(Courtesy of Georgia High School Football Daily)
PRIVATE
No. 9 Wesleyan (11-2) at No. 5 Fellowship Christian (12-0)
Wesleyan has won both previous meetings between the two schools, including the last one, 14-7, in 2011. These are two of the youngest teams in the semifinals in any classification. Wesleyan's offense is led by sophomores J.C. French (2,408 yards passing), Griffin Caldwell (996 rushing) and Cooper Blauser (841 receiving), plus senior WR Micah Smith (840 receiving, 12 touchdowns). Blauser, the son of former Braves shortstop Jeff Blauser, also leads the team in solo tackles from the secondary. Seven of the Wolves' 11 leading tacklers are underclassmen. Fellowship Christian averages 340.7 yards rushing and 17.2 passing per game. The leading rushers are junior Murphy Reeves (169 carries, 1,554 yards, 17 touchdowns), freshman Jayven Hall (104-763-13) and sophomore Josh Cole (76-706-14). Nine of Fellowship's 11 leading tacklers are underclassmen, and two are freshmen. Fellowship played in one other semifinal, during its 2016 state runner-up finish. Wesleyan, in the semifinals for the first time since 2010, has lost only to Holy Innocents' and Eagle's Landing Christian, the other two semifinalists.
No. 3 Eagle’s Landing Christian (11-1) at No. 2 Holy Innocents’ (12-0)
ELCA leads the all-time series 7-2, but the Bears won the last meeting, 42-41, on September 20 in the game that announced Holy Innocents as one of the top teams in the classification. ELCA is the four-time defending champion, two wins from a state-record fifth consecutive championship. ELCA is 49-1 against Class A opponents since the start of the 2015 season. ELCA's only loss came to Holy Innocents'. In that game, Holy Innocents' RB Michael Cox rushed for 214 yards on 40 carries and scored five touchdowns. Cox has rushed for 1,884 yards and 32 touchdowns on the season. QB Matt Davis has rushed for 1,106 yards and picked up 169 last week in a quarterfinal victory over Mount Paran Christian. The Golden Bears have six shutouts and haven't allowed a touchdown in the playoffs. ELCA RB Keaton Mitchell rushed for 194 yards, had 356 all-purpose yards and scored five touchdowns against Holy Innocents'. ELCA is more versatile offensively as QB Gabe Wright has thrown for 1,873 yards and has a Georgia-committed target, Justin Robinson, who has 856 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. ELCA has five shutouts, but the 42-41 loss to Holy Innocents' and 62-57 win over Prince Avenue have called into question its defense.
PUBLIC
No. 4 Clinch County (11-1) at No. 1 Irwin County (11-0)
These teams are as familiar with each other as perhaps any two teams left in the playoffs in all classifications. Irwin leads the all-time series between the Region 2 rivals, 23-22-1, and won this season’s meeting, 14-0 on September 20. This will be their ninth meeting in five years. Clinch County is 1-4 against Irwin in the regular season during that time but 3-0 in the playoffs, all of which came in state championship games (2015, 2017 and 2018). Clinch County has won six state titles since 2002 and eight overall. Irwin County is seeking its first title since 1975. Clinch County is almost exclusively a running team (266 yards passing for the season) and features two 1,000-yard rushers - Tyler Morehead (162 carries, 1,475 yards, 19 TDs) and Michael Walker (115-1,042-14). Both had two touchdown runs in a 38-14 victory over Warren County last week. RB/LB Darius Dorsey has 390 yards rushing and a team-leading 62 tackles. Irwin County's running game is led by Gabriel Benyard (636 yards), Jamorri Colson (578) and D.J. Lundy (510, despite missing several games early in the season with an injury). But the Indians are known for a defense that is giving up just 5.09 points per game (best in any class). Jy'Quez Marshall scored on a 51-yard interception return in a 54-12 victory over Manchester last week, giving the defense 50 points scored for the season. That's just six fewer than the 56 points the Indians have allowed.
No. 6 Pelham (11-1) at No. 2 Marion County (10-2)
Marion County has won both of the previous meetings in blowout fashion – 34-7 in 2008, and 33-7 in 2009. Pelham, a semifinalist last year, is the lower-seeded but higher-ranked team and is projected by the computer Maxwell Ratings to reach the championship game for the first time in program history. Marion County is in the semifinals for the fourth time in seven years but trying to return to the final for the first time since winning a state title in 2013. Both teams rely heavily on quarterbacks who pass well but also lead their teams in rushing. Pelham's Kendrick Patterson has thrown for 1,814 yards, run for 624 and had a hand in 37 touchdowns. Patterson passed for 132 yards and ran for 149 in a 31-20 victory over Mitchell County last week in a game that avenged the Hornets' only loss of the season. Pelham has the No. 1 scoring offense (50.0 points per game) and the No. 2 defense (9.17) among Class A public schools. For Marion County, QB Trice McCannon has passed for 1,954 yards and 28 touchdowns and run for 894 yards and 16 TDs. Brandon Thomas has 886 yards rushing, and his 27-yard touchdown run with 9:07 remaining last week provided the winning points in a 28-21 victory over Lincoln County. The Eagles average 34.0 points and allow 18.17 points per game.
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