McEachern was ranked No. 1 in preseason because many felt the Indians were the most talented team in Class AAAAAA. That was forgotten too quickly after a season-opening loss to North Gwinnett and a season-ending injury to Oregon-committed running back Taj Griffin.
After a 7-3 regular season, McEachern has re-invented itself as the state’s hottest passing team. Bailey Hockman, a sophomore, threw for 435 yards in the 62-36 victory over Tucker. He has thrown for 3,272 yards and 40 touchdowns this season.
T.J. Rahming has 63 catches for 1,431 yards and 18 touchdowns. He had 258 yards receiving against Tucker (not to mention a long punt-return touchdown). He’s now chasing the state record for receiving yards in a season (1,655), set by M.L. King’s Demarco Robinson in 2010. Meanwhile, McEachern’s Tyler Smith has 18 TD catches and another 1,100 yards receiving.
Rahming was a preseason all-state player, so his talents weren’t a secret. Neither were those of AJC Super 11 OL Chuma Edoga (committed to Sokuthern Cal); OL Chandler Jones (Louisville); and four-star junior DT Julian Rochester. It wasn’t expected that Hockman and Smith, both sophomores, would emerge so quickly. Hockman, a left-hander, has reported offers from Alabama, Florida State and Tennessee.
More observations from the AAAAAA final four:
-Archer, like McEachern, is a 7-3 team that was ranked highly in preseason (No. 3) but unranked entering the playoffs. Archer led 56-0 at halftime in the 56-13 victory over Hillgrove. Gwinnett County teams have won each of the past four state titles in the highest classification. Archer, the only Gwinnett team left, became the seventh Gwinnett school to make the semifinals in the past 10 years. The others are Norcross, Grayson, North Gwinnett, Dacula, Brookwood and Collins Hill. Archer was ranked highly in preseason because of its wealth of talent, just as McEachern was. Among the top recruits are TE Connor Redmond (South Carolina); WR Kyle Davis (South Carolina); DB Dylan Singleton (offers from South Carolina, Boston College, Kentucky, Wisconsin); and DT Kobe Smith). Singleton, Davis and Smith are juniors, so expect Archer to be ranked No. 3 or better next season in preseason. And another thing – Archer also has two of the top-10 prospects in the class of 2017 - DB Isaiah Pryor (offer from Georgia) and ATH Jamyest Williams (offer from Georgia Tech).
-Cherokee became the first school from Cherokee County to make the semifinals with its 43-29 victory over Newton. Tyray Devezin – who hardly played until a season-ending injury to brother Raishod Devezin in the seventh game – rushed for 232 yards in the 42-29 victory over Newton, giving him 1,520 unofficially on the season. Speaking of prospects, most of Etowah’s are on the lines of scrimmage. Brad Morgan and Scott Morgan are committed to Georgia Tech. Brad plays offensive guard, and Scott Morgan plays defensive tackle. RT Alex Smith, a junior, is also a top prospect.
-Colquitt County made the semifinals for the sixth straight time in the 42-35 victory over Milton. Five was already the record, so Colquitt won’t get any satisfaction this season unless it wins its first state title since 1994. Colquitt is the only remaining team that has won a state title. Milton had a third down at Colquitt’s 20-yard line in the final minutes, Colquitt’s Demetrius Walker got a sack, and Milton threw incomplete to end it.
About the Author
