Well, can you believe it? The 2023 regular season has now come and gone, with plenty of surprises, upsets and superb performances from the athletes. Now, we are ready to see what high school football state semifinals have in store for us. But to know where you’re going, we’d like to help you out a little bit.
We are back with the Top 5 list of games, with so many great matchups on the schedule once again this week as we are almost to the end of high school football in Georgia. Check our list out and chime in via our social media handles with football games you think we may have missed.
Georgia Football State Semifinals Top 5 Games to Watch
Jefferson at Creekside (5A): The lone blemish on Creekside’s record is a 62-0 loss to Mater Dei, a contender for the SBLive Sports’ national championship. Other than that, the Seminoles have been dominant behind the play of quarterback Vinson Berry (2,234 yards, 37 touchdowns) and running back Roderick McCrary (1,836 yards, 18 touchdowns). Jefferson will counter offensively with Clemson commitment Sammy Brown, who has rushed for 2,155 yards, 35 touchdowns and also made 141 tackles on defense.
Milton at Grayson (7A): Both teams pulled off what could be labeled minor upsets when Milton upended Colquitt County and Grayson defeated Carrollton. Now both teams will fight for the right to play for the 7A state championship with strong quarterback play at the forefront. Milton quarterback Luke Nickel, a Miami commitment, has thrown for 3,275 yards and 34 touchdowns. Under center for Grayson is senior Jeff Davis, who has thrown for 2,773 yards and 33 touchdowns to just one interception.
Coffee at Cartersville (5A): The battle of the undefeated’s takes place between the Trojans and Hurricanes on Friday night. Coffee’s defense has been the talk of the season, with the Trojans’ unit only yielding 68 points through 13 games. Coffee running back Fred Brown will be the player to watch as the senior has rushed for 2,099 yards and 21 touchdowns. On the Cartersville side of the spectrum, Nate Russell has played well under center, throwing for 1,629 yards and 16 touchdowns to just four interceptions.
Camden County at Walton (7A): One of the most feel good stories of the entire playoffs is the play of Camden County throughout these 7A playoffs. The Wildcats have had to go from Kingsland all the way up into the Atlanta region and win in back to back weeks and will have to do it again this week. Camden County as a team has rushed for 3,314 yards and 43 touchdowns this season and are up against one of the state’s best defenses in Walton. The defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 42 times, picked off 16 passes and forced 12 fumbles this season. Keep an eye on Walton quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski, who has thrown for 3,390 yards, 42 touchdowns and just one interception.
Cook at Rockmart (2A): From having to forfeit the wins because of an ineligible player to playing for a chance to reach the 2A state championship when Cook visits RLockhart this Friday night. The Hornets got their appeal against GHSA reversed in its favor, with the injunction allowing them to play in the playoffs and its paid off. Cook senior quarterback Drew Folsom leads the way with 2,321 yards and 24 touchdowns. Rockmart counters with senior quarterback Calliyon Thompson, who has tossed 22 touchdowns and 1,872 yards on 107 completions.
— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivega
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