defensive stops, Mary Persons shanked a punt and gifted the Titans with prime field position. The Titans quickly drove down to the 11-yard line with seven second left, but Hosea’s game-winning attempt went wide right.
Jefferson 17, Cairo 13:
Cairo took a 7-0 lead with 7:20 left in the opening quarter on a halfback pass form Walter Grant. The two teams went scoreless until Jefferson’s Hayden Kilgore connected on a 25-yard field goal with 10:38 left in the half to make it 7-3. Cairo’s Cole Phillips answered Jefferson’s kick with a monster 56-yard field goal to give the Syrupmakers a 10-3 edge at the half. Jefferson netted just 28 yards of offense in the first half, but freshman quarterback Colby Clark hit Garmin Randolph for a 26-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to tie the game 10-10. Phillips hit a 30-yard field goal to open the fourth quarter and give Cairo a 13-10 lead. Jefferson drove down the field but threw an interception in the endzone and gave Cairo the ball back with 7:15 left. After a series of stalled drives, the Dragons capitalized on a Cairo fake punt and tookover at the Syrupmakers’ 41-yard line with 3:42 left. A couple of first down pickups and a pass interference eventual set up the game-winning touchdown as Colby Wood ran in a 3-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left.
R5 #1 Cartersville 26, R4 #1 Woodward Academy 15
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