Five No. 1-ranked teams and five that have never won state championships won semifinals football games Friday night.
The winning No. 1 teams were dominant, three posting shutouts and each winning by at least 21 points. They were Grayson in Class 7A, Lee County in 6A, Marist in 4A, Fitzgerald in 2A and Prince Avenue Christian in 1A Private – their average score 36-3.
Metter, the No. 1 team in Class 1A Public, was less fortunate, losing to defending champion Irwin County 44-10. Metter entered unbeaten and seeking its first state title.
Class 1A Private No. 1 Prince Avenue Christian, a 50-3 winner over Wesleyan, also is among the five teams now one victory from their first state titles. The others are Collins Hill in 7A, Pierce County in 3A, Callaway in 2A and Trinity Christian in 1A Private.
Collins Hill will meet up with Grayson in the highest classification, making it an all-Gwinnett County final. Collins Hill defeated Lowndes 31-14 while Grayson beat Norcross 8-0 in a game between unbeaten teams. Grayson beat Collins Hill 28-7 on Sept. 18 in a regular-season game. The all-Gwinnett final will be the first since Norcross beat North Gwinnett in 2013.
Gwinnett sent six teams to the semifinals and advanced three – Grayson, Buford and Collins Hill. But the three games played within a three-mile radius of downtown Norcross each went to the visiting teams – Grayson over Norcross, Oconee County over Greater Atlanta Christian and Prince Avenue Christian over Wesleyan.
In 6A, Lee County beat Westlake 35-14 and will face Buford, a 45-26 winner over Valdosta. Buford was the Class 5A champion last season. Lee County won state titles in 2017 and 2018.
Warner Robins reached the Class 5A final for the fifth consecutive time, though it hasn’t won since 2004. Warner Robins beat Jones County 56-21 and will play Cartersville, a 24-17 winner over Coffee.
Marist beat Bainbridge 42-0 to score its eighth shutout of the season, third in the playoffs. Marist will play Jefferson, which beat Benedictine 42-35 in a game of 11 ties or lead changes. Jefferson quarterback Malaki Starks rushed for 321 yards and scored five touchdowns.
The Class 3A semifinals were the most suspenseful. Pierce County trailed 13-12 in the final minutes but returned two fumbles for touchdowns and won 25-13. Pierce County will play Oconee County, which beat GAC 21-20 in two overtimes.
In 2A, Fitzgerald, chasing its first state title since 1948, beat Jefferson County 24-0 while Callaway beat Rabun County 41-17. Callaway is one victory from its first state title after solving Rabun County’s prolific offense, which features five-star quarterback Gunner Stockton.
In Class A, Irwin County now faces Brooks County, which beat Clinch County 42-0, while Prince Avenue Christian will play Trinity Christian, a 17-7 winner over Calvary Day.
The finals are scheduled for Dec. 28-30 at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.
