Here's a by-the-numbers look at the Class AAAAAA football semifinals, which will be played Friday and send two teams off to the state finals.
*11 – Days until the Class AAAAAA championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game was originally scheduled for Friday, Dec. 7, but has been pushed back because Atlanta United will be hosting the MLS Cup on Dec. 8. Now, the final will be played on Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. All eight of the state championship games will be played on Dec. 11 and Dec. 12.
*3 – State championships won by Northside-Warner Robins. The Eagles won Class AAAA titles in 2006 and 2007 (going 15-0 each year) and the Class AAAAA championship in 2014. Those were all in the second-highest classification at the time. Lee County is the only other semifinalist that has won a state title, and that came last year. Dacula and Lanier have never been to a state final.
*5.38 – Points per game allowed by Lee County, the best defensive numbers in the state in any classification. The Trojans did not give up more than seven points in any regular-season game and have allowed just 33 points in three playoff games. Points allowed by the other semifinalists and their rank in Class AAAAAA: Lanier, 13.77 (third); Dacula, 14.15 (fourth); Northside, 18.54 (18th).
*43.69 – Points per game scored by Lee County. That is the top scoring average in Class AAAAAA and ranks No. 10 among all teams in the state. The Trojans have scored at least 33 points in every game except for one, a 24-7 victory over Northside on Oct. 13. Points scored by the other semifinalists and their rank in AAAAAA: Northside, 33.77 (seventh); Dacula, 32.62 (ninth); Lanier, 22.69 (28th).
*3,005 – Yards accounted for by Northside's Jadin Daniels. The senior quarterback has passed for 1,503 yards, rushed for 1,502 yards on 189 carries (7.9 yards per carry) and had a hand in 30 touchdowns. Daniels is the leading rusher in Region 1-AAAAAA and directs a running game that averages 233.7 yards per game. Eric Smith has run for 705 yards and 11 touchdowns on 110 carries.
*199 – Yards rushing in the playoffs by Lanier quarterback Zach Calzada, who had just 162 rushing yards in the regular season. The Texas A&M-committed senior ran for a season-high 107 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-23 victory over Harrison in the second round and 52 yards and a touchdown in a 27-7 win over Coffee last week. Calzada is 111-of-220 passing for 1,592 yards and 14 TDs.
*1,323 – Yards rushing by Dacula's Trenton Jones, who accounts for almost half of the Falcons' 2,820 rushing yards (216.9 per game). Jones, a junior, has scored 15 touchdowns on 193 carries and averages 6.9 yards per attempt. Other top rushers for the Falcons are Kyle Efford (99 carries, 681 yards, eight touchdowns), Jalen Perry (38-332-1) and Kaleb Edwards (17-251-2).
*1 – Undefeated teams remaining in the field. No. 1 Lee County and No. 2 Creekview were the only teams to make it through the regular season 10-0, and they faced each other in the quarterfinals. It was the best season in Creekview history. No team has gone 15-0 in the second-highest classification since Creekside did it in 2013.
*9 – Consecutive home games that Lee County has had in the playoffs, going back to the beginning of the 2017 postseason. That includes last year's state championship game, which was moved to school sites after snow forced games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to be postponed. The Trojans got to play at home because they were seeded higher than Coffee, which lost to the Trojans in overtime.
Schedule
Here are the semifinal matchups. Both games are at 7:30 p.m. Friday:
Northside-Warner Robins at Dacula
Lanier at Lee County
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