Class 6A blog: A by-the-numbers look at the semifinals

*6: – Combined state championships won by the four semifinalists. Roswell has the most with three. The Hornets won a Class B championship in 1968, a Class A title in 1970 and was 5A co-champion with Peachtree Ridge in 2006. Rome won Class 5A titles in 2016 and 2017 in John Reid’s second and third seasons as head coach, and Deshaun Watson led Gainesville to the 5A title in 2012.

*7 – State championships won by first-year Gainesville coach Josh Niblett, best known for his 14 seasons at Hoover. Niblett led the Bucs to Alabama state titles in 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 and won another title at Oneonta in 2004. Niblett replaced Heath Webb, who left after four seasons (5-5 in 2021) for Lumpkin County, which he led to its first eight-win season since 1976.

*7 p.m. – Kickoff time for the 6A championship game on Dec. 9 at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium. The game will be one of 11 championship games played next week. The action will begin on Thursday with flag football finals at 11 a.m., 12:45 p.m. and 2:30, followed by the Class A football finals at 5 and 8. Classes 2A, 4A and 6A will go on Friday, followed by 3A, 5A and 7A on Saturday.

*19-5 – Rome’s record in the playoffs in eight seasons under Reid. Rome lost in the second round and finished 8-4 in 2015 during Reid’s first season, but the Wolves won state titles in 2016 and 2017. A victory this week against Hughes would put the Wolves back in the finals for the first time since the 2017 championship season. Reid previously coached at Tift County and East Paulding.

*24 – Miles that Roswell will travel to McEachern High School for its “home” game against Gainesville. Hughes will have a shorter trip of about 19 miles to Atlanta’s Lakewood Stadium for its “home” game against Rome. Both games were moved to neutral sites because the stadiums at Roswell and Hughes don’t meet the GHSA’s requirement of 4,000 permanent seats for a 6A semifinal.

*44 – Points needed by Hughes to break the GHSA record for points in a season. The record of 758 was set in 2017 by Rome, which is Hughes’ opponent this week. The Panthers have scored 715 points this season, an average of 55 per game, and have scored at least 40 points in every game. Hughes has averaged 60.7 points in playoff wins over River Ridge, North Forsyth and Woodward Academy.

*50-2 – Combined record of the four semifinalists. Hughes and Gainesville are 13-0, and Roswell and Rome are 12-1. Both losses came on the road against teams that are in the 7A semifinals – Rome vs. Carrollton 23-6 on Sept. 2, and Roswell vs. Milton 14-7 on Sept. 9. Two other 6A teams that were unbeaten in the regular season, Thomas County Central and Brunswick, have been eliminated.

*1,838 – Rushing yards this season by Roswell junior Nykahi Davenport, the second-best total in Class 6A behind South Paulding’s Jamarion Wilcox, whose team was eliminated in the second round. Davenport needs 222 yards to overtake Wilcox for the lead. Gainesville’s Naim Cheeks currently ranks fourth with 1,644 yards and could get in the mix with another couple of big games.

*3,590 – Passing yards this season by Hughes junior quarterback Prentiss “Air” Noland, the second-best total in Class 6A behind Houston County’s Antwann Hill, whose team was eliminated last week. If he gets the 74 yards he needs to surpass Hill, he’s almost certain to finish as the leading passer in the classification. His total already ranks among the top 30 in a season in GHSA history.

Quarterfinals

Roswell 42, Thomas Co. Central 34

Gainesville 49, Houston Co. 35

Hughes 56, Woodward Academy 28

Rome 17, Marist 7

Semifinals

(R8 #1) Gainesville at (R7 #1) Roswell (7:30 p.m. at McEachern High School)

(R6 #1) Rome at (R5 #1) Hughes (8 p.m. at Lakewood Stadium)

Championship

7 p.m., Dec. 9

Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta