Savannah-Area Football Semifinals: High Schools Face Off to Reach State Finals

The Georgia state high school football semifinals are set for Friday night, and there are four Savannah area teams looking to punch their tickets to the state finals at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Here’s a look at the Final Four matchups for Savannah area teams.

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Class 4A

Benedictine (13-0) at Stockbridge (11-2), 7:30 p.m.

Benedictine is coming off a 48-26 win over visiting North Oconee as the No. 1-ranked Cadets took care of business against the Titans, who entered the postseason at No. 2, in a game that many considered the de facto state championship.

But BC coach Danny Britt is always focused on the next game – and it’s a good bet to predict his players will be up for the challenge as they make the trip to Stockbridge.

Quarterback Luke Kromenhoek had another impressive showing against North Oconee with a career-high 104 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, while connecting on 12 of 16 pass attempts for 193 yards with a touchdown pass to La’Don Bryant.

Bryce Baker also had career highs with 156 yards rushing and four scores on 14 carries, while adding four tackles, a strip sack and fumble recover. Third Scroggins, the junior four-star linebacker, had 10 tackles and 3.5 sacks for the Cadets.

Stockbridge won at previously undefeated Spalding 35-14 behind the play of Jayden “Duke” Scott, who ran for 163 yards and three scores on 17 carries. Scott, the 5-foot-10, 205-pound senior who has committed to North Carolina State, has rushed for 2,047 yards and 35 touchdowns on the season.

The Tigers average 297 yards per game and have three other players with more than 500 yards rushing on the year in quarterback Cobey Thompkins (584 yards rushing with nine touchdowns and 1,655 yards passing and 18 touchdown passes), senior Jordyn Mack (584 yards rushing and nine scores) and junior Mike Simms (536 yards and six touchdowns).

Class 3A

Calvary Day (13-0) at Cedar Grove (8-5), 7:30 p.m.

Calvary rallied from a touchdown halftime deficit to shut down Wesleyan in the second half and roll to a 42-21 victory. Tennessee-bound senior Jake Merklinger was 19-for-26 passing for 341 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while rushing for 80 yards and three scores on 18 carries.

Caden Arnold had eight catches for 108 yards and a score and Doopah Coleman reeled in six receptions for 134 yards. Michael Smith had five grabs for 99 yards and a score, while Trevor Strowbridge rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown and had an interception, two passes defended and six tackles on defense.

Calvary Day will be looking for a bit of revenge against a Cedar Grove squad that beat the visiting Cavs 30-0 last year in the state quarterfinals. This is the third straight trip to the state semis for the Saints, who won state crowns in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Junior Bo Walker rushed for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 17 carries last week for Cedar Grove, while quarterback EJ Colson had 118 yards passing, with a scoring strike to Devin Carter, who had four catches for 80 yards. Carter, a 5-foot-11, 165-pound sophomore, is the son of former Baxley High star Dexter Carter, who had a seven-year career in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl with the 49ers in 1996. Devin Carter is looking to follow in his father’s footsteps as he has already committed to play at Dexter’s alma mater, Florida State.

Savannah Christian (11-2) at Carver-Columbus (10-3), 7 p.m.

Last Friday, SCPS went on the road for the second week in a row and knocked off previously undefeatued Lumpkin County 42-21. Zo Smalls continued to impress with 200 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 25 carries, while Kenry Wall had another huge game with 167 yards rushing and three scores on 16 carries, with one catch for 38 yards.

It was a career-high rushing total for Wall, who bested his mark of 152 yards the week before at Morgan County. The junior picked up his first college offer Monday from Shorter University.

Junior Jaden Miles had 21 tackles, including three for losses and a sack, in the win, while South Carolina commit David Bucey had 19 stops, with two for losses and a sack. Five-star junior defensive lineman Elijah Griffin had six tackles and a sack, and now how 16.5 sacks on the season.

Defensive tackle Isaiah Redmond, a sophomore, had 13 tackles with 11 solo stops.

Carver beat Monroe Area 18-14 to advance. The Tigers have a strong ground game led by De’Ante Childs. The senior ran for 1,522 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first 10 games. Sophomore JaKobe Caslin had 867 yards and six rushing touchdowns in the regular season.

SCPS coach Baker Woodward said the Tigers have the fastest defense the Raiders have faced all season.

Bryan County (12-1) at Prince Avenue Christian (12-1), 7:30 p.m.

The incredible breakthrough season for Bryan County continued Friday, beating Commerce 24-16 behind a short touchdown run by Austin Clemons in the final minute.

Clemons, the 6-foot, 205-pound senior, has rushed for 1,660 yards and 21 touchdowns on the year, with 102 tackles, including 22.5 for losses and 6.5 sacks.

Tanner Ennis caught a scoring pass and ran for another score as the senior’s memorable campaign continued. He leads the team with 131 tackles, including 24 for losses and a pair of sacks.

Quarterback/linebacker Sean Kelly Hill threw for 77 yards and a score and made eight tackles for the Redskins, and Jacari Carney rushed for 63 yards. The senior has 951 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns on the year.

Bryan County has won the first three playoff games in program history during this postseason and is playing in its first semifinal against a Prince Avenue Christian squad that is in the Final Four for the fourth straight time. The Wolverines won state crowns in 2020 and 2022.

Quarterback Aaron Philo has thrown for 3,786 yards, 49 touchdowns and eight interceptions on the season. He has also run for 525 yards and 12 scores. The 6-2, 200-pound senior has committed to Georgia Tech.

Connor Causby leads the team with 829 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns, and has 40 catches for 610 yards and six scores. Freshman Hudson Hill leads the squad with 67 receptions for 939 yards and 15 touchdowns, and sophomore CJ Dockery has 42 grabs for 694 yards and 10 scores.

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at [email protected]. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

2023-11-28 09:15:49
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