Somehow the Creekside Seminoles have been hiding in the shadows all season.
Creekside, which played for the Class 5A championship last year, lost its first two games to nationally ranked teams and dropped out of the state rankings. Then they just chugged unscathed through the Region 4 schedule, allowing only 25 points in seven region games, before finally getting elevated back into the top 10.
Now Creekside (10-2) faces No. 1-ranked Marist (13-0) with the victor earning a spot in the championship game.
“For me it’s been a really good year,” Creekside coach Maurice Dixon said. “Because we have been the underdog every week. For me, as long as people keep sleeping on it and we had the game, I wanted them to keep sleeping on us. For us to be able to have something to keep our kids hungry every week, it’s been really good for our season.”
Creekside easily beat the other three state playoff teams from its region during the regular season – 31-0 over Mays, 42-6 over Maynard Jackson and 36-0 over King. In the playoffs they’ve beaten Harris County 39-3, Kell 42-35 and No. 5 Eastside 26-0.
“We were able to just key in on some things,” Dixon said about the Eastside win. “If it’s going to be a physical game, I like our kids.”
This week’s game with Marist should be physical, as the War Eagles have a reputation for being a hard-hitting club, too. Marist also has the option attack unlike Creekside has seen all year – and probably since it played St. Pius in the playoffs in 2021.
Marist has a three-year starter at quarterback in Jack Ewing who knows the precision that’s required to succeed. The War Eagles also have the most experienced head coach in the state in Alan Chadwick, the second-winningest coach in Georgia history.
Dixon, who played at Creekside, remembers playing Marist his junior season “and they kind of thumped our butt.” Marist leads the series 6-0 but the last meeting came in the 2006 state quarterfinals, a 24-6 Marist win.
“No. 1, they run a very unique offense that makes you be detail oriented,” Dixon said. “You have to understand your assignment on every play. And they’re physical and they don’t make mistakes.”
Creekside quarterback Cayden Benson has emerged as an all-region player. The junior transfer from Parkview took over when Vinson Berry graduated and has thrown for 2,222 yards and 28 touchdowns and rushed for 1,013 yards and 11 touchdowns. It helps that the versatile Dylan Vickerson (48 catches, 16 touchdowns), the Region 4 Player of the Year, is on the same side.
“Cayden didn’t have a whole lot of experience when he came over here, so No. 1 he had to understand the expectations of being a varsity quarterback and then the expectations of being a varsity quarterback at Creekside, where we expect to be (in the semifinals or better),” Dixon said. “He’s a great kid, he’s a hard working kid and he’s got great values. Once he understood that and then we understood how to use his talents, he kind of took off.”
Marist has been pushed throughout the first three rounds, but has managed to prevail with strong finishes. The War Eagles have beaten Warner Robins 47-25, Jones County 22-14 and Cambridge 40-14.
Credit: Michael D. Gonyea
Credit: Michael D. Gonyea
The other semifinal game features No. 4 Blessed Trinity (12-1) at No. 3 North Oconee (13-0) offers two teams with contrasting styles. B.T. is a defensive oriented team and North Oconee has scored a lot of points.
Blessed Trinity has beaten Cass 41-7, Jonesboro 22-7 and Benedictine 24-10 in the playoffs.
“We were talking about our team’s demeanor and how they’ve been real steady,” Blessed Trinity coach Ed Dudley said. “They don’t get real high. They don’t get real low. They don’t warm up better than other teams. They’re not hype guys, but they’re real steady and real confident. I think all that stuff has played into putting together a good year for them.”
North Oconee coach Tyler Aurandt said, “(Blessed Trinity’s) defense is one of the best I’ve seen over the last several years. They just wreak havoc on offenses. They’ve got really good players, their kids are always prepared, they’re always lined up where they’re supposed to be. It’s going to be a big challenge.”
North Oconee has beaten Eagle’s Landing 49-0, Ware County 35-6 and No. 2 Cartersville 28-26 to reach the semifinals for the third time in four seasons.
“We have been fortunate to play in some big ball games over the last couple of years,” Aurandt said. “I think that helped us get to this point. Now, hopefully moving forward, it will help us get through this round, but we certainly have a big task in front of us.”
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