State title games are underway in Georgia, and tomorrow starts with Pierce County and Rockmart facing each other for a title showdown.
It comes as the Jackets also celebrate their 100th year fielding a football squad, and have gone since 1950 without winning a championship – though they’ve come close a few times over the past decades, most recently in 2018.
The team they are facing this year is the toughest yet on the schedule.
Pierce County comes into the game like Rockmart with a region title under their belt, but their record was marred only once this season with a loss to Appling County by a field goal back at the end of September.
Every other challenger has come up against Pierce, and gone down. And based on the stats for the Bears they have one big, bad player on the field that the Jackets have to swarm to win this one.
The guy to stop for the Jackets defense will be Bears quarterback Caden McGrath, a six-foot junior who has one heck of an arm. He’s 125 for 195 on the season in passing for 1,824 yards and 21 touchdowns. His longest pass went for 66 yards. Through 14 games this season, he’s only thrown four interceptions.
He’s just as dangerous on the ground, put up 246 carries and 1,731 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Junior receiver Joe Drew is the top receiver for Pierce, grabbing 39 receptions for 663 yards and 10 touchdowns. Seniors Carson Sloan and Eli Smith are also dangerous receivers, along with junior Jones Herrin. Each have over 100+ yards in receptions for the year. A sophomore threat in Nigel Brown also must be stopped, with 31 receptions on 372 yards on the year.
McGrath leads the team on rushing.
Their defense is just as stout, having held every squad this season to under three touchdowns and posted three different shutouts on the schedule. They’re averaging just under 39 points per game on the year, with their two closest contests coming mid-season with the 17-14 loss to Appling County (finished the year 9-4, 5-1 in third place in region 3-AA,) followed by a 17-14 win over Toombs County (lost to Rockmart in Week 3 of the playoffs, 11-2 season and second in Region 3-AA.)
The difference maker? The strength of schedule.
Here’s a list of how every opponent that Jeff Davis faced this year finished their season, including playoff teams:
- Jeff Davis went 5-6, out in the first round of the playoffs out of 1-AA
- Metter went 5-6, 3-1 in their region in second place in Class A DI Region 3, knocked out against Swainsboro who played for the title today.
- Liberty Co 5-6, 3-3 in Region 1-AA fourth place, lost to Thomson in Week 1 of playoffs
- Charlton County, 2-9, 2-2 in Class A D2 Region 2 3rd place, lost to Jenkins Co. in week 1 of the playoffs
- Brantley County, 5-5, 2-4 in 3-AA
- Appling Co 9-4, 5-1 3rd 3-AA, Lost to Cook in the second round
- Toombs 11-2, 5-1 2nd 3-AA, lost to Rockmart in third round
- Windsor Forest 2-8, 0-6 3-AA
- Vidalia 5-6, 3-3 4th 3-AA, knocked out by Spencer Week 1 of playoffs
- Tattnall County 2-8, 1-5 3-AA
- Week 1 playoffs Academy for Classical Education – 8-3, 5-2 4th in 2-AA
- Week 2 playoffs Laney 8-3-1, 4-1 4-AA B 1st place
- Week 3 playoffs Fellowship Christian 10-3 overall, 5-0 Region 8-AA
- Week 4 playoffs Fitzgerald 10-4, 5-1 1-AA 2nd place
Rockmart had a similar round of opposition, but the difference maker? The Jackets non-region schedule. Cedartown, Cass, Irwin County and Dalton were all tough tests for the home team as they made their way through early season contests. They lost to Cedartown (13-12) in Week 1 and Dalton (21-14) in Week 4, but cruised through the rest of the season and haven’t found anyone to topple them since. Cedartown and Dalton both made it to the second round of their respective playoffs this year.
So what’s the key to win this one? Rockmart must utilize every playmaker on offense, and shut down McGrath on defense.
Check back in this afternoon for a live blog during the game here on PolkSportsWire.
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