5A Playoffs- Final 4

Chris Norcross

November 30, 2022 @ 01:41 PM

As the 5A playoffs have been underway, plenty of teams have stepped up, and others have fallen. Some of the teams that have stepped up could have been expected, and others, not so much. Below, each of the teams that have made it to the final 4 could have been expected, but it is just as fun to track them, and to see what helped get them to this point.    Ware County   Entering into their matchup against Dutchtown, it is very important to note that Ware County has played very well this season, resulting in a 12-0 record so far. In this span, their whole team has played very stout football, but the side of the ball that deserves the most credit is the defensive side of the football. This season, they have only allowed 83 points within the span of all the games they have played. This, along with the fact that they have scored a total of 435 points has proven how tough of an opponent they will be to take down. To this point of the season, their QB, Nikao Smith, has passed for over 2,000 yards, and their two primary RB's, Daejaun Dennis (1,080 yards), and [player_tooltip player_id='1556469' first='RJ' last='Boyd'] (685 yards), have both rushed for plenty of TD's. Defensively, players such as Trey Hargrove, LJ Hall, Jaden Jones, and Elijah Williams have all stood out for their team.    Dutchtown   Dutchtown, which currently sits at a 12-1 record, has played at a very high level in the playoffs this year. So far, they have defeated Statesboro 45-0, Northgate 41-14, and Mays 40-34. Each of these teams were worthwhile opponents, forcing Dutchtown to buckle down on both sides of the ball. As they approach their matchup against Ware County, they will need some of their best players to step up on both sides of the ball. This includes the likes of Dwight Johnson, Jamal Bing, Tarez Hamilton, [player_tooltip player_id='34041' first='Josiah' last='Jarrett'], Hakem Hodges, and Lamone Curtis Hill.    Warner Robins   Despite their overall 9-4 record, Warner Robins has proven each week in the playoffs how deadly of an opponent they truly can be. At this point of time, they have scored a total of 364 points this year and have allowed a total of 201. In the playoffs, they have played good football. In the first round, they came away with a win against Northside that saw a total of 38 points scored, to 7. Last week, against a solid Creekside team, who finished with a 3-1 record, they won 31-28 in overtime, and barely pushed themselves into the next round of the playoffs. As the next round approaches, be on the lookout for Vic Burley, [player_tooltip player_id='118955' first='Nick' last='Reeves'], [player_tooltip player_id='330731' first='Malcolm' last='Brown'], and Ronjaden Adair to be game changers, and to give them a chance to win.    Cartersville   Cartersville has not only been one of the top programs all season long, but they have played like it throughout the duration of the playoffs as well. Entering into the playoffs, they had a 9-1 record, with their only loss of the year coming to regional opponent Calhoun. Since the start of the playoffs, they have dominated their competition on both sides of the ball, holding opposing teams to 52 points in the span of 3 games. This, compared to the 136 points they scored all season long is a very large margin. As they prepare for Warner Robins next week, we fully expect them to fire on all cylinders when it is time. Players to look out for on their roster include the likes of Paul Gamble, Malachi Jefffries, Jamauri Brice, Jonathan Cline, and Landon Heath.

As the 5A playoffs have been underway, plenty of teams have stepped up, and others have fallen. Some of the teams that have stepped up could have been expected, and others, not so much. Below, each of the teams that have made it to the final 4 could have been expected, but it is just as fun to track them, and to see what helped get them to this point.