Happy Thanksgiving, Class A Heads!
Thanks for sticking with the Class A Blog all season. We consistently are just as popular as the 6A Blog – ably handled by the great Todd Holcomb – and that is due to your passion for Class A. Thanks and let’s keep it going through the rest of the year!
Now to the update. We check in with Emanuel County Institute head coach Chris Kearson to get his thoughts on being one of the front runners to win a state title.
Also, we have comments from Marion County head coach Mike Swaney on his team’s close call in Round 1 – a 22-20 nail biter against No. 16 Twiggs County – and losing arguably the best player in all of Class A, RB/WR/DB Lorenzo Smothers. Next, we check in with Smothers himself, to get his thoughts on what could be the end to his high school career.
And finally, we provide previews of the quarterfinals, courtesy of Georgia High School Football Daily.
ECI: Best in Class A … and AA??
A couple of coaches, off the record, have told me that ECI (10-1), the No. 2 public seed, is “hands down the best team in Class A, public or private.” And one of those coaches went so far as to say the following: “I’ll tell you what. From what I’ve seen, they could compete in the [Class] AA playoffs, maybe even win it.”
So what does Bulldog head coach Chris Kearson think about all that high praise? Check out what he said:
“I don’t know about all that. To be honest with you, at the beginning of the season we thought we were coaching for our lives. We lost 17 seniors last year and we had a lot of kids who hadn’t played a lot that were going to have to step in. All we had coming back was our quarterback [junior Rhett Gay] and a couple of linemen.
“But our coaches have done a heck of a job with our kids, and our kids have bought into what we’re doing and have worked hard from Day One. I remember back in 2012 I told those kids that I thought we had a chance to do something special if we worked hard and things fell our way, and we ended up winning [the public school title]. I told our guys this year the same thing.
“Offensively, we’re a little more balanced than we have been in the past. We run the ball, but we can pass it much better now when we need to. We’ve been able to throw the ball pretty effectively. [Gay is 86 of 128 for 1427 yards, with 20 touchdowns and two interceptions] Defensively, we’ve had some breakdowns but we’re playing hard. I’ll tell you what, I’ve been coaching for a long time and I’ve never seen a young kid play linebacker as well as [sophomore] Peyton Mercer is playing. He looks the part. He’s 6-3, about 205, 210 pounds. We think he has a chance to be pretty good. And the thing is, he’s not our leading tackler. That’s [junior] Trent Smoyer, who is really playing at a high level.
“There are a lot of really good teams out there. A lot of things have to go your way. We’ll see.”
No. 16 Twiggs County almost bests No. 1 Marion County
In the storied history of upsets in the NCAA Basketball Tournament, no 16 seed has managed to defeat a No. 1 seed. Last week, Twiggs County (4-7) – a program that is 12-49 since 2010 and lost to Lincoln County 47-8 and Stratford Academy 50-0 earlier this season – almost did the impossible. Top public seed Marion County needed a defensive stop on a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter, to finally snuff out the Cobras’ upset bid, 22-20, in Buena Vista.
Marion County head coach Mike Swaney said a perfect storm of bad things, along with a gutsy effort by a tough, athletic outfit from Twiggs County, pushed the Eagles to the brink. The win kept the Eagles in the title hunt, but they lost all-state standout Lorenzo Smothers to a rib injury that may sideline him for the rest of the playoffs.
On the near upset by Twiggs County
“After halftime they barely moved the ball. Early in the game they hit us with a long pass where their kid went up and out-jumped our kid for the ball and scored. He made a great play. Then we come back and score right away, but we kick off to them and they run it back for a touchdown. Then later we’re up 22-14 and about to score again, when I called a pass play that I really shouldn’t have. They hit our quarterback’s arm, the ball pops up in the air, they catch it and run it down to our one-yard line. They had a really good, big, strong back and he ran it in. But we were able to keep them from getting the two-point conversion and then we were able to run out the clock.
“I give a lot of credit to [head coach] Ashley Harden and his staff and his team. They did a heck of a job. They’re really athletic, so they were able to kind of contain Lorenzo a little, but [junior running back] Mykelle Kelly had his best game ever for us.
“But this is the playoffs. Anything can happen. A lot of teams had a tough time with teams people thought they should beat. I mean, look at Benedictine (12-0) in AA. Who would have thought they would have just beat Lovett (6-6) 41-40. We’ve got a tough, tough game against Commerce. A lot of people say they are a nine seed and lost three games. Well, the three teams that beat them are something like 28-2. [Actually, AA Jefferson finished 10-2, Athens Academy finished 9-2 and Prince Avenue is 11-0, for a combined 30-4.]
On losing Smothers, possibly for the rest of the playoffs
“Well for us, it’s kind of like when you go out to crank your car up so you can drive down the road, you can’t go anywhere if your car don’t have an engine. Lorenzo is our engine.
“But I’ll tell you what. We have 17 seniors who are going to play hard and give it everything they have. They are a resilient. So our kids and our coaches will pull together and we’ll be fine. And it means we’re going to have to lean on Mykelle and [senior] Maurice Carter a little more.
“You just hate it for Lorenzo. Here’s a kid who’s played 50 games and has never missed a practice. And if this hairline fracture was in one of his lower ribs, he could play. But it’s located up around the collarbone and the subclavian artery is right there. It’s just too dangerous. If something happened and the rib punctured that artery, we just can’t risk that.
“I told him I loved him and that he’s going to be fine. He’s going to heal up and go on to college and have a great career. He’s going to get re-examined in two weeks and we’ll see where we are. But our kids are going to rally around this and play hard for him.”
Smothers out
Lorenzo Smothers was having the best season of a storied high school career that saw him score a total of 80 touchdowns. But early in the game against Twiggs County last week, Smothers said when he fell awkwardly when tackled after running a jet sweep, something he has done hundreds of times since starting as a freshman at Marion County. He felt pain but kept playing. The pain got worse after the game, and he had a hard time lifting his arm over his head. So his grandmother told him to go to the doctor to get it checked out.
The prognosis was a hairline fracture of a rib at the top of his chest, in front of the subclavian artery, which is the main supplier of blood to the arm. Doctors and Swaney told him that risking a complete break and a possible rupturing of the artery, was too great, and so Smothers will not be able to have contact for two to four weeks. He will be re-examined in two weeks and if the fracture has healed sufficiently, and if Marion County has advanced to the state title game, he will be able to play.
“When I found out, all I could do was think about my team and my teammates. We’ve worked so hard and I want to be out there with them. Nothing else matters except my team. My little brother [freshman Joshua Rogers] is going to have to step up. He had been starting at receiver, but now he’s going to have to go both ways and play safety too. Everybody is going to have to step up a little bit, but I know they can. Mykelle is one of the best players in the state. I go back to the doctor in two weeks, and I’m just hoping and praying it’s healed enough for me to get back out there.”
Quarterfinal previews (courtesy of Georgia High School Football Daily)
Class A (public)
Commerce at Marion County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Eagle Stadium, Buena Vista
Records, rankings: Commerce is 8-3, the No. 9 seed and unranked; Marion County is 10-1, the No. 1 seed and No. 3.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Three things to know: 1. Marion County RB/WR/DB Lorenzo Smothers, a 1,000-yard rusher with 80 career touchdowns, is out with a rib injury. He also was the team's leading receiver and third-leading tackler. Marion will rely on another 1,000-yard rusher, Mykelle Kelley (143 yards in a 22-20 victory over Twiggs County last week) and sophomore QB Quentez Battle (47-of-85 passing for 636 yards, 11 touchdowns). 2. Commerce RB Cole Chancey rushed for 133 yards in a 31-29 first-round victory over Charlton County. Chancey has 960 yards rushing on the season, and Will Thomas has 939. Commerce averages 301.9 yards rushing per game. The Tigers have attempted only 59 passes all season but were 7-of-10 for 130 yards against Charlton. 3. Commerce and Marion County were the losing semifinalists in 2014. Marion won its first state title in 2013. Commerce is a two-time state champion (1981, 2000) that has re-emerged as a state power the past two seasons under Commerce alumnus Michael Brown.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Even
Winner plays: Johnson County/Clinch County winner
Johnson County at Clinch County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Donald Tison Field at Panther Stadium, Homerville
Records, rankings: Johnson County is 7-4, the No. 13 seed and unranked; Clinch County is 10-1, the No. 5 seed and No. 4.
Last meeting: Clinch County won 53-6 in 2003.
Three things to know: 1. Both teams last played in the quarterfinals in 2013 and lost. Clinch last won a quarterfinal in 2010, the season of its most recent Class A championship. Johnson County last won in 2005. Though both schools have been in Class A since 1982, they've never met each other in the playoffs. 2. Johnson County beat Region 1 champion Randolph-Clay 21-8 in a first-round defensive battle that was 8-8 at halftime. Johnson County held Randolph-Clay to 165 yards in total offense and won the turnover battle 3-0. Ronquez Harden had 72 yards rushing and 43 receiving with a touchdown. QB Brooks Norton is 85-of-149 passing for 1,116 yards and 11 touchdowns, six of them to Harden. Norton is the son of head coach Don Norton and grandson of former Washington-Wilkes coach Butch Brooks. 3. Clinch County RB Shannon Young has rushed for 1,365 yards on a team that passes fewer than six times per game. All of Clinch's 367 total yards in a 30-8 victory over Dooly County last week came on the ground. Clinch has four backs, including Young, with more than 400 yards on the season. Junior WB Zebulon Johnson averages 17.7 yards per carry (32 carries, 566 yards, nine TDs). Clinch has scored a school-record 10 defensive touchdowns, though none in the past two games.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Clinch County by 28
Winner plays: Commerce/Marion County winner
Trion at Irwin County
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Indian Field, Ocilla
Records, rankings: Trion is 8-3, the No. 11 seed and unranked; Irwin County is 8-2-1, the No. 3 seed and No. 6.
Last meeting: Irwin County won 49-26 in the first round of the 2013 Class A public-school playoffs.
Three things to know: 1. Trion, looking to make its first semifinal since 2003, gained momentum as a contender with its 40-6 rout of 10th-ranked Turner County in the first round. Trion's losses are to No. 8 Pinecrest Academy 27-24 in overtime, No. 9 Mount Paran Christian 7-6 and fellow private-school quarterfinalist Mount Zion 30-20. Irwin County was the private-school runner-up last season. Both schools won their only state titles in the mid-1970s. 2. Trion's best all-around player is four-year starting FB/LB Malik Martin. He is the leading rusher with 768 yards and has 74 tackles and four sacks on defense. DB/LB DeVonya Farmer (401 yards rushing, four sacks) and FB/DE Logan Blevins (307 rushing, nine tackles for losses) also are prominent two-way players. Sophomore Jarret Gill is 53-of-99 passing for 1,107 yards and 12 touchdowns. 3. Irwin County RB/LB D.J. Pollard rushed for 231 yards in a 30-13 victory over Wilkinson County last week. Perhaps the best all-around player still standing in the public-school playoffs, Pollard has 1,509 yards rushing and more than 60 tackles on defense. TE/LB William Lewis is another outstanding two-way starter. DE/DT Jared Johns has 16 tackles for losses.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Irwin County by 2
Winner plays: Mount Zion (Carroll)/Emanuel County Institute winner
Mount Zion (Carroll) at ECI
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Rountree Stadium, Twin City
Records, rankings: Mount Zion is 8-3, the No. 10 seed and unranked; Emanuel County Institute is 10-1, the No. 2 seed and No. 7.
Last meeting: Mount Zion won 30-21 in the first round of the 2014 Class A public-school playoffs.
Three things to know: 1. ECI won its first playoff game last week (59-38 over Telfair County) since its 2012 state-championship season. ECI lost to Mount Zion in the 2014 first round in what was Mount Zion's first home playoff victory in 60 years of varsity football. Mount Zion has never won a quarterfinal. 2. Mount Zion beat Lincoln County 10-7 last week after a goal-line stand preceded a missed 25-yard field goal in the final minute. Mount Zion crossed into Lincoln County territory only twice but scored each time. Mount Zion averages 220 yards rushing per game. RB Jace Jordan is the leading rusher (1,068 yards in the regular season) and receiver (18 for 222). QB Jordan Akin was 56-of-109 for 654 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season. 3. ECI had 466 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns against Telfair. Ricky Lee rushed for 269 yards and four touchdowns, while Bobby McNear ran for 100 on just six carries. Lee has rushed for 1,439 yards on the season. ECI passes well, too. QB Rhett Gay is 86-of-128 passing for 1,427 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Emanuel County Institute by 8
Winner plays: Trion/Irwin County winner
Class A (private)
Sav. Christian at Prince Avenue Christian
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Brad Akins Field, Bogart
Records, rankings: Savannah Christian is 9-2, the No. 8 seed and unranked; Prince Avenue Christian is 11-0, the No. 1 seed and No. 1.
Last meeting: Savannah Christian won 17-9 in 2013.
Three things to know: 1. Savannah Christian is in the quarterfinals for the third time in four seasons but has not advanced to the semifinals since winning the Class A championship in 2011. Prince Avenue Christian is making its fifth consecutive quarterfinal but looking to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2012. 2. Savannah Christian's Demetris Robertson rushed for 166 yards on 21 carries and gave the Raiders the lead for good with a 57-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of a 24-14 victory over Landmark Christian last week. Landmark RB Lofton Tidwell rushed for 99 yards and scored both of his team's touchdowns but missed most of the second half with an injury. Jordan Grant's 12-yard touchdown pass to Ben Haeussler in the final minutes put the game out of reach. 3. Prince Avenue has the highest-scoring offense (44.5 points per game) and top defense (7.8) among the private-school quarterfinalists. The Wolverines have scored at least 35 points in every game and have not allowed more than 14. Prince Avenue rushed for 314 yards in a 41-7 victory against First Presbyterian last week. Kevon Hudson, one of 10 ball carriers, ran for two touchdowns.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Prince Avenue Christian by 32
Winner plays: Mount Paran Christian/Eagle's Landing Christian winner
Mount Paran Christian at ELCA
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Commitment Field, McDonough
Records, rankings: Mount Paran Christian is 10-1, the No. 5 seed and No. 9; Eagle's Landing Christian is 8-3, the No. 4 seed and No. 2.
Last meeting: Mount Paran Christian won 49-7 in the 2014 Class A private-school championship game.
Three things to know: 1. Mount Paran Christian (2014) and Eagle's Landing Christian (2012) have won two of the three private-school championships since the GHSA began holding separate playoffs for public and private schools in 2012. Mount Paran dominated the Chargers in last year's final, jumping out to a 42-0 lead in the game's first 18 minutes and finishing with a 441-182 advantage in total offense. Mount Paran's 2014 title was the first for a Cobb County-based team since Marietta won Class AAA in 1967. 2. Mount Paran's Taylor Trammell rushed for 276 yards and five touchdowns last week in a 56-34 victory against Pacelli, giving him 2,466 yards and 36 TDs rushing for the season. QB Matt Norton is 37-for-58 passing for 615 yards and has rushed for 570 yards, and Jack Lee has 641 rushing yards on 60 carries. 3. ELCA RB Trevor Gear scored on runs of 62, 35 and 4 yards in a 45-7 victory over Mount Pisgah Christian last week. Khaleb Hood returned an interception 53 yards for a touchdown and scored on a 17-yard run. ELCA quarterback DJ Hammond was the Region 5-A offensive player of the year, and LB Chase Burdette was defensive player of the year.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Eagle's Landing Christian by 11
Winner plays: Savannah Christian/Prince Avenue Christian winner
Christian Heritage at Aquinas
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aquinas Stadium, Augusta
Records, rankings: Christian Heritage is 6-5, the No. 11 seed and unranked; Aquinas is 10-1, the No. 3 seed and No. 5.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Three things to know: 1. Christian Heritage, playing its fourth full varsity season, picked up the first playoff victory in program history when it beat Athens Academy 22-14 last week. Aquinas won the private-school championship in 2013. Third-year coach James Leonard is 36-2 at a school that had never won 10 games in a season before his arrival. 2. Christian Heritage controlled its first-round game with a running attack that took big chunks off the clock and limited Athens Academy to 13 offensive plays in the first half. QB Tyson Cooper, the team's leading rusher with 1,028 yards in the regular season, ran for 118 yards, and Ahmaad Tanner and Nasir Love-Porter combined for three touchdowns and almost 200 yards rushing. Cooper also passed for 1,373 yards in the regular season. 3. Aquinas QB Liam Welch passed for two touchdowns and ran for two scores in a 42-7 victory over Brookstone in the first round. Welch passed for 1,477 yards and rushed for 468 and had a hand in 23 touchdowns in the regular season. The Fighting Irish average more than 250 yards per game rushing and about 150 passing. They limited run-oriented Brookstone to 107 yards rushing.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Aquinas by 19
Winner plays: Stratford Academy/Pinecrest Academy winner
Stratford Academy at Pinecrest Academy
When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Pinecrest Academy Stadium, Cumming
Records, rankings: Stratford Academy is 8-3, the No. 10 seed and unranked; Pinecrest Academy is 10-1, the No. 2 seed and No. 8.
Last meeting: This is the teams' first meeting.
Three things to know: 1. Stratford Academy moved to the GHSA last year from the GISA, where it won eight state championships, most recently in 2004. The Eagles made the playoffs in 2014 but lost to Mount Paran Christian in the first round. Pinecrest Academy began its football program in 2004 in the GISA and moved to the GHSA in 2010. It is in the quarterfinals for the first time. 2. Stratford Academy was held to 196 yards rushing, nearly 100 yards below its regular-season average of 294.5, in a 14-7 victory over Calvary Day last week. But the Eagles got short rushing touchdowns from Quintez Cephus and O'Showen Williams, who both also had interceptions. Williams is the team's leading rusher with 1,219 yards. Calvary Day finished with 150 yards rushing, with just 27 in the second half. 3. Pinecrest Academy QB Ryan McCarthy returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown, scored on a 4-yard run, threw a 40-yard TD pass to Corey Downes and had a game-clinching interception in the Paladins' 20-7 victory over Athens Christian last week. Athens Christian led 7-0 at halftime. Pinecrest Academy beat Mount Paran in the 6-A championship game to win its first GHSA region title.
Maxwell Ratings' projection: Pinecrest Academy by 7
Winner plays: Christian Heritage/Aquinas winner
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