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 A-Public Finals preview is all about Irwin County and Brooks County. Irwin County will be in search of their third state title while Brooks County is seeking their second title.
Last week in our picks, we went 2-0 in Class A-Public.
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
Th Irwin County Indians are back in the finals for the fourth straight season and for the tenth time in school history. Kam Ward rushed for 155 yards and 2-TDs to lead the way for the Indians last week. On the year, Ward has rushed for 1,165 yards and 17-TDs while quarterback Cody Soliday has thrown for 1,754 yards and 22-TDs. Gabe Benyard continues to lead the team in receiving with 31 catches for 767 yards and 8-TDs. On the year, Irwin County is averaging 31.7 points per game while the defense is allowing 11.5. In their 4 playoff games, they are averaging 31 points per game while allowing 9.5. The Indians have defeated eight playoff teams this season. A win on Monday would give them their third state title and second in a row.
The Brooks County Trojans have also advanced to their second straight state title game. Albeit this time in Class A as compared to Class 2A last season. This will be the fourth overall title appearance for the Trojans. Last week Omari Arnold and Jamal Sanders combined to rush for 207 yards and 5-TDs while Camron Priest tallied 10 total tackles to help the Trojans advance. On the year, Arnold has rushed for 1,553 yards and 25-TDs while Sanders has added 645 yards and 11-TDs. Dual threat quarterback Ni’Tavion Burrus has thrown for 1,857 yards and 22-TDs and rushed for 508 yards and 8-TDs. Defensively Camron Priest has tallied 99 total tackles while J’Shawn Baker leads the team in tackles for loss (35) and sacks (20.5). Brooks County has sacked opposing quarterbacks a whooping 51.5 times this season. Meanwhile, freshmen Amar Thomas leads the secondary with 5 interceptions. The Trojans have defeated nine playoff teams this season. (Ten if you include the second victory over Clinch County last week.) They are averaging 40.3 points per game while allowing 11. In their four playoff games, they are averaging 41.5 points per game while allowing a very stingy 3.5 points per game. A win would give the Trojans their second state title and first since the school opened in 1959. Irwin County has been clicking on all cylinders lately and it’s tough to pick against the defending champs, but we believe J’Shawn Baker and Camron Priest will be the difference in this game. We like the Trojans by 6.