The Class AA state title game comes down to a No. 4 seed and a No. 2 seed. Neither were predicted to make it to this point, but what do the experts know anyway?
Here's a breakdown of the two surviving programs:
Fitzgerald (13-1) vs. Pace Academy (12-2)
The Pace Academy Knights are playing for a state title for the first time in program history after beating GAC 45-20. They are a No. 4 seed from Region 6, meaning they’ve played every game on the road. They had never beaten GAC before Friday and were 0-2 in the all-time series. They lost to GAC on Oct. 9 by a score of 33-13 and also lost the year before, 37-7. But they won this year in the postseason at a time when it mattered most. The Knights are riding a seven-game win streak that includes the playoffs, where they beat Darlington, Screven County and Macon County. They haven’t lost a game since GAC beat them.
The Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane – a No. 2 seed from Region 1 - disposed of Macon County 40-20 to reach the state title game for the fourth time in school history. They have one state title to their name, a Class A championship in 1948. The Purple Hurricane opened the season on a six-game win streak, lost to Brooks County 21-17, and have since started a seven-game win streak, which includes playoff wins over Putnam County, Heard County, Benedictine and Jefferson County. Their most significant win was on the road over Benedictine – the defending state champs – in the quarterfinals.
Credit: Craig Sager
Credit: Craig Sager
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