Weekend Preview: Championship games in 3A through A
Class 3A
Sandy Creek vs. Cedar Grove
When, where: Noon Saturday, Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Sandy Creek is 12-2, the No. 2 seed from Region 5-3A and No. 3; Cedar Grove is 11-2, the No. 1 seed from 5-3A and No. 1.
Last meeting: Cedar Grove won 49-34 on Oct. 21.
Things to know: In their regular-season game, Cedar Grove sophomore QB Elliott Colson was 19-of-28 passing for 369 yards and six touchdowns. Barry Jackson had six receptions for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Cedar Grove trailed 12-0, then scored four unanswered touchdowns, and Sandy Creek never got back within striking distance. Sandy Creek QB Geimere Latimer was 11-of-18 passing for 248 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 96 yards. The year before, Latimer led Sandy Creek to a 40-35 victory over Cedar Grove by throwing for 311 yards with a hand in six touchdowns. That’s one of only four on-field losses that Cedar Grove has suffered to Class 3A opponents during a seven-year run over which the Saints are 67-4 in-class with four state titles. This season’s Saints play their typical defense (two straight playoff shutouts) but are far more dangerous passing. Colson has thrown for 2,599 yards, and four receivers have at least six TD receptions. Sandy Creek, playing in its first final since its 2012 Class 4A championship team, also passes well. Latimer has thrown for 2,757 yards and 37 touchdowns. His top targets are Cameron Watts (918 yards, 15 touchdowns) and Kaleb Cost (740, 10).
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Cedar Grove 28, Sandy Creek 18
Class 2A
Fitzgerald vs. Thomson
When, where: Noon Friday, Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Fitzgerald is 14-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 1-2A and No. 1; Thomson is 13-1, the No. 1 seed from 4-2A and No. 4.
Last meeting: Fitzgerald won 20-6 in the 1971 Class 2A quarterfinals.
Things to know: This is the only final between teams that get more than two-thirds of their total yards rushing. Thomson averages 260.4 rushing, 125.1 passing, with two 1,000-yard rushers. Javaris Curry has run for 1,265 yards with 19 touchdowns; Tre Tre Jeffries has run for 1,012 with 18 touchdowns. Curry, GHSF Daily’s Player of the Week for his good work in the quarterfinals, is an elite return man and good receiver with 2,038 all-purpose yards. The Bulldogs are trying to beat the three highest-ranked 2A teams in consecutive weeks after taking out No. 2 South Atlanta and No. 3 Appling County, both on the road. Fitzgerald averages 226.6 yards rushing, 97.71 passing, and employs multiple backs. Ty Solomon leads the team with 621 yards. Fitzgerald won its first state title since 1948 last season. This is the Purple Hurricane’s fifth finals appearance in eight seasons. Thomson most recently was in the finals in 2016 and last won in 2002. The programs have the most combined victories this century (448) of any pair of finalists this week. Fitzgerald is 244-58-2. Thomson is 204-72-1.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Fitzgerald 20, Thomson 17
Class A Division I
Swainsboro vs. Prince Avenue
When, where: 8 p.m. Thursday, Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Swainsboro is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 2-A Division I and No. 2; Prince Avenue Christian is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from 5-A Division I and No. 1.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: No other final provides such a contrast in offensive styles. Prince Avenue Christian junior Aaron Philo last week became the first quarterback in state history to pass for more than 4,000 yards in two seasons. Prince Avenue has three 1,000-yard receivers – Bailey Stockton (1,280), Ethan Christian (1,014) and Josh Britt (1,002). Meanwhile, Swainsboro was 0-for-7 passing last week and averages about four attempts per game. That not to say the Tigers can’t pass. They threw for more than 100 yards in their first three playoff games. But they prefer to feed 1,000-yard rushers Demello Jones (1,247) and Qin Brown (1,142). Three other backs, including QB Ty Adams, have more than 500 yards rushing. Adams is committed to North Carolina as a cornerback. Aided by time-consuming drives, Swainsboro holds opponents to 7.0 points per game, second-lowest in any class behind Ware County. This is Swainsboro’s first state final since its 2000 Class 2A championship. Prince Avenue, an Athens-area team, has made three straight finals and won Class A Private in 2020.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Swainsboro 25, Prince Avenue Christian 19
Class A Division II
Bowdon vs. Schley County
When, where: 5 p.m. Thursday, Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Bowdon is 13-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 7-A Division II and No. 1; Schley County is 12-2, the No. 1 seed from 6-A Division II and No. 5.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: Schley (rhymes with sly) County, a Class A school about 15 miles north of Americus, is playing in its first title game. Coming off a 10-2 finish and their first region title, the Wildcats were ranked No. 1 in preseason and given four spots on GHSF Daily’s preseason all-state team. Those players were junior QB Jay Kanazawa (5,708 passing yards, 61 touchdowns for his career), junior WR Jalewis Solomon (2,098 receiving yards, 23 touchdowns the past two seasons), sophomore LB Jayden Walker (No. 3 recruit nationally in his class, per On3) and senior WR/DB Clinton Jackson (1,130 career all-purpose yards, 11 interceptions). Schley’s two losses, to Early County and Bleckley County in September, were played without Walker. Bowdon, a Carroll County school, is in its first final since 2001 and seeking its first championship since 1992. The team went 1-9 in coach Richard Fendley’s first season of 2018 and now has won three consecutive region titles, and the 13 victories are the most since 1992. Bowdon has a pair of game-breaking backs. T.J. Harvison has rushed for 1,607 yards and 19 touchdowns despite missing two games. He’s surpassed 200 yards three times and scored eight touchdowns in the playoffs. Robert McNeal, the quarterback, has run for 1,177 yards and 15 touchdowns and thrown for 1,233 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Bowdon 25, Schley County 21