We have made it to end of the GHSA Football Season. It has been an interesting ride, but hats off to all of the teams in every classification around the state of Georgia who made high school football possible this season. Our 4A Finals preview is all about the Jefferson Dragons and Marist War Eagles. Jefferson will be in search of their second state title while Marist is in search of their third.
Last week in our picks, we went 2-0 in Class 4A.
Best of luck to both teams competing in the finals. As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment and share.
All helmet images are courtesy of the Georgia High School Helmet Project. To see all of their work, please visit: http://www.gahelmetproject.com
The Skinny
The Jefferson Dragons outdueled Benedictine last week to advance to the finals for the fourth time in school history. As they have been all season, Jefferson was led by Malaki Starks who has now rushed for over 1,400 yards and 24-TDs. Kolton Jones, Kam Robinson, Jordan Perry and several other backs have helped the Dragons rush for well over 3,500 yards this season. Defensive leaders for the Dragons include linebacker Rem Maxwell, Kadin Bailey, Paxton Corkery and Jordan Perry. On the year, Jefferson is averaging 44 points per game while allowing 10.5 points per game. During their four playoff games the offense is averaging 42.5 points per game while the defense is allowing 14.2. Eight of Jefferson’s wins this season have come against teams that made the playoffs. A win would secure Jefferson’s second state title in school history.
The Marist War Eagles traveled down to southwest Georgia and picked up their eighth shutout of the season. This will mark the twelfth time that Marist has made it to the finals. Marist has been dominant all season long averaging 37.4 points per game while allowing 2.8 points. In their four playoff games the War Eagles have outscored their opponents 151-7. No one has been within 20 points of Marist this season and they’ve only allowed four touchdowns in their twelve games. Nine of Marists’ wins have come against teams that qualified for the playoffs in their respective classes. A win would give Marist their third state title in school history. It’s hard to believe that Marist will hold Jefferson’s ground game in check, but we believe the War Eagles can do enough offensively to match the Dragons. We like Marist by 12