If you were forced to make a prediction for the Class A Division II championship matchup, it would be a wise pick to expect a Bowdon-Manchester rematch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Manchester is ranked at the top of the class, and Bowdon is No. 2.
Just don’t tell the traveling teams – No. 3 Irwin County (at Bowdon) and No. 4 Brooks County (at Manchester). They don’t care about last season. And for that matter, neither does Manchester or two-time defending champion Bowdon (11-2).
There’s another game to play in the semifinals.
Manchester (10-1) enters the semis like it has each game this season, with a state-championship loss-sized chip on its shoulder after it was defeated by Bowdon 28-27 in the 15th game last season. But according to coach Demonta Prather, who took over this season after Stephen Holmes left the program, experience is key.
“It’s a seasoned team,” Prather told Stan Awtrey. “We got a lot of seniors in this class, which kind of sometimes it’s a curse, but it’ll help when you’ve got the right seniors. And they have actually stepped up. Sometimes the new head coach, there are some things that you like to do, and sometimes the kids just don’t adapt to it. But this group right here, they’ve adapted to it. They’ve been leading. I always tell them, I like a player-led team, most of the time they win a state championship.”
Manchester is coming off playoff victories against Marion County 49-6, Wilcox County 26-14 and No. 6 Lincoln County. Justus Terry, the team’s 6-foot-5, 275-pound defensive lineman, is a big part of the Blue Devils’ defensive puzzle. He signed Friday with Texas.
“He’s a good kid,” Prather said of Terry. “He’s a real good football player. He has a good football IQ. He picks up on things very quickly, and he’s a humble kid and a great student in the classroom. He does everything he needs to do, like, for instance, he’s going to graduate early.”
Brooks County (9-4) will travel to Manchester riding momentum from playoff victories against Washington-Wilkes 49-7, Miller County 12-10 and No. 10 Jenkins County 28-7. The Trojans famously won the program’s only state championships under head coach Maurice Freeman, who led the team to the 1994 Class A title before leaving in 1997.
Freeman returned to Brooks in 2008 and led the Trojans to state championship losses in 2019 and 2020 before winning in 2021. Last season, Freeman coached the team to the semifinals in Class A Division I before leaving the program. Josh McFather, in his first year at the helm, has a chance to repeat Freeman’s 1994 accomplishment of capturing a title as a first-year coach.
Sophomore quarterback Junior Burrus is 151-of-246 passing for 2,207 yards and 26 touchdowns. Senior Chris Cole has 244 carries for 1,725 yards and 16 touchdowns. Sophomore George Lamons Jr has 55 catches for 1,196 yards and 18 touchdown catches.
On the other side of the bracket, Bowdon (11-2) will face a tall task against Irwin County (12-1). Irwin was the top-ranked team in the class before losing to No. 5 Clinch County 34-28 on Oct. 18. But the Indians beat Lanier County 41-14 and No. 2 Brooks County 17-14 to close the regular season. Irwin has playoff victories against No. 8 Greene County (42-7), Early County (28-20) and No. 7 Trion (40-30).
Irwin and Bowdon bring experience to the table when it comes to playing football in December.
Since a semifinals loss in 2013, Irwin has been to the championship game in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, with victories in 2019 under coach Buddy Nobles and 2020 under coach Casey Soliday.
The Indians’ senior quarterback Luke Snyder has passed for 1,330 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 11 touchdowns. Georgia Tech-signee Shane Marshall anchors the backfield with 227 carries for 1,817 yards and 28 of the team’s 59 rushing touchdowns.
Bowdon enters the semifinals as the two-time defending champions with an equally experienced team that will not be intimidated by the big stage. The Red Devils’ senior quarterback Charles Maxell III embodies the meaning of “dual-threat.”
He is 129-of-199 passing for 2,348 yards and 34 touchdowns and has run for nine touchdowns. Senior Nathan Bhony has 128 carries for 1,156 yards and eight touchdowns, and junior Joshawia Davis has 136 carries for 990 yards and 14 touchdowns. Tight end Kaiden Prothro, 6-foot-6, 210 pounds and rated as a 4-star recruit by 247Sports, is one of the nation’s top junior recruits.
Class A Division II schedule
Irwin Co. at Bowdon
Brooks Co. at Manchester
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