LOGANVILLE – One year removed from getting bounced out of the playoffs by Milton in the Class 7A quarterfinals, host Grayson was looking to exact some revenge on the Eagles, this time with a spot in the state finals on the line.
Instead, the Eagles asserted their dominance once again behind a monster night from Luke Nickel that saw the junior quarterback throw for 435 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-35 win.
The Eagles will now play for a Class 7A state championship after losing in the semifinals in each of the past two seasons. They’ll face off against Walton, who beat Camden County 41-25 Friday night.
By halftime, Nickel had already thrown for 290 yards and the Eagles led the Rams 27-21.
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Trailing by only six points heading into the break, the Eagles didn’t allow the Rams an opportunity to get back into the game.
Nickel used his legs to extend their lead to 35-21 with an 8-yard touchdown run and a subsequent 2-point conversion, and after tacking on a field goal to start the fourth quarter, the Eagles led the Rams by 17 points.
That deficit proved to be too much for the Rams to overcome with just over 11 minutes remaining in the game.
The offense wasn’t an issue for the Rams in the loss, but rather their defense.
After shutting down Buford and five-star UGA commit Dylan Raiola last week, the Rams’ defense had no answer for Nickel and the Milton offense Friday night. They allowed upwards of 600 yards of offense (435 passing and 145 rushing) in the loss.
Grayson senior quarterback JD Davis threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns and the Rams finished the game with more than 400 yards of offense.
