Georgia News

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Lee County at Milton

When, where: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Eagles Nest, Milton

Records, rankings: Lee County is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 2-5A and No. 2; Milton is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 7-5A and No. 1.

Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.

Things to know: This game matches the teams that spent the majority of the season in the top two spots in the Class 5A rankings. Both are ranked in the top 25 of numerous national polls, with Milton as high as No. 2 (MaxPreps, NationalHSFB.com) and Lee County as high as No. 15 (Massey Ratings). Lee County, a state champion in 2017 and 2018, is in the semifinals for the fourth time in eight seasons after a 64-0 victory over Region 6 champion Sprayberry last week. It was the Trojans’ third straight playoff win by 40 or more points. Weston Bryan was 8-of-12 passing for 160 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 109 yards, two touchdowns and two two-point conversions. Ousmane Kromah (committed to Georgia) had 100 yards rushing and 96 receiving and scored two touchdowns. Bryan has 2,347 yards passing and 1,241 rushing. Kromah has 1,290 yards rushing and 693 receiving. Milton, the Class 7A champion last year, is in the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season and seeking its third state title in seven years. The Eagles got 327 yards passing from Luke Nickel (Miami), 163 yards rushing from T.J. Lester and 135 yards receiving from Tristen Payne in a 56-14 victory over Houston County, the only fourth-place team in any classification to reach the quarterfinals. Milton led 42-14 at halftime. Nickel went over 3,000 yards passing for the season and has 9,454 in his career. The Eagles held Houston County’s Antwann Hill, who came into the game averaging 302.2 passing yards per game, to 131 yards on 29 attempts.

Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Milton 30, Lee County 28

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http://www.scoreatl.com/stories/a-semifinal-matchup-for-the-ages-as-lee-county-and-milton-square-off-for-class-5a-state-title-berth/

 

[GardenStateBaller]

Not a surprise. Some things never change. 

 

[Bodysurf]

21 minutes ago, GardenStateBaller said:

Not a surprise. Some things never change. 

 

There are deeper issues at play here. This kid came from bad circumstances. He was put on a pedestal as a player. He was good, but incredibly overrated. I saw him play several times and he was not a factor.

I hope the kid can find some stability. He needs a lower profile school where he can get his head straight.

Edited December 9, 2024 by Bodysurf

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Class 6A Grayson vs. Carrollton

When, where: 7 p.m. Dec. 18, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Records, rankings: Grayson is 13-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 4-6A and No. 6; Carrollton is 14-0, the No. 1 seed from 2-6A and No. 1. Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting. Things to know: Carrollton is trying to win its eighth state title but first since 1998 and first in the highest classification, which the Trojans joined in 2022. They’ll face the highest classification’s winningest program this century as Grayson’s 240-67 record represents the most victories and best winning percentage in the big-school division since the Gwinnett County school opened in 2000. Carrollton, ranked in the top 10 of five national polls, is led by Julian Lewis, the AJC Super 11 Colorado signee whose career totals are now 10,484 yards passing (ninth in GHSA history) and 140 touchdowns (fifth all-time). He is 39-3 as a three-year starter, beginning when he arrived as perhaps the most heralded freshman in state history. Lewis is surrounded by a wealth of major Division I talent, particularly in a secondary that includes DB Zelus Hicks (Texas), DB Shamar Arnoux (Florida State) and Dorian Barney (top-100 national junior prospect). Carrollton coach Joey King, formerly of Cartersville, can become the 16th coach in GHSA history to win state titles at two schools. Grayson’s leader is junior quarterback Travis Burgess, who has passed for 2,075 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 539 yards and four scores. Grayson’s defense glitters with major D-I players. They include LB Tyler Atkinson (five-star junior), LB Andre Fuller (Georgia Tech), LB Anthony Davis (four-star junior), DL Joseph Mbatchou (Florida), DB Jaylen Bell (Indiana) and DL Josiah Victor (N.C. State). Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Carrolton 35, Grayson 26

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Class 5A

Hughes vs. Milton

 

When, where: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Records, rankings: Hughes is 13-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 3-5A and No. 4; Milton is 14-0, the No. 1 seed from 7-5A and No. 1.

Last meeting: Milton won 17-14 in the second round of the 2014 Class 6A playoffs.

Things to know: Milton is a victory from cementing its name among the greats in state history, and standing in the way is Hughes, an opponent from the other end of Fulton County with state championship pedigree of its own from 2022. Milton is ranked in the top five of six national polls and No. 2 in three of them. The Eagles returned 18 of 22 starters from last season’s Class 7A championship team and have nine major Division I signees in their senior class, tied for second behind Grayson’s 2018 team (12) for the most in state history. Luke Nickel, an AJC Super 11 pick signed with Miami, has thrown for 3,335 yards and 40 touchdowns in an offense that features a 1,600-yard rusher, T.J. Lester, and a trio of receivers with more than 800 yards led by Super 11 C.J. Wiley. Hughes’ most attractive feature is its offensive line, all five starters weighing 300 pounds or more led by Tavaris Dice (Florida) and Dontrell Glover (Georgia). New quarterback Christian Langford has passed for 3,031 yards and rushed for 554 with 44 total touchdowns. Hughes’ lone loss came against Class 6A Douglas County 21-14 in September. Hughes has beaten 2023 champions Thomas County Central 28-12 and Coffee 49-26 the past two rounds and can take out a third 2023 champ next week.

Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Milton 29, Hughes 17

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2024 State Championship Games

 
MONDAY

Flag Football Division 1

Southeast Bulloch vs. Columbus, noon

Flag Football Division 2

Greenbrier vs. North Oconee, 2 p.m.

Class A Division II

Brooks County vs. Bowdon, 4 p.m.

Class 4A

North Oconee vs. Marist, 7 p.m.

    
TUESDAY

Flag Football Division 3

Pace Academy vs. Pope, 11 a.m.

Class A Division I

Toombs County vs. Northeast, 1 p.m.

Class 2A

Carver, Col. vs. Burke County, 4 p.m.

Class 5A

Milton vs. Hughes, 7 p.m.

    
WEDNESDAY

Flag Football Division 4

McEachern vs. Lambert, 11 a.m.

Class 3A-A Private

Hebron vs. Prince Avenue, 1 p.m.

Class 3A

Calhoun vs. Jefferson, 4 p.m.

Class 6A

Carrollton vs. Grayson, 7 p.m.

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This week, Milton finished No. 2 in the final rankings of MaxPreps, High School Football America, National HSFB and Blue Star Media. The unanimous No. 1 team is Mater Dei, a California private school that has produced three future Heisman Trophy winners, most recently Alabama’s Bryce Young.

Two other polls, USA Today and Blue Star Media, haven’t released their final rankings, but Milton was ranked No. 2 in both entering this week.

MaxPreps’ Zack Poff said Milton is the best Georgia team since he began doing national rankings in 2016.

Georgia high school football

Photos from the championship games

The playoffs:

- Key details for each of the championship games played Dec. 16-18

- Grayson defense lowers the boom on Carrollton to claim 6A championship

- Calhoun shuts down Jefferson in Class 3A final to win first state title since 2017

- In Class 5A final, champion Milton tested, runner-up Hughes dignified

- Hebron Christian gets redemption over Prince Avenue Christian, claims 1st state title

- Carver-Columbus too much for Burke County in 52-14 rout

- North Oconee flips the script to beat No. 1 Marist for first state title

- Big-play Polke’s TD return sends Toombs to first state title

- ‘Relentless’ Bowdon’s 27-point run against Brooks County leads to three-peat state title

Full high school football coverage

“This team was loaded with talent and had one of the best offenses in the country,” Poff said. “On top of all the talent they have a great coaching staff. They had a tough schedule and won 14 of 15 games by more than one score.”

Milton’s only one-score victory came in the season-opener, a 13-10 victory over Buford, a team that MaxPreps ranked No. 12 in the final poll. Buford is one of four Georgia teams that will finish with several final top-25 rankings. The others are Class 6A champion Grayson and 6A runner-up Carrollton.

Milton is not the first Georgia team that MaxPreps has ranked No. 2 in its 20 seasons of doing rankings. Grayson was the most recent in 2020. That was during the COVID-19 pandemic, and California teams didn’t take the field that year.

MaxPreps also ranked Colquitt County No. 2 in 2015. That Colquitt team is the only one from Georgia since the 1990s to claim a national title. The Packers got the nod that year from High School Football America.

In 2002, Parkview finished ranked No. 2 in USA Today after winning 45 straight games in Georgia’s highest class.

 

Milton played a tougher schedule than 2002 Parkview or 2015 Colquitt County by most measures.

“Milton’s season was as good as it gets with seven of their wins coming against teams that finished inside the High School Football America 300,’’ HSFA founder Jeff Fisher said. “While our rankings are based on our proprietary algorithm, the Eagles were a fun team to watch with an offense that was a good as any other in America. Their high-quality wins over No. 16 American Heritage Plantation, Florida’s 4A champ, and No. 20 Buford at the start of the season bolstered their strength of schedule, which is an important part of our algorithm.”

Fisher said that Milton benefited from the overall performance of Georgia, which finished second behind Texas in overall state strength.

Joe Maimone of NationalHSFB.com traced Milton’s success to its decision in 2018 to begin playing nationally renowned out-of-state opponents. Milton has played seven out-of-state teams since, beating four. The Eagles beat American Heritage 37-28 this season.

“The Eagles love to play the best, and they schedule any team anywhere anytime,” Maimone said. “Doing what their peers can’t or won’t do has been the key to their success.”

Milton’s run at a national title this season was not unexpected. Milton returned 18 of 22 starters from the 2023 team that won Georgia’s Class 7A and added a couple of major Division I prospects as transfers. Milton fielded nine seniors who signed this month with the Power 4 conference teams, the most of any Georgia team in history.

The nine were wide receiver C.J. Wiley (Georgia), offensive lineman Brayden Jacobs (Clemson), tight end Ethan Barbour (Georgia), quarterback Luke Nickel (Milton), tight end Ryan Ghea (Auburn), cornerback Dylan Lewis (Tennessee), defensive lineman Caleb Bell (Arkansas), cornerback Tyler Redmond (Tennessee) and safety Ma’khi Jones (Duke). Defensive lineman Caleb Ellis signed with Georgia Southern.

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[Sportsnut]

"Boone" leaving  Hughes for NSWR.

 

[GardenStateBaller]

2 hours ago, Sportsnut said:

"Boone" leaving  Hughes for NSWR.

 

He aggressively looks for jobs after every season. Coaching in South GA ain't for the faint of heart. I wish him the best. 

[Sportsnut]

31 minutes ago, GardenStateBaller said:

He aggressively looks for jobs after every season. Coahing in South GA ain't for the faint of heart. I wish him the best. 

NSWR is not south Georgia. It is central Ga. The talent is no longer in that neighborhood. Houston County, Warner Robbins and Perry are the powers. Northeast Macon stepped up and made it to the ship game this year.

I think he does well but it will take time to rebuild that team.

[GardenStateBaller]

1 hour ago, Sportsnut said:

NSWR is not south Georgia. It is central Ga. The talent is no longer in that neighborhood. Houston County, Warner Robbins and Perry are the powers. Northeast Macon stepped up and made it to the ship game this year.

I think he does well but it will take time to rebuild that team.

Anything south of of ATL is SoGA to me. 

[Sportsnut]

1 hour ago, GardenStateBaller said:

Anything south of of ATL is SoGA to me. 

Not until you pass WR. Some say past Cordelle.