Closer look at state championship games
There have been 2,278 high school football games played in Georgia this season. Only seven remain. Here is a closer look at the state championship games that will be played Friday and Saturday at the Georgia Dome.
Reigning champion: Buford is the only one of seven 2013 champions still alive. The Wolves are trying to win their 10th championship in 14 seasons and 11th overall. Long gone are '13 champs Norcross, Creekside, Griffin, Lovett, Aquinas and Marion County.
Teams to beat: Colquitt County (AAAAAA), Buford (AAAA) Washington County (AAA) and Greater Atlanta Christian (AA) have been ranked No. 1 since preseason. Typically, perhaps one team per season will lead the rankings wire-to-wire.
Cinderellas: There aren't any. Mays and Hawkinsville are the only finalists that didn't win region titles, but both were runners-up to defending state champions and both finished in the Top 10. There are five finalists that have never won state titles: Archer, Benedictine, Mount Paran Christian, Greater Atlanta Christian and Mays. Others that have won, but not lately, are Washington County (last championship in 1997), Colquitt County (1994), Irwin County (1975) and St. Pius (1968).
Star players: The contest for state player of the year has become a two-man race. Washington County's A.J. Gray is a starting quarterback and safety, having rushed for 2,236 yards and passed for 1,688. Colquitt County's Sihiem King has rushed for 1,961 yards and scored 36 touchdowns, 16 of them in the playoffs, in the state's highest classification.
Prospect search: Only four of the state's top 25 recruits from the class of 2015 are still playing, according to 247Sports' composite ratings. And they belong to two teams. Greater Atlanta Christian features running back Micah Abernathy (committed to Tennessee) and wide receiver Darius Slayton (Georgia). Both also start in the secondary. Mays has offensive lineman Dallas Warmack (Alabama) and defensive lineman Natrez Patrick (Georgia).
History of success: The 14 head coaches in the finals have a combined record of 1,274 wins, 428 losses and two ties. That's a winning percentage of .748. Only Jess Simpson (Buford) and Hal Lamb (Calhoun) have won state titles in Georgia. Rush Propst (Colquitt County) has won five in Alabama.
It wasn't easy: Mays needed a 17-yard touchdown pass on the final play to win a playoff game against Jones County. St. Pius needed 21 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Woodward Academy after trailing 21-7. Calhoun needed a safety in the final two minutes to beat Elbert County. Greater Atlanta Christian and Hawkinsville needed field goals in the final second to win their semifinal games last week.
Out on top: Only three teams in history have started a season 0-3 and won a state title. Archer started 0-3. Eagle's Landing Christian started 0-6.
Rematches: The Mount Paran Christian-Eagle's Landing Christian and GAC-Benedictine games are rematches of early regular-season games. Mount Paran Christian and GAC won those. The winner of regular-season meeting is 15-5 in state finals rematches, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association, although the most recent two went the other way. Norcross beat North Gwinnett in 2013 and Tucker beat Marist in 2008.
Underdogs: According to the Maxwell computer ratings, St. Pius is a 24-point underdog to Buford, Archer is a 16-point underdog to Colquitt County and Eagle's Landing Christian is a 16-point underdog to Mount Paran Christian. Only a victory by St. Pius would constitute a major shock, according to most observers.
Best game: The closest game, according to Maxwell, should be the Class A-public final between Hawkinsville and Irwin County, two rural schools about an hour apart along Ga. 129. Maxwell projects Hawkinsville to win by one point.
