Semifinals in review, and what it all means

Class AAAAAAA

*Marietta 42, Parkview 31: Harrison Bailey was 24-of-28 passing for 423 yards and five touchdowns, two each to Arik Gilbert (nine receptions, 178 yards) and Ricky White (10-139). Bailey also caught a 6-yard TD pass from Gilbert. Kimani Vidal rushed for 84 yards on 25 carries. Marietta scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the first half to take a 28-17 lead and never trailed again. Parkview's Cody Brown rushed for 197 yards. Marietta led in total yards 513-489.

- What it means: Marietta, the preseason No. 1 team, is in the finals for the first time since its 1967 Class AAA championship season. Parkview, ranked No. 3 in preseason, ends its best playoff showing since its 2004 AAAAA runner-up team and finishes 12-2.

*Lowndes 49, North Gwinnett 28: Lowndes led 28-7 in the first quarter, 42-14 at halftime, and put up 565 yards of total offense. QB Jacurri Brown rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns, one a 95-yarder to open the scoring. He was 10-of-21 passing for 168 yards and three touchdowns. Justin Lee rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. North Gwinnett QB J.R. Martin (270 yards passing, four touchdowns) and WR Josh Downs (nine receptions for 201 yards, two touchdowns) had big games, doing most of their damage in catch-up mode, but Lowndes held the Bulldogs to 14 rushing yards.

- What it means: Lowndes, ranked No. 7 in preseason but No. 1 now, is in the finals for the first time since its 2007 Class AAAAA championship team and is 14-0 for the first time since 2004. North Gwinnett, ranked No. 8 in preseason, finishes 12-2, its other loss in the opener against Colquitt County.

Class AAAAAA

*Allatoona 17, Richmond Hill 14: Jude Kelley kicked a 22-yard field goal in the first overtime after Richmond Hill's possession came up empty. It was Kelley's 19th field goal of the season. In the final two minutes of regulation, Allatoona trailed 14-7 and faced a fourth-and-10 near midfield. After converting that, Dante Marshall threw a 36-yard TD pass to Asante Das for the tie. In overtime, Richmond Hill missed a 32-yard field goal in overtime after being stopped for no gain on three plays. Allatoona held Richmond Hill to 16 yards rushing, 114 yards total. Allatoona had 172 total yards.

- What it means: Allatoona (11-2-1), ranked No. 5 in preseason, is in the finals for the second time, first since its 2015 AAAAA championship team. Richmond Hill (9-4), unranked in preseason, finishes its best playoff showing since starting varsity football in 1986.

*Harrison 38, Dacula 7: David Roberts rushed for 132 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries, and Mason Babay rushed for 93 yards and three scores on nine carries. Harrison had 313 yards rushing and controlled the ball, putting together a pair of 80-yard TD drives. Dacula had 301 yards of total offense but suffered three turnovers.

- What it means: Harrison (14-0), the preseason No. 7 team and now the lone unbeaten team in AAAAAA, is in the finals for the first time since its 2000 Class AAAA runner-up team. The 14 victories are a school record. Dacula is the first No. 1-ranked team (or top-four team) that Harrison has beaten in school history. Dacula, the preseason No. 2 team, finishes 13-1 with a school record for victories but is denied its first state final appearance.

Class AAAAA

*Buford 29, Jones County 0: Victor Venn rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Buford put up 301 yards rushing and became the first team to shut out Jones County since Houston County in 2013. Buford led in total yards 364-215.

- What it means: Buford, the preseason No. 3 team under first-year head coach Bryant Appling, improves to 13-1 and reaches its first state final since 2016. The Wolves' most recent of 11 state titles came in 2014. Jones County, ranked No. 8 in preseason, finishes 12-2 with its highest win total in history and first semifinal since 1961.

*Warner Robins 55, Starr's Mill 3: Warner Robins scored on its first three possessions and led 28-3 at halftime. Jalen Addie was 14-of-24 passing for 155 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 35 yards and a score. James Smith rushed for 94 yards on six carries. Warner Robins held Starr's Mill to 45 yards and scored defensive touchdowns when Taijun Galloway returned a fumble 46 yards and Colby Styles returned an interception 80 yards.

- What it means: Warner Robins (13-1), ranked No. 5 in preseason under first-year head coach Marquis Westbrook, is in the finals for the third straight time seeking its first championship since 2004. Starr's Mill, unranked all season, finishes 10-4 after its first semifinal appearance since 2010.

Class AAAA

*Blessed Trinity 46, Woodward Academy 21: Blessed Trinity avenged a regular-season loss with ground control as Elijah Green (23 carries, 191 yards, three touchdowns) and Justice Haynes (19-148-1) led the Titans to 340 rushing yards. Blessed Trinity was only 3-of-5 passing, but one completion went 77 yards from Duncan Reavis to James Bryant for a 23-7 lead in the second quarter. Blessed Trinity led in total yards 429-201.

- What it means: Blessed Trinity, ranked No. 1 in preseason but facing heavy turnover among starters, avenges a 13-10 loss from Sept. 6 and moves a stop closer to a third consecutive AAAA championship. Woodward, ranked No. 10 in preseason and the longest surviving undefeated team in AAAA, finishes 13-1, its highest win total and playoff finish since 2015.

*Oconee County 35, Sandy Creek 28: Oconee County led 35-14 in the fourth quarter and weathered a pair of Sandy Creek touchdowns before recovering an onside kick and running out the clock. The game's biggest play took place with 1:25 left in the first half, when Darius Johnson forced a fumble and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown and a 20-7 lead. Max Johnson was 15-of-17 passing for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Jimmy Boswell rushed for 94 yards on 18 carries. Sandy Creek led in total yards 363-287.

- What it means: Oconee County, unranked in preseason, is in the finals for the first time since its 1999 Class AAA championship team. Sandy Creek, ranked No. 5 in preseason, finishes 12-2, its highest win total and playoff finish since 2012.

Class AAA

*Cedar Grove 28, Greater Atlanta Christian 18: With Cedar Grove leading 21-18 midway in the fourth quarter and GAC facing a third-and-goal at the 7-yard line, Isaiah Ratcliff intercepted a pass at the goal line and returned it 35 yards. Cedar Grove then drove 65 yards in eight plays and scored on a 26-yard run by Chavon Wright with 42.7 seconds left. Wright rushed for 120 yards on 23 carries. Austin Smith was 8-of-10 passing for 138 yards and a touchdown.

- What it means: Cedar Grove (12-2) remains in position for its third state title in four seasons. GAC (12-2), ranked No. 6 in preseason, completes its fifth 12-win/semifinal (or better) finish in six seasons.

*Crisp County 14, Jenkins 6: Crisp County trailed 6-0 at halftime but scored touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters to win. Marquise Palmer rushed for 116 yards on 22 carries. A.J. Lofton rushed for 89 yards, passed for 100 and scored both of his team's touchdowns. Crisp led in total yards 276-206.

- What it means: Crisp County, ranked No. 10 in preseason, is in the finals for the first time after three previous semifinal losses. Jenkins, unranked in preseason, finishes 12-2 after its first semifinal since 1966 and falls short of its bid to become the first Savannah public school to make the GHSA finals.

Class AA

*Brooks County 39, Callaway 35: Brooks County led 20-0 in the first half, trailed 35-26 in the third quarter, scored the winning touchdown with 8:14 left on a 5-yard pass from RB Omari Arnold to James Huewitt, then defended a fourth-and-goal from its 7-yard line in the final minutes. Arnold rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Ni'tavion Burrus rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and was 12-of-20 passing for 211 yards and two touchdowns. Willie Brown had 122 yards receiving. Brooks County had 547 yards of total offense.

- What it means: Brooks County (10-4), ranked No. 9 in preseason, wins its seventh straight game overall, third straight road playoff game against a ranked opponent, and reaches the finals for the first time since its 1994 Class A championship. Callaway, the preseason No. 1 team, falls to 0-4 in semifinals, all since 2013, and finishes 12-2.

*Dublin 55, Thomasville 45: JaQues Evans rushed for 380 yards and five touchdowns on 28 carries as part of a 574-yard rushing effort for Dublin, which did not attempt a pass. Zion Kemp rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Dublin took a 41-17 lead in the second quarter on Romello Height's 40-yard interception return, and Thomasville didn't get closer than the final score from there. Thomasville QB Ronnie Baker was 25-of-32 passing for 366 yards.

- What it means: Ranked No. 4 in preseason, Dublin (13-1) advances to its first final since its 2006 Class AA championship team. Thomasville, unranked in preseason, finishes 9-5 after making its first semifinal since 1993.

Class A (Private)

*Wesleyan 56, Fellowship Christian 20: Wesleyan scored on its first five possessions and took a 35-7 lead early in the second half. J.C. French was 10-of-13 passing for 270 yards and three touchdowns. Micah Smith had five receptions for 160 yards. Cooper Blauser had four receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns and intercepted a pass. Griffin Caldwell rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on six carries.

- What it means: Unranked in preseason, Wesleyan (12-2) is back in the finals for the first time since its 2008 Class A championship. Fellowship Christian, unranked in preseason, finishes 12-1.

*Eagle's Landing Christian 21, Holy Innocents' 7: Keaton Mitchell rushed for 191 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, and his 76-yard TD run in the fourth quarter put ELCA in control. Gabe Wright was 9-of-19 passing for 122 yards and two TD passes, both to Devon Dorsey. Holy Innocents' was held to 218 yards rushing after gashing ELCA for 386 in their Sept. 20 meeting.

- What it means: ELCA, beaten by Holy Innocents' 42-41 in the regular season, improves to 50-1 against Class A teams since 2016, avenging its only loss, and remains on track for a fifth straight state championship, which would be a GHSA record. Holy Innocents', unranked in preseason, completes its best season in history at 12-1.

Class A (Public)

*Irwin County 36, Clinch County 0: Irwin County collected its seventh shutout of the season, second against Clinch County, as Irwin won the regular-season game 14-0. Irwin held Clinch to 136 yards rushing and no completed passes. Irwin didn't complete a pass either but ran for 200 yards. Gabriel Benyard rushed for 62 yards on six carries and returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown. Jordan Pay returned a fumble 55 yards for a score. Irwin's defense has scored 62 points and allowed 56 this season.