State football finals are set in Georgia

Colquitt County (Moultrie), the Georgia team coached by former Hoover High head man Rush Propst, is setting records this season in ways that it never imagined.

Colquitt will play Brookwood (Snellville) on Saturday in the Class AAAAA football final.

Propst, who came to Colquitt in 2008, won five state titles in with Hoover, the school featured in MTV's reality series "Two-A-Days,'' but he's never had a team like this one.

While none of his Hoover championship teams lost more than one game, Colquitt has lost five. The Packers (9-5) finished third place in strong Region 1-AAAAA but have won four straight playoff games to reach the final with a 9-5 record.

"We know 10 wins is what it will take,'' Propst told the Moultrie Observer. "I know it will be the toughest 10 wins of my career.''

Colquitt also started the season 0-3. That included an embarrassing 65-35 loss to Mississippi state champion South Panola. No team in Georgia history has won the highest classification after an 0-3 start or with five losses.

Georgia also has never had a state champion that allowed more than 400 points in a season. Colquitt has given up 421 and is allowing 30 points per game.

But the Packers are scoring 34.4 per game and winning the close ones. They beat M.L. King 48-47 in the second round. In the semifinals last week, Colquitt faced a team in Grayson that hadn't allowed a point until the fourth quarter in any of the first three rounds. Colquitt came from 24-17 down in the fourth to win 31-24.

School records have been set by running back Tevin King (1,842 rushing yards, 35 touchdowns), quarterback Tyler Brown (3,004 passing yards) and receiver Tommy Hudson (91 catches, 1,283 yards, 14 touchdowns).

‘'Everybody knows they run the spread, but what they really want to do is run the ball,'' said Lowndes coach Randy McPherson, whose team beat Colquitt 37-27 in the regular season but was knocked out in the playoff quarterfinals. "The key is to make them one-dimensional. The guy King is the guy you want to stop. The most dangerous thing about Colquitt is King and the offensive line.''

MaxPreps' Georgia football playoff brackets

State final notes:

Class AAAAA: Brookwood (13-1) was the only region champion or ranked team even to make the semifinals in this class and must be considered the favorite against Colquitt. The Broncos, who last won a state title in 1996, have weapons in running back Nick Tompkins (over 1,700 yards rushing), linebacker Cameron Lynch (committed to Syracuse) and receiver Andre Sims Jr. (committed to Michigan State).

Class AAAA: Chattahoochee (Alpharetta) (14-0) and Starr's Mill (Fayetteville) (14-0) are unbeaten teams that have never won state titles. Chattahoochee quarterback Timmy Byerly has had a hand in 50 touchdowns – 20 rushing and 30 passing. Starr's Mill star running back Zach Laskey suffered an injury in the first half of the upset victory over Tucker last week, and his status is unknown for the final.

Video of Timmy Byerly

Class AAA: Sandy Creek (Tyrone) star Alex Chisum caught eight passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the 36-17 victory in the semifinals over Peach County in a game between reigning state champions. Sandy Creek won AAAA last season. Peach won AAA. Both entered 13-0. Saturday's opponent, Carrollton (14-0), has been the state's most dominant team. Only one game has been closer than 20 points, that one a 14-7 win in the second round. Carrollton running back Broderick Snoddy and cornerback Jonathan Jones are nationally ranked track-and-field runners on this athletic team.

Class AA: Buford (13-1) and Calhoun (14-0) are meeting in the AA final for the third straight season. That's never happened in Georgia. Buford is trying to become the first school since West Rome (1982-85) to win four straight state titles in Georgia. But this time, Calhoun might be favored. Calhoun held Carver's Isaiah Crowell to 94 yards on 20 carries in the 27-14 semifinal victory over the No. 1-ranked team.

Class A: No. 1-ranked Clinch County (Homerville) (14-0) is trying to win its fifth state title, first since 2004. Savannah Christian (13-1) is trying to win its first. Watch out for Clinch's running tandem of Tray Dorsey (1,443 yards rushing, 23 touchdowns) and Anthony McNeill (1,526, 26). They're going against Class A's top-rated defense.