Our GHSA 4-A-Finals playoff preview is listed below. The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes will face the defending state champs, the Blessed Trinity Titans. Last year, it was Blessed Trinity who played the role of the underdog and knocked off Cartersville in the second round of the playoffs. The Canes will be looking to return the favor. Blessed Trinity should get a boost from the return of running back Elijah Green. Will it be enough to counteract Cartersville running back Marcus Gary and gun slinging quarterback Tee Webb? We will find out on Wednesday! Best of luck to both Cartersville and Blessed Trinity and their respective communities as they compete on Wednesday, December 12th.
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Key:
TFR – Turd Ferguson Report
GSWA – Georgia Sports Writers Association
NR – Not Ranked
The Skinny
The Titans
The Blessed Trinity Titans are making their 3rd finals appearance. Last week, they got a big performance from Steele Chambers, as he rushed for 244 yards on 36 carries and scored 3-TDs. Chambers also passed for a touchdown in the win. Jake Smith threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Junior James Bryant made the most of his opportunities as he scored two touchdowns on two receptions. The Titans also got 67 yards rushing from Elijah Green, who has missed most of the season with an injury. On the season, Smith has passed for 1,777 yards and 21-TDs, while Chambers leads the rushing attack with 1,589 yards and 25-TDs. Wide receiver Ryan Davis has 940 yards on 48 receptions and 9-TDs. Defensively, JD Bertrand leads the defense with 83 total tackles (39 solo). The Blessed Trinity defense is only allowing 11.8 points per game. The 35 points they allowed against Troup last week were the most surrendered all season, but that game never seemed to be in doubt.
The Canes
The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes are in search of their 5th state title overall. Last week, they hung on and held off Marist to advance to their 3rd final in 4 years. The Canes were held to 51 yards rushing last week by Marist, but got 200 yards and 2 passing TDs from Tee Webb in the victory. While the running numbers weren’t stellar, Marcus Gary did manage 84 yards on 22 carries, but a third of those came on one carry. On the season Webb has passed for 2,726 yards and 35-TDs, while Gary has rushed for 1,456 yards and 18-TDs. Tight end Jackson Lowe and receivers Dadrian Dennis and Devonte Ross have combined for 92 receptions and 1,406 yards. The Cartersville offense is averaging 38.1 points per game, while the defense is allowing 7.2 points per game. We think this may be on of the more underrated defenses in the state.
Final Thoughts
Each team defeated their common opponents, Marist and Troup by similar margins, so there is probably not much to be gained from looking at those matchups. Cartersville and Blessed Trinity have combined to win the last three state titles in Class 4A. Last season it was the Blessed Trinity Titans who upset the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes in the second round of the state tournament en route to the first title in school history. This game will feature two of the better running backs in the state in Class 4-A; Gary for the Canes and Chambers for the Titans. Having Elijah Green back should help the Titans. But we think it will be the Blessed Trinity defense that is the difference in this game. Titans by 6.