Class A Blog: A look at the semifinals

Left Bracket

R4 No. 1 Trinity Christian at R2 No. 1 Eagle’s Landing Christian

Trinity Christian (12-0), the A Private runner-up in 2020, returned to the semifinals with a 56-7 victory over Darlington last week. The Lions are the state’s highest-scoring team, averaging 53.25 points per game, and their closest game this season was the 31-point win over ELCA (34-3) in the regular season. David Dallas passed for 228 yards in that game and has thrown for 3,307 yards and 41 touchdowns with just three interceptions for the season. His brother, Josh, has 1,043 receiving yards, and Dominick Cosper has 1,200 yards rushing and 496 receiving. ELCA (7-6), which started the season 2-6 against a schedule loaded with top-10 opponents from higher classifications and out-of-state powerhouses, is now two wins away from its sixth state title in seven seasons. Charlie Gilliam passed for 257 yards in a 35-28 victory over Holy Innocents’ last week. He has 1,831 yards and 16 TDs this season. Brandon Hood, a 1,300-yard rusher, ran for 81 yards and two touchdowns. His 19-yard TD run with about three minutes left gave the Chargers a 35-21 lead, and they held on. ELCA is averaging 27.42 points for the season but 43.25 during their five-game winning streak (one win was a forfeit).

Right Bracket

R8 No. 1 Prince Avenue Christian at R6 No. 1 Fellowship Christian

Defending state champion Prince Avenue Christian (12-1) has won 12 consecutive games since a 21-13 loss to Calvary Day in the opener. Fellowship Christian (12-1), which has won 11 straight since a 56-20 loss to Trinity Christian in its second game, knocked out Calvary Day 24-14 last week. Nick Persiano rushed for 110 yards to surpass 1,000 for the season (1,059 with 22 touchdowns). QB Caleb McMickle has passed for 1,850 yards for the year. A victory this week would put first-year Paladins coach Tim McFarlin in the finals for the sixth time (Roswell in 2006, Blessed Trinity in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019). Prince Avenue put up 481 yards in a 41-22 victory over First Presbyterian last week. Aaron Philo was 28-of-35 passing for 397 yards and three touchdowns, putting him at 3,819 yards and 42 TDs for the season. Seven players had at least one catch. Bailey Stockton surpassed 1,000 yards receiving for the year with his six catches for 61 yards. He also ran for 32 yards and two touchdowns on three carries. Elijah Dewitt (917) and Ethan Christian (870) also are closing in on 1,000 yards receiving. Dewitt had seven catches for 140 yards and two TDs last week. Fellowship Christian won the last meeting between the two teams, 31-28 in the 2016 state semifinals.

PUBLIC

Left Bracket

R4 No. 1 Wilcox County at R2 No. 1 Irwin County

These south Georgia schools, about 30 miles apart, had been in the same region since 2006 until last year, and the playoffs have maintained their streak of playing each other annually. Irwin County (11-2) has won eight straight in the series since Wilcox County’s last region title in 2012. Irwin is trying to become the first Class A public-school team to win three consecutive Class A titles since Lincoln County in 1985-87. Irwin defeated previously unbeaten Macon County 28-15 in the quarterfinals. Damarkus Lundy rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns. He’s rushed for more than 150 yards in all three playoff games and has 1,414 rushing yards on the season. Wilcox County (10-3) is in the semifinals for the first time since 2012. The Patriots’ last final was during its 2009 state championship season. Wilcox beat Manchester 20-14 in the quarterfinals. Preseason all-state QB Abe Stowe passed for 181 yards, putting him a 2,068 for the season. Day Day Lawson rushed for 94 yards, giving him 1,353 yards on the season. B.J. Gibson had 93 yards receiving. Irwin’s average score is 39-14. Wilcox’s is 26-22.

Wilcox County is 10-3, the No. 1 seed from Region 4-A Public and No. 8; Irwin County is 11-2, the No. 1 seed from 2-A Public and No. 1. Irwin won the last meeting, 14-0, in the second round of the 2020 Class A Public playoffs.

Right Bracket

R2 No. 2 Brooks County at R3 No. 1 Metter

Metter (13-0) is in the semifinals for the sixth time in history. The Tigers have never reached a final. For the second straight season, they are 13-0 at this point. They lost to eventual champion Irwin County in the 2020 semifinals. In the quarterfinals last week, Metter beat Turner County 60-21 with 574 rushing yards. Two-way starters Kaliq Jordan (150 yards rushing, 10 tackles) and Danny Cheley (161 rushing, eight tackles, one interception) had big games. Metter is the most run-oriented team remaining in Class A Public. Cheley (1,242 yards) and Josh Kelly (1,587) are each over 1,200 yards rushing. Brooks County (10-2) has been a state runner-up the past two seasons. The Trojans beat Warren County 51-43 last week for their eighth straight victory, each time scoring at least 42 points. Omari Arnold rushed for 249 yards and five touchdowns on 28 carries and went over 2,000 yards (2,071) for the season with 34 rushing touchdowns. Willie Brown had 114 yards receiving. Brooks’ losses are to Irwin County and Class 2A Thomasville, which also are in their semifinals. Brooks County won the last meeting, 35-6, in the 2019 quarterfinals.