Camden County and Pierce County are the last two area teams that remain standing in the Georgia High School Association state playoffs. Both programs are in action this week in the state semifinals on Friday night. A glance at the matchups below.
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State semifinals
Class 7A
Camden County (10-3) at Walton (13-0), 7 p.m.
Road here: Camden d. Newton, 29-15; d. McEachern, 26-0; d. Mill Creek, 39-20; Walton d. Mountain View, 66-7; d. North Gwinnett, 48-19; d. Carrollton, 56-35.
Winner gets: Milton (11-2) or Grayson (11-2) in the state championship game on Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Glance: Camden’s eighth trip to the state semifinal round and first since 2009. Six of those trips have been under coach Jeff Herron, who led the Wildcats to their greatest period of success. Herron won state titles in 2003, 2008-09. Camden is 1-1 all-time against Walton, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. RB Jaden Dailey (1,267 rushing yards) leads the always deep ground game of the Wildcats. RBs Jordan Hardy (733 rushing yards, 6 TDs), Jamarley Riddle (575 rushing yards, 8 TDs) and Antonio Laws (312 rushing yards, 10 TDs) showcase just how versatile that rushing game is, a hallmark of a Herron-coached team. QB Parks Riendeau (1,108 passing yards, 14 TDs) has thrown half of his scoring passes to big TE Elyiss Williams (515 receiving yards, 7 TDs). On defense, LB Cooper Thornhill (155 tackles) and DEs Denigel Cooper (59 tackles, 10 TFL, 3 INT) and Dylan Higginbotham (79 tackles, 10 TFL) provide the weapons for the Wildcats. And they’ll be relied on to slow down a Walton offense led by QB Jeremy Hecklinski (3,390 passing yards, 42 TDs, INT) that enters averaging 50.3 ppg.
Class 2A
Fitzgerald (10-3) at Pierce County (12-1), 7 p.m.
Road here: Fitzgerald d. Putnam County, 38-7; d. Spencer, 37-20; d. Callaway, 17-14; Pierce d. Academy for Classical Education, 42-7; d. Laney, 35-14; d. Fellowship Christian, 48-17.
Winner gets: Rockmart (11-2) or Cook (11-2) on Dec. 12 at 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Glance: Bears QB Caden McGatha continued his stellar season with a spectacular six-touchdown game in the state quarterfinals. McGatha has been responsible for 13 TDs in three state playoff games; he’s passed for four TDs and rushed for nine more. His 280 rushing yards against Fellowship Christian are a career high. WRs Joe Drew and Nigel Brown and TE Carson Sloan have combined for more than 20 TD catches. But defense is where the Bears thrive. They’ve choked opposing teams out this season, giving up no more than 17 points in a game. They’re allowing just 8 points on defense. Fitzgerald head coach Tucker Pruitt is the son of former University Christian and Union County head coach, Robby, the youngest-ever inductee into the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. Robby won four state championships at University Christian before going to Union and winning three straight. This is Pierce County’s fourth trip to the state semifinals, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association. Three of those have come under coach Ryan Herring, who led the Bears to their lone state title in 2020. Pierce is 1-7 all-time against Fitzgerald, but 1-1 against the Purple Hurricanes under Herring.