It doesn’t often work out this way, but the top four teams in the final AJC rankings are the four teams who qualified for this week’s semifinal round.
No. 1 Coffee, No. 2 Creekside, No. 3 Jefferson and No. 4 Cartersville each moved past the third round and stand only one victory away from playing for the state title at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Dec. 12.
And – unlike the previous round – there were no last-minute theatrics. The closest margin of victory was 11 points.
Creekside ousts Warner Robins: The Seminoles (12-1) avenged last year’s loss to the Demons with a 35-14 road victory and ending Warner Robins six-year streak of making it to the championship game.
Creekside’s offensive catalyst was quarterback Vinson Berry, who threw for 266 yards and four touchdowns. He tossed three touchdowns to Shane Kelley, who caught six passes for 130 yards, and one touchdown to Dylan Vickerson, who caught four passes for 106 yards. Creekside’s Roderick McCrary carried 31 times for 145 yards and scored on an 8-yard touchdown. Sean Williams led the Seminoles with 11 tackles and Ricky McCrary had nine tackles.
Jefferson ends Harris County run: Jefferson’s Sammy Brown was no match for Harris County, as the Clemson commit ran for 261 yards and four touchdowns in the 35-12 win. The Dragons (13-0) pulled away in the second half, after taking a 14-12 lead at halftime when Justin Beatty came up with an interception and Gavin Markey hit Zay Minish with a touchdown pass. Harris County (11-2) had won 12 straight since losing its season opener.
Cartersville shuts door on Jenkins: Veteran Cartersville ended Jenkins’ dream postseason with a 35-0 victory. Jenkins, the No. 4 seed from Region 1, had won its first two playoff gams after going 3-7 during the regular season. But Cartersville took a 21-0 halftime lead and was never threatened.
Cartersville (13-0) dominated the ground game by rushing for 222 yards and four touchdowns. Andrew Purdy carried 10 times for 96 yards and one score and Khristian Lando ran 11 times for 44 yards and two touchdowns. Richard Houston ran for a score. Quarterback Nate Russell completed 6 of 11 passes for 75 yards and one touchdown, a 30-yarder to Kendrick Brice. Connor Brasfield had nine tackles.
Coffee eliminates Cass: Coffee (13-0) ended the season for upstart Cass, the No. 4 seed from Region 7, 30-0. The Trojans scored a 30-0 win to earn their sixth shutout of the season and second in the postseason.
Running back Fred Brown continued his strong play. The senior carried 25 times for 173 yards and one touchdown, part of an attack that ran for 232 yards. Quarterback Maurice Hansley completed 7 of 10 passes for115 yards and one touchdown to Patrick McCall, who had six receptions for 66 yards. Elgie Paulk had seven tackles and Jyarius Carter and Chris Reed each had six stops.
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