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GHSA mulling instant replay after controversial finish of 3A final
The Georgia High School Association will consider using video replay to review officials’ calls in the wake of a controversial play in Saturday’s Class 3A football championship game, three members of GHSA’s board of trustees indicated Monday. “Yes, I think we are going to have to look at this,” board chairman and GHSA president Jim Finch said.
Championship games in review
Mill Creek, Hughes and Ware County, fresh off their first state championships, are No. 1 when it counts – in final rankings. Sandy Creek is a state champion for the first time in 10 years, Thomson for the first time in 20 years and Bowdon for the first time in 30 years. Benedictine defended its title, and Prince Avenue Christian won for the second time in three seasons.
Class 7A: Mill Creek 70, Carrollton 35
Cam Robinson rushed for 252 yards and three touchdowns and Caleb Downs ran for three touchdowns and had a team-high six total tackles to lead Mill Creek to a 70-35 Class 7A championship game victory over Carrollton Saturday night at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium in the highest-scoring state final in GHSA history.
Class 5A: Ware County 38, Warner Robins 13
Ware County scored on four of its five first-half possessions, including two touchdowns in a two-minute span midway through the first quarter on its way to a 24-6 halftime lead, and cruised to a 38-13 victory over two-time defending champion Warner Robins in the Class 5A championship game Saturday at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.
Class 3A: Sandy Creek 21, Cedar Grove 17
Sandy Creek’s Travis Franklin scored on a 1-yard run with 50 seconds remaining to give the Patriots a 21-17 victory over defending champion Cedar Grove in the Class 3A championship game Saturday afternoon at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.
Class 6A: Hughes 35, Gainesville 28
Top-ranked Hughes scored two touchdowns in a 14-second span late in the second quarter to create some separation from Gainesville and then held on for a 35-28 victory in the Class 6A championship game Saturday night at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.
Class 4A: Benedictine 14, Cedartown 13
Benedictine stuffed Cedartown on four consecutive running plays inside 2-yard line in the last minute of the game, including a fourth-and-goal from the 1 on the final play, to preserve a 14-13 victory in the Class 4A championship game Friday at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.
Class 2A: Thomson 32, Fitzgerald 27
Thomson’s Jontavis Curry had two of his four touchdown runs in the final nine minutes of the game after Fitzgerald had taken its only lead, rallying the Bulldogs to a 32-27 victory in the Class 2A championship game Friday at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.
Class A Division I: Prince Avenue Christian 52, Swainsboro 34
Prince Avenue Christian trailed 20-7 in the first half and 27-17 midway in the third quarter but scored touchdowns on five straight second-half drives that totaled 356 yards on 20 plays, and Swainsboro couldn't keep pace. Aaron Philo set state-finals records with 477 yards passing and six touchdowns.
Class A Division II: Bowdon 39, Schley County 31
Bowdon scored touchdowns on its first six full drives and used the seventh to ice the game with a 4-minute, 9-second drive to the Schley County 17 with 13 seconds left. Schley's final chance never got past midfield.
State finals: 4 teams to defend championships; 4 seek first titles
Four defending champions and four teams that never have won state titles are among the16 playing in the GHSA finals this week at Center Parc Stadium. No real underdogs remain. Every finalist was ranked in the top five after the regular season except Warner Robins, which ironically is Class 5A’s two-time defending champion.
Weekend Preview: Championship games in 7A through 4A
The championship games will be played in all eight GHSA classifications Thursday through Saturday at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium. Here’s a preview of the games in 7A (Carrollton vs. Mill Creek), 6A (Hughes vs. Gainesville), 5A (Ware County vs. Warner Robins) and 4A (Cedartown vs. Benedictine).
Weekend Preview: Championship games in 3A through A
The championship games will be played in all eight GHSA classifications Thursday through Saturday at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium. Here’s a preview of the games in 3A (Sandy Creek vs. Cedar Grove), 2A (Fitzgerald vs. Thomson), A Division I (Prince Avenue Christian vs. Swainsboro) and A Division II (Bowdon vs. Schley County).
Semifinals in review, and what it all means
The championship games will be played in all eight GHSA classifications Thursday through Saturday at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium. Here’s a recap of last week’s 16 semifinals and the significance of the results for both the winning and losing teams.
Top dogs fill the field for semifinals
It’s all big-boy football from now to the end of the playoffs, which resume today with 16 semifinals games in eight classifications. Cinderella didn’t get an invitation. Thirty-one of the 32 semifinals teams are ranked. Fellowship Christian of Class 2A is the top-10 exception, but the Paladins were a 2021 semifinals team that started No. 5 in preseason and now carry an eight-game win streak to Fitzgerald to challenge the defending champion.
Semifinal preview: Classes 3A and 2A
Three teams from Region 5 - Cedar Grove, Sandy Creek and Carver of Atlanta - will be joined by Region 8 No. 3 seed Oconee County in the Class 3A football semifinals Friday night. In Class 2A, top-ranked Fitzgerald will face unranked Fellowship Christian in one semifinal, while Appling County will take on Thomson in a rematch of a 2021 quarterfinal game.
Semifinal preview: Classes 5A and 4A
The semifinals of the GHSA playoffs this week will feature a rematch of a 2021 quarterfinal game between Cartersville at Warner Robins in Class 5A and a matchup of No. 1 and No. 2 in Class 4A beteween Cedartown and North Oconee. Top-ranked Ware County will host Dutchtown in the other 5A game, while defending champion Benedictine will take on Troup in the other 4A game.
Campbell to retire after 30 seasons at Peach County
Chad Campbell, who led Peach County to a state championship, three runner-up finishes and 10 region titles in 16 seasons as its football coach, told his players Wednesday that he is retiring after 30 seasons at the middle Georgia school.