JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Georgia High School Association football state quarterfinals are this week. A look at the matchups for area teams. All games are Friday.
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Class 7A
(3) Camden County (9-3) at (1) Mill Creek (12-0), 7:30 p.m.
Road here: Camden d. Newton, 29-15; d. McEachern, 26-0; Mill Creek d. Osborne, 42-17; d. Peachtree Ridge.
Winner gets: Carrollton or Walton in the state semifinals. Camden would travel to face either team.
Glance: The Wildcats are in the quarters for the first time since coach Jeff Herron’s last season of his first stint in Kingsland (2012). Defense has been exceptional in the postseason. Camden is allowing 16.6 ppg this year and has been even better than that in the playoffs, including its first win over McEachern in three tries. LB Cooper Thornhill leads the Wildcats defense (144 tackles). Camden was blown out by McEachern in its previous two games, losing 38-13 and 34-3 in the 2017 and ‘16 seasons, respectively. RB Jaden Dailey eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season against McEachern (1,099, 13 TDs). RBs Jordan Hardy (673 rushing yards, 5 TDs) and Jamarley Riddle (517 rushing yards, 8 TDs) follow Dailey in the rushing attack. This is the first meeting between Camden and Mill Creek, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. The Hawks can score in bunches (40.1 ppg) and have a defense comparable to Camden’s (15.2 ppg). RB Cameron Robinson (1,428 rushing yards, 16 TDs) and QB Shane Throgmartin (1,668 passing yards, 22 TDs) lead Mill Creek.
Class 2A
(1) Fellowship Christian (10-2) at (1) Pierce County (11-1), 7 p.m.
Road here: Fellowship Christian d. Redan, 42-14; d. North Murray, 63-14; Pierce d. Worth County, 67-31; d. Laney, 35-14.
Winner gets: Callaway or Fitzgerald in the state semifinals. Pierce would travel to face Callaway but would host Fitzgerald.
Glance: The Bears are rolling. They’ve won six straight after their tight region loss to Appling County in Week 6. QB Caden McGatha had three TD passes and rushed for 117 yards and another TD. Three of those scoring passes went to TE Carson Sloan, including a 31-yard catch and run that put Pierce ahead 14-8 and it never looked back. This is the ninth trip in program history to the state quarters for the Bears. Seven of those have come since 2014. Coach Ryan Herring is responsible for four of those trips, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Pierce won its lone state championship under Herring in 2020 and has reached the state quarters each season since that. Fellowship Christian is making its eighth trip to the quarters. RB CJ Givers has eclipsed the 1,200-yard rushing mark and has 19 TDs on the ground. QB Jonathan Granby has passed for 11 TDs and run for 10 more to lead an offense that is putting up 42.3 ppg.