Langston Hughes reached its first state championship football game in history Friday night, Carver-Atlanta stamped its ticket for the first time in 54 years, and the state’s most dominant team, Trinity Christian, needed two overtimes to get through the high school football semifinals.
Favored teams generally had their way in the other 13 final-four games across the GHSA’s eight classifications.
Third-ranked Hughes, which opened in 2009 in Fairburn, defeated unranked Dacula 47-28 in Class 6A. Hughes moves on to face defending champion and No. 1-ranked Buford, which beat No. 7 Carrollton 21-6.
No. 8 Carver-Atlanta of Class 3A defeated defending champion and third-ranked Pierce County 19-17 on the road. Carver will face No. 5 Cedar Grove, a 27-6 winner over No. 6 Appling County.
Trinity Christian, the No. 1 team in Class A Private, beat six-time former champion Eagle’s Landing Christian 48-45 in two overtimes in a game of 13 ties or lead changes. Trinity’s closest game this season had been a 34-3 victory over ELCA on Oct. 1.
This year’s championship games will be played Dec. 9-11 at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium
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