Our GHSA 3-A-Finals playoff preview is listed below. The Cedar Grove Saints will face the Peach County Trojans. The Trojans are back in the finals for the second consecutive year, while the Saints are in the finals for the second time in three seasons. Will this be an offensive explosion or a defensive struggle. Best of luck to both Cedar Grove and Peach County and their respective communities as they compete on Tuesday, December 11th.
As always, thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me if there are any errors.
Key:
TFR – Turd Ferguson Report
GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association
NR – Not Ranked
The Skinny
The Trojans
The Peach County Trojans are in the finals for the second consecutive year and are in search of their 4th title. Last week, they went up to Calhoun and avenged their 2017 finals loss as they beat the Yellow Jackets. Quarterback Jaydon Gibson passed for 117 yards; rushed for 34 and accounted for two touchdowns in the win. Tijah Woolfolk led the Trojans with 42 yards rushing. The real star of the night probably belonged to the Trojans defense, which limited Calhoun to one touchdown, although the Jackets were averaging over 44 points per game. On the season, Gibson has now passed for 2,197 yards and 19-TDs. Woolfolk now leads the team in rushing with 608 yards, while Terkel Jefferson leads the team in receptions (41) and receiving yards (418). Linebacker Sergio Allen leads the team with 122 tackles (82 solo) and is also tied for the team lead in sacks with 6. As a team, Peach County has tallied 44 sacks on the season. The Trojans have won 10 straight games and are averaging 37 points per game, while their defense is allowing 12.4 points per game. During the playoffs, the Trojans are only allowing 6.2 points per game.
The Saints
The Cedar Grove Saints are in the finals for the 3rd time and are seeking their second title in three years. Cedar Grove beat Pierce County last week to advance to the title game. The Saints got a big night from their defense who held Pierce County to one touchdown and also from Robert Jones, who ran for 256 yards and had two long touchdown runs. Jones has now rushed for 1,162 yards and 12-TDs on the season. Quarterbacks Austin Smith and Kendall Boney have combined to pass for 2,363 yards and 33-TDs, while Jadon Haselwood leads the team with 990 yards receiving and 10-TDs. The Saints offense is now averaging 44 points per game. Isaiah Ratcliff leads the Saints defense with 100 total tackles (49 solo). Senior defense end Dante Walker leads the team in sacks with 10. Haselwood leads the team in interceptions, with 3. The Saints have recorded 30 sacks on the season. Their defense is only allowing 8.2 points per game this season.
Final Thoughts
We have written ad nauseam about Peach County’s lack of star power. So we won’t bore you with the details of that conversation. The Trojans are legit and have been so all season. Our biggest question is whether or not their defense can put together consecutive stellar performances and slow down the Cedar Grove Saints, whose only loss this season was a 7-point defeat to 7A McEachern. We think this game will be the closes that Cedar Grove has played since that loss to McEachern. But we like the Saints by a touchdown.