The Class AA championship matchup is set.
Next Friday at Georgia State Stadium, the No. 7 Brooks County Trojans will play the No. 5 Dublin Fighting Irish to determine state supremacy. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
The road team won in both semifinals matchups. In Hogansville, the Trojans — a No. 2 seed from Region 1 — edged No. 3 Callaway, 39-35. In Thomasville, the Fighting Irish, Region 3’s No. 1 seed, beat the No. 6 Bulldogs 55-45.
For the second year in a row in AA, the championship will be a rare rematch of non-region teams that played each other during the regular season. In 2018, Heard County avenged its 33-0 loss to Rockmart in Week 3 to win 27-6 in the title game. On Sept. 20 in Dublin, the Fighting Irish beat Brooks County 49-35.
In its game on Friday, Brooks County built an early 20-0 lead only to see Callaway come all the way back and go ahead 35-26. The Trojans reclaimed the lead their next possession and ultimately held on. They are back in the title game for the first time since 1994, when they won the Class A title with current coach Maurice Freeman in the program’s only other championship appearance.
Kevin Eckleberry has the story for The LaGrange Daily News. Larissa Liska has video highlights for WLTZ.
With the Cavs bowing out, that puts the final dagger in my predictions made before the playoffs began, as I had them winning their first-ever state title. I'll have a predictions autopsy in Tuesday's blog.
The Fighting Irish put up 41 points in the first half on five Jacques Evans rushing touchdowns, who had over 200 rushing yards in the first half and finished the game with 380.
Pat Donahue has the story for the Thomasville Times-Enterprise, and The Courier Herald Today has more details.
The Fighting Irish are back in the title game for the first time since 2006, when they split the AA title with Charlton County in coach Roger Holmes’ fifth season at Dublin. This will be Holmes’ third appearance in the title game, and the Irish will be going for the fifth championship in program history.
This will be the third time in the past two seasons Dublin and Brooks County play each other. The Trojans won 13-10 early last season.
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