Football Fridays in Georgia
Grayson vs. Carrollton | GHSA Football Playoffs: Quarterfinals
Season 2025 Episode 32 | 3h 28m 28sVideo has Closed Captions
Watch the GHSA football playoffs quarterfinal matchup between Grayson and Carrollton.
Watch the GHSA football playoffs quarterfinal matchup between Grayson and Carrollton.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Football Fridays in Georgia is a local public television program presented by GPB
Football Fridays in Georgia
Grayson vs. Carrollton | GHSA Football Playoffs: Quarterfinals
Season 2025 Episode 32 | 3h 28m 28sVideo has Closed Captions
Watch the GHSA football playoffs quarterfinal matchup between Grayson and Carrollton.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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It saves lives as we welcome you to Grisham Stadium in Carrollton, Georgia, for the state 6-A quarterfinals.
As the number 1 ranked Grayson Rams have come to town to take on the number 3 Carrollton Trojans.
And good evening, I'm Matt Stewart, joined by former Auburn Tigers All-American NFL first round draft pick in 15 year pro Wayne Gandy and Wayne.
Not only do we have a rematch of the 6-A state championship game from last December, which Grayson won 38 24, we have one of the top games in the entire country.
Grayson is ranked number 1 in three different national rankings, and Carrollton is number 11.
In short, we've got a Thanksgiving football feast tonight.
Yeah, when you look at this game, I'm excited to call it being out on the field with these players.
Two teams nationally ranked one with an explosive offense, another with a defense with 50-2 sacks.
Kick the ball off and let's have some fun.
Let's talk about Grayson first.
They're 12-0 coming off a second round win against Colquitt County.
They've overcome adversity this season.
Their four star quarterback Travis Burgess committed to North Carolina, suffered a season ending knee injury in the second game of the season.
Junior Deuce Smith has stepped up and been spectacular.
Yeah, this young man has grown up before the coaches.
He's managing this offense.
He actually has great speed and a talented arm.
The biggest thing about this season for him is the interceptions.
24 touchdowns ten interceptions.
Has to be careful with the ball tonight.
Defensive side of the ball.
You got the five star.
The number 1 ranked linebacker in the country committed Texas Tyler Atkinson I compare him to Lawrence Taylor.
The best defender in the state of Georgia.
A playmaker, a difference maker.
He makes the splash plays.
I enjoy watching him play.
You got to find him.
You got to try to contain him.
Mr.
Atkinson is a dominant defender.
All right.
Let's talk about Carrollton 12-0 on the season.
Coming off a second round win over Harrison.
They've also overcome adversity.
This year.
They lost their five star quarterback Juju Lewis.
Remember he was going to be a senior this year.
But now he's a freshman at Colorado.
They also lost their all state running back Kamari Farmer.
But perhaps the offense might be even better.
They're averaging 48 points per game.
And Cam Wood, the guy that stepped up at running back just instead of being just the next man up, he's been the next star running back for the Trojans.
Yeah, this young man has stepped up a two quarterback system here for Carrollton.
But Cam Wood has been their MVP.
He can run between the tackles.
He has great speed.
He's powerful.
He can get out on the edge.
He bounces off tackles.
He finishes run everything you would want in a star MVP running back.
That's what he brings out onto the field.
And they're going to need a big game from him tonight.
And on the defensive side of the ball.
Star linebacking corps led by Caden Spratling, who's a three star committed to Memphis.
He can take over a game like Tyler Atkinson as well.
Mean nasty can get to the edge.
Physical in the box.
He's a great tackler out in space.
They're going to move him around, try to get some matchup problems, but he has to have an outstanding game.
So it's Carrollton it's Grayson should be a spectacular game on this Black Friday.
The third member of our crew tonight is Madison Cruz, and she's down on the sidelines.
Thanks, Matt and Wayne.
And I'm a little jealous of you guys in the booth.
You guys have that nice warm air conditioning coming in down here.
Field level.
But I can't complain.
It's going to be a great battle on the field tonight.
And it's one thing that we talked about with both head coaches and Santavious Bryant as well as Joey King.
We talked about the weather.
They said it's just like any other game.
They have to go out and they can only control what they can control.
And for the Rams, it's coming in and facing every new challenge that comes their way.
And for them, that's the Trojans and for Joey King side.
They talked about that 2024 championship match and they said it's rat poison.
You don't want to talk about it because you have to focus on one game ahead, and you have to focus on what's ahead of you.
And right now that's the road to the semifinals.
As we send it back to the studio with John and Nicky.
And listen, guys, how's it nice in the warm studio over there in Atlanta?
Oh, Maddie, we are so warm.
But you look so cute and cozy.
Yes, just like Nelly in here.
Nick.
Nelly, we've got our halftime show.
Yeah, just go with it, John.
Okay, so we've got an awesome halftime show for you guys coming up.
We're going to have player spotlights Nelly.
He always checks in with scores from around the state.
We had a few games John that kicked off at 7:00 P.M.. And then of course he's going to go through all of the brackets and see how those are shaking out.
So you definitely want to keep it here.
Also real quick Maddie welcome aboard girl.
Happy to have you with us tonight.
Early goes we have Stevenson up early Calvary fellowship up early Burke and Rock are tied at seven.
Now let's go to the kickoff.
Matt and Wayne to Grisham Stadium for a big one.
Number 1 versus number 11 nationally.
Thanks, guys.
We are just moments away from the opening kickoff.
Please go to our QR code and pick the winner of tonight's game between Grayson and Carrollton.
So Wayne Carrollton won the opening toss.
They have elected to receive the ball to start this game.
Yeah, you got that kind of high powered offense.
You want the ball, get CJ Cypher out on the field.
It's chilly outside.
You want this offense to start quick.
Football Fridays in Georgia presented by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety reminding you, heads up, Georgia.
Park your phone while you're driving.
It saves lives and Mintah going to kick it off and angle the kick to the far side of the field.
Fair catch is made by Cam Wood at the 24 yard line, and that is where the Trojans will go on offense for the first time today.
And as Wayne mentioned, the freshman CJ Cypher, they have played with a two quarterback system all season long with the freshman Cypher starting number 7 and Mason Hotlzclaw the senior subbing in.
And it's worked.
It has been a beautiful thing to watch two teammates cheering and rooting for each other.
Both bring different aspects, but they're both dynamic when they're out on the field.
And you see CJ Cypher has 16 offers, including Florida State, Nebraska and Miami, and he is going to be a big time quarterback by the time he is a senior.
Cypher going to go to the air and throw the ball complete to Zachery in the play.
Got blown dead.
Looks like illegal procedure will be the call.
Prior to the snap.
False start offense five yard penalty.
Still first down.
Todd Downs, our referee, known Todd a long time.
25 years.
Great referee in the state working this big game tonight.
And the rest of his crew, including Dave Reynolds who works with us during the GPB sports finals as our officiating expert up in the booth.
Dave, trying to keep warm out on the field tonight.
Right off the bat, nerves are showing false start here for Carrollton at home.
Not a lot of crowd noise, just a lot of jitters in this big time game.
So first and 15 following the penalty.
And we wait to run the first play of the game.
Showing that massive four man front up here for the Grayson Rams with Waylon Wooten the 62309 junior wearing number 99 up there and cam McGee even bigger at 6:43 23.
Cypher going to throw the ball is complete out here to Rontre Welch, and Welch is going to make it up to about the 29 yard line where he's tackled by Eli Harris.
And there's a flag down on the field as well as Wayne.
We take a look at the Breda Pest Management impact players.
When Carrollton has the ball.
Carrollton Ryan Mosley Peyton Zachary a dynamic duo deep threat with Mosley slot receiver.
Hard to tackle with Zachery.
And then on the other side, as you mentioned, Cam McGee just a big plugger in there at 323 pounds and at Davis as good as a linebacker as anyone in the country.
So a personal foul call.
We're getting a lot of feedback on that, Mike.
So couldn't hear exactly what Todd was saying, but it is a 15 yard personal foul penalty against Carrollton.
Yeah, trying to do just a little too much.
Great block out on the edge to free his teammates.
Just driving the defender too far off the field after the whistle.
So Carrollton going in reverse to start this quarterfinal.
Gotta go.
Cypher looks to the other side of the field this time.
Nobody open looking throwing downfield.
Got a man streaking open and it's going to be intercepted at the 46 yard line.
Wow.
Turnover right away is Cypher who's thrown only two interceptions the entire season gets picked.
Great protection up front by the offensive line.
Plenty of time to get the ball down the field.
Working moving out in the pocket here as Cypher just throwing it up, trying to get the ball, forcing it down the Peyton Zachary and Eric Johnson that middle safety position.
The three star FSU excuse me London Goggans the other three star safety that they have on this team making a play.
Yeah.
So Goggans comes up with a pick right there over the shoulder looking like a wide receiver on that play.
So first and ten ball is at the 36 yard line.
And now first chance to see the Rams on offense.
Carrollton has done a really good job of taking care of the football.
But they turn it over on their first series and off to a very inauspicious start with the penalties and then the interception.
Wayne just a bad series right there.
Trying to do too much with the ball there.
CJ Cypher Deuce Smith going to keep it himself and run it up to the 39 yard line.
That was Ackey in on that tackle.
Smith has thrown for 2,200 yards plus 24 touchdowns, ten interceptions after taking over for Travis Burgess running play on play number 2 for Grayson.
Got maybe a yard on the play as they hand it off to Josh Thomas.
They have a four man running back committee.
Yeah, they run it back by committee.
They like to play with pace in and off the sideline.
Deuce Smith already in that first play showing he's going to have to make some plays with his feet tonight.
Smith throws it is complete out here on the edge.
And that's Jonathan Stafford the Western Kentucky commit with the first down catch.
Nice right there.
Nice route there by Stafford coming back to the ball here.
Clean pocket.
The throw from good protection up front.
Nice arm there by Deuce Smith to get the ball out on the edge there.
Stafford 511175 headed to Western Kentucky.
So first and ten ball across the 50 at the 48.
Handoff goes this time to Ashton Turner who's actually their leading rusher.
He gets a couple Wayne.
Let's take a look at the impact players.
When Grayson has the ball.
Just like Carrollton the dynamic duo at that receiver spot with Quarterman the big receiver down the field.
Stafford working out of the slot and for collision on defense.
Zykie Helton, known for his offensive tackle, but what a pass rusher he brings to the field and Kj Gamble, a three star headed to Georgia Tech.
He's a sideline to sideline impact linebacker.
That's brought to you by Breda Pest Management official pest control of Georgia High school football.
Smith goes to the air, throws incomplete out of the hands of Clark.
The slot wide receiver was open sitting down in the coverage and just dropped it.
Smith passed.
Finally catching a break here.
As you can see, trying to get the play in from the sideline.
But this team of Grayson, they love to continue to press and try to get the ball out on the edge.
They have dynamic weapons in their receiving corps.
They're averaging 43 points per game.
They average right at 200 yards rushing per game.
Smith again wants to throw it now going to run it.
Smith across the 45 to the 40 will not pick up the first down.
Great tackle by Jay Hagan to deny him the first down yardage.
It's going to be fourth.
Down the ball.
Hawk Jay Hagan here from the safety position.
Nice job.
Didn't like the route outside.
Going with a little pace here to set up the offense.
So fourth down and they're going for it.
Smith to the air up top.
And it's going to be intercepted.
Back inside the ten yard line by Peyton Zachary.
So Zachery playing both sides of the ball.
Gets the deep ball.
Interception.
And there's a flag down on the field.
So let's check this penalty call.
Pass interference against the defense 15 yard penalty from the previous spot.
First down.
That's going to erase the interception Wayne.
Dorian Barney right here.
Covering on Quarterman.
Not really seeing a lot of contact right there.
Big receiver there 63202.
A lot of room right there to make that play.
And just a tough call right there.
Defense finally getting a turnover.
And we thought they were going to need some of those tonight.
Is that bails out the Rams.
It's going to be first and ten for Grayson at the 26.
They swing it out here quickly on the edge and they're going to pick up about seven on that pass.
Play right there.
This defensive Carrollton it has kind of a bend.
But don't break mentality.
This pace is making them have to make decisions quick.
That was Bin-Wahad with the catch.
Another quick pass out there on the edge.
And that is going to be caught by Quarterman.
And that'll be a first down.
Paying the price right here is Deuce Smith off the Edge Jay Hagan coming with the blitz.
Big hit.
Getting it out there to Quarterman but paying the price to do so.
So first and ten for the Rams they have it at the Trojans 17 yard line.
Great start to this game.
Quick fast paced contest and Grayson just got a break with the penalty that erased an interception to keep their drive alive.
Handoff goes to Gray.
It's the third different running back that we've seen used by the Rams already on this series, and he gets stonewalled.
Doing a good job up there.
Up front.
Ackey and Carter just are not going to be moved.
This defensive line is giving up a lot of size to this Grayson offensive line, but they are used to that.
That's the kind of defense they've had here under Joey King quick and tenacious.
Jahmir Harris, who's been one of the great stories for Carrollton this year, was in on that tackle.
Second down and ten.
Handoff goes to Gray, cuts through the hole.
First down Brandon Gray inside the ten and down close to the five.
Nice block by George Nagbe the tight end.
Number 17 right there a little power sweep kick out block right there.
Nice job opening that hole.
Falling forward.
They go right back to the running game and they get stonewalled.
This time.
That was Ryan Mosley.
So you see Zachery and Mosley stars on the offensive side of the ball playing on the defensive side of the ball.
As you look at the Johnny's New York style pizza starting lineup for the Rams, the big story Tim Harvey starting at center today after Kenneth Roby suffered a season ending ACL in their victory against Colquitt County last week.
And there's the backs and the wide receivers.
It's going to be fourth down to the air, knocked down.
Or did he catch it?
He caught it.
Intercepted on fourth down.
It was intercepted.
That was Ryan Mosley who comes up with the pick.
And the ball goes over to the Carrollton Trojans.
Down Coach King.
Ryan Mosley the star wide receiver jumps up and plucks it out of the air.
Trojans have it.
When we get back.
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Welcome back into Carrollton High School here as it is scoreless between the Trojans and the Rams here in this quarterfinal matchup, I am joined with athletic director Elizabeth Sanders for Carrollton to present the big check from Cigna Healthcare, a $1,500 donation to Carrollton High School in Elizabeth.
It's a cold night, but a fun night for football here in the quarterfinals.
That's right.
We're so excited to have you.
Thank you so much.
And GPB, it's a great night to be a Trojan in Carrollton, Georgia.
Let's get back into the first quarter.
We'll toss it back up to Matt.
But once again thank you to Signa for this donation to Carrollton.
Thank you Madison.
So the ball goes over.
We've had two turnovers here in the first half one by each team.
It's been a great fast paced first quarter Wayne.
All hands on deck Brian Mosley coming from the offensive side making plays in the game early.
Now can this offense they've installed Mason Hotlzclaw.
It's his turn as the second quarterback.
Hotlzclaw in.
They're going to hand it off to cam Wood and Wood gets stopped almost right away.
Maybe a yard pickup on the play as Grayson very hard to run on.
And that was Waylon Wooten number 99.
Hard to miss him.
Waiting for the big body out there built for that position.
62.
About 3:10.
The junior three star.
He's just a guy that can play with great leverage at 6:02.
It's just hard.
This is a great battle between both offense and defensive lines in this game.
Waylon has 27 offers, including Auburn and Florida.
Second down Wood gets the hand off again, runs out of a tackle, but doesn't go very far.
And it's going to be third down.
So you take a look at the Johnny's New York style pizza.
Your original neighborhood pizzeria.
Here's the starting lineup for Carrollton.
You got Helton up front.
He's committed to Georgia in Fielder over at that right tackle.
He's a big time prospect in the class of 2028.
Wood the running back, Zachery and Mosley seeing them play both ways.
Welch is an outstanding kick returner.
We've already seen him make one catch here tonight.
Third down handoff goes to Zachery on the jet sweep and he gets blown up right away.
And there he is.
Number 10 Eli Harris.
He's the next star linebacker in this Grayson program.
Long fast and tenacious Eli Harris out on the edge right here.
This young man is the next big thing for this defense.
Taking it up from Tyler Atkinson and Anthony Davis.
As you can see just so much speed at that linebacker position in this 33 stack.
He's a three star in the class of 2027, already has 17 offers, including Ole Miss.
The rebels got a big win in the Egg Bowl today against Mississippi State.
Kick going to be fair.
Caught at the plus side of the 50.
And that is where the Rams are going to go back on offense at the 47 yard line.
We've seen this Ram offense play with a lot of pace.
Trying to get the ball out on the edge.
Not sure how much Tim Harvey being in there as the backup center, but they have the size and skill up, size up, up front to be able to match this team and take advantage of that weight difference.
Yeah, Harvey actually has seven offers already, even though he's just a junior, including West Virginia.
Just a tough break for Roby.
However, a two year starter to get knocked out here in the quarterfinal round, we wish him a speedy recovery.
Hand off goes to Turner and Ashton Turner gets chopped down at the 47 yard line.
Virtually no gain on the play.
Jay Hagan number 2 right there.
Coming.
He's feeling it tonight.
This young man playing with a lot of downhill motion trying to make plays.
Huggins got five offers, including Georgia Southern, Jacksonville State and Miami of Ohio.
Pass is thrown complete over here on the near sideline as Stafford comes up with another big catch.
Great throw here by Deuce Smith to be able to get this ball over the outstretched arm of the defender.
Just doing that long reach there, going up to bring that ball in.
Turner on the handoff and Turner is going to get a couple of yards on the play.
And here's tonight's starters delivered by Johnny's New York style pizza.
Your original neighborhood pizzeria Ackey Carter and McLendon up front Spratling Gamble Harris and Mcmillan in that linebacking corps and in the secondary Boyd Simmons Hagan and Barney Barney.
The four star committed to Ole Miss.
Smith to the air, looking to the far sideline.
Now he's going to run it and Smith is going to pick up the first down and more.
Smith gets knocked out of bounds by Hagan inside the 15 yard line.
So Deuce Smith showing us a little bit of his running game here tonight.
Travis Burgess must have gave him a phone call telling him to let the wheels loose.
He has the speed right there, taking away his first option there on the rollout and then showing you what Coach Santavious Bryant already knows.
This young man has the skills.
He's fast to get out on the edge.
Wow.
Great submarine tackle by Hagan who's making his presence felt here tonight.
Jay Hagan is playing at that next level, accepting the challenge of taking on the number 1 team in the country.
Here.
Watch two.
Works through the traffic.
Great job getting into the wheels and bringing the receiver down.
So it looks like we have a time-out called on the field.
And we have a man down for Carrollton right now.
So an injury time out trying to see who that is down there.
Who's laying looks like a cramp.
So it doesn't look like it's anything too serious.
But Carrollton Wayne Bello playing three guys, big time offensive players on the defensive side of the ball tonight.
Playing them both ways.
Mosley, Zachery and Helton.
It's a big time game.
You got to try to match the talent level of Grayson.
And how do you do that?
You ask your your offensive guys to step up.
We're used to guys like Zykie Helton going over there and doing double duty, but you felt like guys like Mosley and Zachary were going to have to get in there and mix it up on defense.
So second down and ten ball is at the 12 yard line with 3.5 minutes to play here in the first quarter.
Second time.
Now that Carrollton has been in the insurance red zone in this game.
And again it looks like we have movement for Carrollton on that defensive line.
Prior to the snap encroachment defense five yard penalty.
Still second down.
So bonus Grayson 5 yards right there.
Now they've got it.
Second down and goal inside the ten.
It's not actually in goal.
So they can pick up a first down at the second at the two yard line.
Short gain likely in four down territory right here.
Good job there.
By Mark Mitchell number 77.
6510270.
Playing with leverage won't be moving there.
And Caden Spratling coming off the edge to make the play there.
Basically shuttling a running back on every play.
Turner's now in there.
And Turner's going to get the handoff.
He's got a hole.
And Turner dives for the end zone and scores the touchdown for Grayson.
Ashton Turner takes it in and it's a 6-0 lead for the Rams.
Ashton Turner 58, 199.
Getting out on the edge right here.
Watch the leg drive at the contact right there absorbing the hit.
The legs still churning, pushing his way into the end zone.
This young man is has a big future at that running back position.
Running behind the right tackle Jordan Agbanoma, who's a consensus four star and rated as high as the number 4 interior offensive lineman in the class of 2027.
Yeah, 64, 311 big time player, big body out there as well.
His impressive with his size.
Agbanoma already has 21 offers, including Alabama.
Then your team play Alabama tomorrow.
I was trying to just let that go by right there Matt.
You know the Iron Bowl is tomorrow.
I don't know if they got the kickoff in time.
They're going to let it go.
Looked like the play clock was at zero.
But apparently they get the kickoff.
And Carrollton now trails Grayson 7-0 as Ashton Turner takes it in, running behind Agbanoma out there and scores the touchdown.
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Breda Pest Management works to protect your home from termites with a liquid barrier.
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Tonight's game is brought to you by Breda Pest Management with Breda.
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245 left here in the first quarter and Grayson on top 7-0 after a seven play, 47 yard drive.
Brought to you by DBHDD.
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Curriculum scoring drive.
37 Eugene Mintah.
Wayne.
They are playing with such incredible pace.
You're going to have to get some things going on offense because you can't keep sending your defense out there with Grayson playing at this offensive pace.
Yeah, there's Carrollton team so far in this game.
Offensively has just beating themselves with penalties and the turnover.
This pace is going to eventually get to your defense.
So you got to get a drive together.
Cam Wood on the kick return and Woods going to make it up to about the 36 yard line.
And that's where the Trojans will go on offense for the third time tonight.
Let's see if we can adjust.
If you're the Trojans, this offense try to get more on the edge.
See if you can get cam Wood out in space.
May have to just throw him the ball a couple of times to loosen up this defense.
But the speed of these linebackers of the Rams are already paying dividends.
Yeah I was going to say my initial reaction to what we've seen here in this first quarter is the Grayson defense is fast.
Carrollton has got to figure out a way to neutralize that.
Yeah, the safety and the linebacker position, just hard to beat this team with the kind of athletes they have.
So Cypher now in their quarterback, they're going to run speed sweep to Peyton Zachary and not a lot doing.
There's Tyler Atkinson making his first appearance of the game.
Number 16.
You know the name.
He makes that many plays on the field right here.
Running the jet sweep to the boundary of the field.
Number 16.
Just coming to clean up the traffic right there.
Always working to the ball is Tyler Atkinson.
Cypher looks this way and throws and it's going to be caught Rontre Welch with the first down catch at the 46.5.
Nice job of going down and making that catch for your quarterback.
As Welch right there going with a little double pump, throwing into traffic.
Nice job.
Strong hands by the young sophomore Welch.
This Carrollton teams had five consecutive games of scoring 50 points.
Ball is thrown out on the edge.
That's going to be incomplete.
Did not keep it in bounds as Mosley was the target.
Let's take a look at tonight's starters, delivered by Johnny's New York style pizza.
Your original neighborhood pizzeria.
Here's Grayson on defense Wooten, McGee and Harris up front.
And then in that linebacking corps, it's really good.
Maybe the best in the state.
Harris, Atkinson and Davis.
And in that five man secondary with three safeties, you go Clemons, Goggans, Johnson, Isaac and Lynch.
So second down.
Cam Wood coming to the near side, gets shut down.
R.J.
Isaac the boundary safety.
Shot out of a cannon right there.
Watch how fast he reacts to this play right there.
Getting into the legs of cam Wood.
This is why Coach Bryant runs this defense.
That kind of speed and tenacity on that back end.
Cam Wood trying the other side and he's going to be tracked down rather quickly by Eli Harris.
Right here.
Coach King may have to be aggressive.
You can kind of see it's going to be one of those kind of nights when you cross the 50, you might have to start thinking about keeping this offense on the field and being a little aggressive.
Let's fourth down.
Looks like they are going to bring the punting unit on as Julian Vargas makes his way onto the field.
Now, if Carrollton has an advantage in any area tonight, it's definitely in the kicking game where Julian Vargas is outstanding.
He does it all, plays kicks, punts and does the kickoffs.
He averages 42 yards per punt.
Snap goes back and Vargas nice kick.
He's going to hit it at the ten.
And keep on bouncing and rolling.
And all the way down to the two yard line.
Told you he was good.
What a great coverage right there.
Not stepping in the end zone letting the ball roll down.
And here is what is Carrollton defense has to go out, get their three and out.
Or at least here force a punt where their team can get great field position because this is tough sledding so far against the speed of this Grayson ram defense.
They've actually spotted it at the one.
So Grayson is backed up as far as you can be at their own 1 yard line, 99 yards to go with a buck 12 left in the first quarter.
Handoff goes to Thomas Thomas just trying to move the pile.
He's going to move it out to the four yard line.
He got three on the play.
Always dangerous.
Shotgunning the ball back.
When your quarterback is standing in the end zone, you hold your breath and hope that you can get the ball to the running back in that point.
Good job of driving the legs.
By Josh Thomas.
Second down and seven ball at the four under a minute.
Now to play in the quarter.
Deuce Smith on the rollout.
Throws incomplete Quarterman was his target.
Nice pressure there off the edge.
Not giving Smith time to set up to deliver this ball out to Quarterman.
Good job by the defender there.
Pressure making him pull up on that rollout.
Here's the big play.
Third and seven.
You force what you want.
Third and long here.
Your offense needs the ball.
Try to get them the short field.
What kind of pressure do you bring if you're Carrollton.
Smith clean pocket throws and it's caught by Stafford slips a tackle, picks up the first down and more Stafford across the 40.
And finally out of bounds near the 50.
Jonathan Stafford comes up with the big play.
Stafford Tyler Boyd out against Jonathan Stafford here.
You have to come up and make that play right there.
The broken tackle is what Jonathan Stafford creates.
That's the kind of elusiveness he brings to the field.
So first and ten Grayson up around the 50 now goes over here this time complete and out of bounds at the 40 1 yard line.
You can see a little confusion right there on the back end.
Right there with Boyd trying to figure out where he has safety help.
Hand off.
Goes to Thomas.
Thomas picks up the first down at the 38.
Great block there by the tight end Joey Hunter the spring.
Josh Thomas on that run there.
That's the aspect that this offensive line and tight end.
They do have for Grayson.
They can run the ball.
Again thrown out there complete.
And did Quarterman hold on to it?
No.
They step in their late Quarterman thought he took it to the ground.
And that's going to be ruled incomplete.
Nice job.
The four star Ole Miss Dorian Barney out there on the island knocking that ball away from quarterback.
And that is the end of the first quarter.
Grayson on top 7-0 here in the 6-A state quarterfinals.
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As we head to the second quarter, Grayson on top of Carrollton 7-0 Let's check in with Madison Cruz.
Thanks, guys.
As you saw, really huge play from Jonathan Stafford for the Grayson Rams.
And it was one thing last season he battled through an injury last season.
So when the Championship came around in 2024, nobody expected him to gear up for that game.
Needless did Santavious Bryant either.
But persuaded by his family by Jonathan Stafford, he was able to come on in and he had a huge impact in that game.
He had six catches, 40 secure the the 38-24 win over Carrollton.
He can play is what coach said and he's stepping up big tonight for the Lions.
Indeed he is Madison.
He's got three catches for 67 yards already tonight.
As we start the second quarter and it's second down and ten.
Smith stands in the pocket delivers downfield and it's Stafford again.
Fourth catch of the night for Jonathan Stafford as he makes it down to the 16 yard line.
Deuce Smith in the game with the hot hand at that quarterback position.
Good protection.
Stepping up, working up into the pocket, waiting on that late slant.
There.
Coming across by Stafford.
Ashton Turner this time gets stopped in his tracks by Jahmir Harris and Madison's exactly right.
When we were on our call with Coach Bryant this week, I was going to give him a hard time for holding out information on us in that state finals last year, and he said, look, he wasn't going to play, but he and his family talked me into it.
Yeah, he even went as far, said he didn't want him to play, but the family wanted him.
And what a big game he had for that victory.
He had a big game that night against Carrollton.
He's having another big game here tonight against Carrollton second down, ball in the air.
Jump ball.
Quarterman comes down with it but he's out of bounds.
Good battle there.
Out on the edge with the corner.
And this is what Dawson Quarterman brings to the field.
Good throw too.
Keeping the ball up high.
Just a little far out of bounds there.
But working there against Tyler Boyd is Quarterman trying to make a play.
Quarterman is committed to Eastern Carolina, East Carolina.
Over 24 total offers.
Took an official visit to FIU as well.
He's from South Florida.
He transferred to Grayson from St.
Thomas Aquinas.
It's third down.
Smith looking now, running, throwing.
Caught again.
And that is going to be the tight end.
George Nagbe making the catch.
And he has the first down at the five.
Nice find, good patience working the pocket, finding Nagbe on the back end, coming out on the backside, 63200 pound senior.
Is Nagbe already showing you the ability to block even though he's a little thin at 63, you can already see that he's an impactful player.
Wait till you see the backup Joey Hunter.
He's 65, 250.
First and goal to go Grayson.
They sucked the life out of this stadium has gotten really quiet over here on the home side.
Good operation here with Deuce Smith in and out.
Personnel getting the play, playing with pace.
Handoff goes to Gray.
Gray scores his second touchdown of the game.
Grayson on top 13 to nothing.
Nice job here.
By Gray Brandon Gray kind of out of that pistol formation.
Reading the blocks up front.
Able to stay out of the arms of Zykie Helton to get into the end zone.
Physicality.
As we talked about, they play with a lot of pace, but they do have the offensive line and tight ends and running backs to run the ball in those situations.
And that was actually the first touchdown for Gray tonight.
Turner scored the first one and the p.a.t.
Is good.
And Grayson has stunned this crowd here at Carrollton as the Rams have a 14 to nothing lead in the opening 1 minute of the second quarter.
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The youthful Santavious Bryant and what a great job he has done taking over this powerhouse program.
Now in his third season as the head coach, 37-4 And don't let those youthful looks fool you.
He is in complete, complete command and control of this program.
He has a quiet confidence about him.
The only thing I don't like about Coach Bryant is when he calls me sir.
He says it in his way like I'm an old man.
But other than that, what a great job he has done here.
Taking over this job in his 20s and already driving this powerful Grayson team.
There is no doubt they are the number 1 ranked team in the country.
In the USA today poll, the 20, the super 25.
I consider that the granddaddy of them all because that's the oldest MaxPreps and high School football America number 1 in all three of those national rankings.
Kick is coming down at the six, and this will be returnable for Rontre Welch, who has four kick return touchdowns this season.
Welch is able to get it up to the 30 yard line.
And that's where the Trojans get back on offense.
So Wayne, what does Carrollton have to do offensively to try to offset this incredible speed of the Grayson defense?
They're going to have to run downhill right at him and just try to put a drive together.
The explosiveness out on the edge.
They're not going to able to get that jet sweep with the speed of these linebackers and safeties.
They're going to have to make it an ugly, physical game.
With Cam Wood downhill.
This is probably the most decorated offensive line that Coach Joey King has had here.
In his fifth season with the Trojans, you got Helton and Fielder the power conference tackles.
Ball is going to go out there to Welch and he gets swallowed up right away as that's Hotlzclaw in there in quarterback as he's making his second appearance in a series here tonight.
Damari Clemons right there just running through the block of Peyton Zachary young man transferred over.
Just one of those guys.
Competitive.
And right now this this back end, this secondary, these linebackers are playing at a different pace.
They're smothering the ball.
They're challenging at the line of scrimmage.
You can see Hotlzclaw has 19 offers and he's taken official visits to East Carolina, Charlotte and South Alabama.
Second down.
That was a negative yardage play.
So second down and 11.
Now handoff goes to Cam Wood and Cam Wood.
Wow.
No running room at all Atkinson is there.
And so is Isaiah Gaines.
Gaines Atkinson Harris in on the play as well.
Just tough sledding right now.
Early on.
This defense.
They're playing with the attitude of the number 1 ranking and the way that they came into the game with 190 tackles for loss.
So they play downhill on the other side of the ball.
They roll 8-10 players in on that defensive line, and they're all really good.
Handoff goes Kam Woods straight through the hole.
Kam Wood.
Touchdown Carrollton.
Mad.
You ask how can they defeat this defense.
They have to go right at him.
They can't run side to side.
They got to go north, south and right here.
Great job by the offensive line.
Nice kick out block there on the edge by Ball.
And then this young man Kam Wood committed to West Georgia already 700 yard plus games on the season 10700 meter speed.
And he showed it all to you right there.
And that was his 30th touchdown of the season.
As Carrollton gets right back in the game on the legs of Kam Wood Vargas P-a-t makes it 14-7 Kam Wood, like you said, Wayne, attack the defense, get downhill.
And that's exactly what they do right here.
This young man has 107 speed in the hundred.
Great job up front by the offensive line.
That is the weakness of a 33 front.
There's a lot of gaps in their bowl.
Ball the right guard kick pulling around kicking out.
Good job by the center.
And then showing you the speed right there is Kam Wood.
Last time we were here he put on a show and that's what he's going to have to do tonight to keep this team against this kind of tenacious defense.
That takes a little bit of the steam out of that Grayson attack.
They were really feeling themselves, and now they've punched back and shown them they do have some fight.
And a big time story when they lost Kamari Farmer, they wondered what would most Trojan fans, even the most ardent Trojan fans, probably didn't even know who Kam Wood was.
As a junior.
He was on the JV.
He spent most of his Friday night standing on the sideline holding his helmet.
But when his bell was rung, when the time came for him to step up, he was ready.
He's dynamic.
He can run between the tackles, he's great out of the backfield, catching the ball and right there.
That aspect, that kind of speed.
And we're talking about being able to take it a home run, run like that against a fast secondary.
And nobody was making up any ground on it.
He pulled away.
So it's 147 as the Rams go back on offense.
Ashton Turner trying to get around the corner and Turner going to get knocked out of bounds.
Dorian Barney coming up from his corner spot to make that tackle.
Nice vision right there by Turner.
Kind of had to seek these yards out here.
Watch Division the jump cut right there to get out of the traffic a little hole there by the left tackle Wayne Bello a great job getting up field as Turner.
Back to the ground for the Rams.
Short gain.
Going to bring up third down and short.
Still rotating guys in and out.
Coach Bryant even rotates his offensive line.
Uses them as tight ends in certain situations.
Play action.
Ball comes out here complete to Nagbe again.
Nagbe all the way up to the 45 yard line.
Hagan comes up and makes the tackle and now we got a fight breaking out over here on the sidelines.
Actually, there was not a fight.
He just got tangled up.
Looked like Quarterman got tangled up in the sideline for the Carrollton Trojans and he couldn't get out of there.
What was going on?
I only saw the tail end of.
That Quarterman finishing the block.
Remember, as the game started, Carrollton was called for a penalty in the similar situation right there.
Quarterman being able to get away with it and you can see they're bringing him off the field, at least for a play.
Aggressive blocking to the whistle, and Coach King felt like he blocked too far past the whistle.
So first and ten Smith looking to the far side.
Now he's in trouble and he's going to take a sack back at the 39 yard line.
Jahmir Harris leading the way for the Trojans.
What a story.
Jahmir Harris the young man right here.
Just nowhere to go looking for that quick slant.
Couldn't find anything.
Trying to get to the outside the speed.
And that's one thing with this defense of Carrollton.
They possess speed at that linebacker position, undersized up front.
They can all get off blocks and make plays.
Nice tackle there by Jahmir Harris.
Second down and 16.
Handoff goes to Gray.
Hagan comes up and makes another tackle.
Gamble in on that tackle as well.
It's going to be third down and long.
Jay Hagan once again he sees it.
He's hitting it in the night.
If he sees you come around that corner, this young man, strong, savvy senior, he wants to go to next week.
Keep this Carrollton team moving in the playoffs.
He's a third year starter.
He moved from outside linebacker last year, started as a cornerback in 2023.
Now playing that deep safety position.
Third down and long Smith firing across the middle and the drag route.
Stafford makes another catch.
This his fifth of the game, but he gets knocked down almost right away by Spratling Spratling.
The three star headed to Memphis 61, 230.
We talked about him in the open.
Great tackler out in space here.
Just a little shallow cross right there to Stafford.
Great tackle in space by Spratling.
And they keep the offense on the field on fourth down and seven from their own 48.
Instead they're going to be quick.
Kick the ball Smith out of the quarterback position.
Will punt it and get a great bounce.
It's rolling inside that five yard line.
Did he keep it from going in?
No.
It's going to be a touchback.
Grayson missed a chance right there to pin him inside the five.
Great opportunity.
Nice job of punting the ball by Deuce Smith.
Plenty of time here to be able to cover this ball.
As you can see Dawson Quarterman you just want to pitch that ball back.
Just tap it back.
He kind of carried it.
To the end zone.
He carried it right there.
Just tap it back into the field of play.
Yeah.
All he needed to do right there is just stop it from moving.
Instead he actually, like you said, carried the ball into the end zone and turned that into a touchback.
So Carrollton has the ball at the 20 instead of the three yard line or the two.
That's a break for the Trojans.
That last big run by Kam Wood seems to be on energized both sides of the ball.
Kam Wood breaks out of one tackle now.
He breaks out into the open again.
Kam Wood across the 50, takes on the defender and knocks him off his feet, making the tackle at the 40 1 yard line.
Great job.
We talked about him being the MVP.
This offense right there, getting out of the tackle, making a man miss, ducking under pressure, making it a foot race.
Damari Clemons having to get over and then running through him for another two or 3 yards.
As you can tell, Kam Wood has really rocked up.
He's put in some work in the weight room and it's paying off for him on those runs.
Now the freshman, Nick Archer, is in the game.
They'll fake a handoff to him and Cypher dropping back to pass, going deep, streaking open touchdown.
Carrollton Peyton Zachery outruns the coverage and the Trojans are down.
Only one.
Beautiful route here by Peyton Zachary working out of the slot.
Look at the protection right there.
Plenty of time to load the gun and deliver the ball down the field.
What a perfect strike.
Putting it on Peyton Zachary right there.
Beautiful.
Throw and catch play design there by offensive coordinator Dusty Phillips going for the big play after the big run of Kam Wood.
Kick is going to be up and good.
Good job by the holder right there.
He bobbled the ball a little bit but was able to get the ball upright for Vargas to stick it through.
Wow, what.
A play.
Late dog pressure.
Willing to stand in there and take the hit.
What a beautiful throw by the young freshman.
CJ Cypher.
Great route working out of that slot right there.
By Peyton Zachary.
We talked about how explosive he is.
Three star headed to UNLV.
Coach King said he was more like a mini Deebo Samuel, and that looked like the young Deebo Samuel for the 49ers right there.
By Peyton Zachary.
We got a game back.
We do two plays, 80 yards and they strike quickly.
A big run by Kam Wood and then a big pass by Cypher caught by Zachery.
We're tied at 14.
Just when it looked like Grayson had taken control of this game, Carrollton snaps back and ties it up.
Got some big plays, big run.
Kam Woods setting the pace for the offense and the defense.
And the kick coming down.
It will be returnable from the five yard line.
Stafford kind of baby stepping his way up to the 15 yard line.
And that's where the Rams will be on offense.
And now all the momentum seems to be with the Trojans right now.
Carrollton team trying to match the intensity, the speed finally seem to be on warmed up.
We talked about him as we're on the field like they were not really moving, but right now all three phases are out there playing at top level in this Grayson Ram team is in a dogfight.
14, 14, 528 left in the first half.
Rematch of the 2024 state championship game, but really only in name only.
Many of those players are no longer in these two programs.
Long crawl incomplete.
Looking for Quarterman.
Working that one on one match up there.
Quarterman.
Working on Tyler Boyd once again.
That seems to be something this Rams offense feels like they have an advantage on.
Just not able to link up on the route.
There is Deuce Smith.
Deuce Smith ten of 16 passing so far.
139 does have one interception.
It was also sacked once.
Handoff straight through the hole.
Short gain on the play.
That's Brandon Gray again.
The sophomore has had over 500 yards rushing this season as the number 4 running back on the depth chart.
Running back by committee right there.
Just trying to make it third and manageable here.
Crowd noise testing.
This Grayson offense communication.
Third down.
Third and long as we talked about any Achilles heel, the Smith is throwing interceptions this year right here.
Be careful in this down and distance.
Sprint out quarterback sack.
Zykie Helton.
Zykie Helton.
The four star offensive tackle coming off the edge.
The speed, the slap right there.
Slapping the hands of Wayne Bello.
The left tackle off for him to make a play.
He is the guy that we have consistently seen in a one on one matchup.
Can make those kind of plays rushing the passer, and sometimes he does it so well, you wonder where he will be at Georgia right now.
They haven't been tackled.
Offensive lineman offensive line coach Stacy Searl might lose him to the defense if he keeps making plays like that.
Hersey punts it out of there.
It's going to be a short kick and it hits at the 33 and Carrollton is going to come out of there with great field position as that ball is down to the 38 yard line.
Buckle up, Georgia Carrollton going back on offense.
When we get back.
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What.
One.
Are you lying?
Come on.
Oh, what a bad call.
We have no business being out there.
You know, I'm a person to.
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Org slash education 354 left in the half and a 14 14 game here in the state quarterfinals.
Looked like Grayson would be in command as they jumped out to a 14-0 lead.
But Carrollton has responded.
Now they have their hands on the ball late in the second quarter, Wayne.
Cam Wood with that big run has ignited a fire under this team.
The defense goes out.
Get him the short field with the momentum.
Got to cash in and get the ball in the end zone.
These situations teams like to try to go up top for the big play.
Hotlzclaw in their quarterback.
He's going to run it.
He's looking for somewhere to run, trying to get to the corner.
And he does.
And Hotlzclaw going to pick up close to the first down as he steps out of bounds at the 29 yard line.
Nice job right there.
By Hotlzclaw making a quick decision, bouncing outside 63, 195 the three star didn't like it but was confident in his speed.
The long strides.
Good job by the receivers.
Are not holding out on the edge.
Of course, coach Joey King, famous for coaching Trevor Lawrence in high school and Juju Lewis but invoking his inner Steve Spurrier this season and playing two quarterbacks second down and one.
And the handoff goes to Cam Wood.
He has the first down at the 27 yard line.
It's really amazing because there's so much negativity just in general about playing two quarterbacks.
You've always heard if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have any quarterbacks, but they've made it work with a freshman and a senior, no less.
Yeah, I think that Coach King conveyed to both quarterbacks that you're QB1 and Qb2 is not really a backup situation.
As Hotlzclaw to the air battle for it.
And Mosley can't come up with it.
Incomplete.
That was Rilee Drew on the coverage.
We do have a flag down.
So we may have legal shift here.
Just trying to throw it up.
Let the big play ability right there Ryan Mosley go to work.
Just couldn't come down with the throw.
The catch.
Ineligible man downfield against the offense.
Five yard penalty.
Still first down.
Ryan Mosley right there.
We've seen him come up with an interception on the defensive side of the ball.
And there is some question as to whether he will be a wide receiver or a safety at the University of Georgia, some recruiting services list him as an athlete.
We've seen him primarily as a wide receiver in his career at Carrollton.
And we've seen Georgia be able to take a player from one side of the ball, put him on the other side of the ball and send him to the NFL.
Exactly.
So if I was Mr.
Mosley, I would listen to Coach Smart and just go with whatever he says when I get there.
Mosley is rated as high as the number 17 wide receiver in the class of 2026 and picked the Bulldogs over 35 total offers.
Ball comes out here to Zachery Peyton Zachary hop step and gets out of bounds at about the 28 yard line.
Peyton Zachary Zachery Mosley have just paid such big dividends for this offense this year.
Regardless of which quarterback, they all seem to be in sync and in a groove as a tandem on the outside is Peyton Zachary and Ryan Mosley.
Zachery is committed to UNLV.
He's 57, 165.
I'm waiting for an SEC school or ACC school to snap him up on signing day.
Pass goes complete to Zachery again down to the 24 yard line because he's got all the makings of a great wide receiver.
He's just not big.
Yeah, he's just a height thing with him.
He's not hitting the measurables, but easily here.
And as recruiting picks up, he could find himself staying in this area.
I know a team a couple of miles from here.
We're desperate for a playmaker like Peyton Zachary.
He's committed to UNLV.
29.
Other offers.
Georgia's among them.
Louisville's among them three star wide receiver.
And again, like Wayne said, it's only the 57, 165 that holds him back, at least in the eyes of those recruiting.
And we have some movement that was Mateo Wells got started a little bit early.
Prior to the snap.
False start offense, five yard penalty, still third down.
Mateo Wells right there.
Just continue with the motion.
Looked like he was going in motion right there.
I thought maybe they were going to some kind of overload package.
As he shifted over, but just moving too fast is the left guard right there?
Mateo Wells the senior?
Yeah, he's committed to Anderson University there in South Carolina.
12 total offers.
Third down and 12 now under 2.5 to play here in the first half.
Heavy rushes coming at him.
And Davis was pursuing and Hotlzclaw has to dump it.
You see the Grayson sideline.
Santavious Bryant wants to see the flag.
Now they're going to drop it.
Still in the pocket right there.
Mason Hotlzclaw big time pressure coming off the edge.
And Davis just trying to get the ball out.
But intentional grounding offense.
Five yard penalty from the spot of the foul.
Carries loss of down.
Brings up fourth down.
So now it's going to be fourth down with two 0-9 to play in the half.
Do you reach for a long field goal here.
Right here.
No.
You just go out punt the ball.
It's fourth down.
Get off the field.
Make Grayson have to go the long way here to end this quarter.
This half.
Yeah I think yeah.
Todd said a five yard penalty.
I thought it was a 15.
And it is.
They marked it off way back there.
Well it was from the spot of the foul.
That's what it is.
It's five from the spot of the foul.
That is correct.
So it's at the 45.
And you're right they do have to punt right here.
It's not from the line of scrimmage but from where the ball was thrown.
Barney.
So Vargas saw Marty dump one inside the five yard line tonight.
Vargas will try that again.
End over end kick.
It's going to be fair.
Caught at the 14 yard line.
That was Stafford back there.
He's just so reliable.
Jonathan Stafford saw him start his high school career at Archer.
In fact, I think I called his first ever varsity football game in the classic four years ago, playing for the Archer Tigers.
Great job.
By Stafford coming up and fielding that ball right there, because a lot of black jerseys back there to be able to pin that ball.
He's committed to the Hilltoppers over 24 total offers outstanding wide receiver.
511175.
And again, measurables probably hold him up a little bit.
But going to a conference USA school that will throw it 50 times a game.
Number 13.
That was Ashton Turner on the carry.
In fact, we talked to Santavious Bryant that we were talking about Stafford.
He says, yeah man, if you like to catch the ball, go play for Western Kentucky because they wing it on every play.
Yeah, you would definitely get to show your skills and get an opportunity in this new college scheme.
To better yourself and move around if that's in your in the cards for you.
So second down.
Smith out on the edge.
It goes.
And heading upfield after the catch and close to a first down is Stafford again.
I think that'll be catch number 6 for him and put him over 100 yards for the first half.
Hagan trying to get the ball into one of your best players.
Hands out on the edge now.
Deuce Smith going to run it.
Wow.
Big tackle right there.
And was that Zykie Helton again?
It was.
A guy working back tracing his steps to make this play here up the field.
Watch as he recognized the quarterback going up in the pocket right there.
That's your offensive left tackle making a play.
It's Turner on the run.
And Spratling gets him on the ground.
Going out of bounds with 49 seconds to play in the half.
Are we sure Zykie Helton is not a defensive lineman?
I can't tell.
He's so dominant on that side of the ball.
62285.
In this game, you can see him playing more full time here tonight.
He's been a guy that they just moved around here and there.
But he's a dynamic pass rusher.
Their best pass rusher up front.
Looks like.
The interesting thing about Sakai is you know he started playing and starting as a freshman on the offensive line.
He was up around 330 pounds.
And then in his sophomore year, he started losing a lot of weight.
They didn't know what was going on.
And it turns out he had Crohn's disease.
He ended up losing a ton of weight.
He went down to 230 pounds.
The blessing in all that was when he went from 330 down to 230.
They found out how athletic he was.
Now he's up around 285 again, but exposed his athleticism that they didn't really see when he had so much weight on him.
Yeah, he got in shape.
He was able to continue to play harder, better condition.
And what a warrior he's shown to be able to battle through that disease.
So first and ten.
And another quarterback sack.
It's him again.
Sakai Helton.
Great job.
Once again.
This time working to the inside here.
Going underneath swimming the right guard right there to make that play.
What a great job using his hands, getting off the block.
Showing me some Warren sap right there is Zykie Helton.
Nice job there by that young man.
You can see he's rated as high as the number 1 center in the country.
He didn't even play that position for Carrollton anymore.
That's the position he started out at earlier in his career.
That's going to be the final play of the half.
Grayson wants no more of that.
They want to get to the locker room and figure out how to block Zykie Helton.
We were here a month ago and Douglas County couldn't block him, and Grayson hasn't been able to block him either.
Yeah, he's in a groove and in a zone as a pass rusher.
That and we're talking about against top tier offensive lines.
He's making these plays.
Absolutely Zykie Helton putting on a show right there with a couple of sacks late in the first half.
As the teams head to the locker room, tied at 14.
And tonight's first half interview is brought to you by Johnny's New York style pizza.
Your original neighborhood pizzeria.
And Madison is standing by with Coach Joey King.
Coach, an amazing first half momentum swinging your way.
What did you do to change the momentum into your direction?
I think we just got out of our way a little bit right there.
We had some young guys in that first quarter make some young guy type plays, and this was a big time football game.
So they kind of settled in.
I mean, you got two great teams duking it out on a cold Friday night in November.
It can't get much more better than this.
How do you keep the pressure going in the second half and keep things going your way?
We've just got to regroup, keep playing.
You know, we always say it's 0-0 at the half regardless of what the score is.
And really with it being tied up, it is so second half it'll be big for us.
Awesome.
Thank you coach.
Appreciate it.
Coach.
As we'll go ahead and send it back to the studio with John and Nikki as they'll give you scores and everything going on around the state here on Friday Night Football.
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Hey there everyone!
Welcome in to our Football Friday in Georgia halftime show presented by Georgia Access.
We're bringing health insurance home.
This is the halftime show I'm Nicki Noto Palmer.
This is John.
Mr.
Bracketology Nelson I know we're live from Grisham Stadium, but we're also live from our GPB studios in Midtown Atlanta right now.
You're currently watching a 6-A quarterfinal matchup between Grayson.
They traveled to Carrollton John.
We've got a tie ball game at 14.
We witnessed the Trojans score two touchdowns in 3 minutes and 36 seconds, with roughly about 5.5 minutes to go in the half.
Is this the score you expected to see at the half?
Figured it was going to be tight.
Just didn't anticipate the ebbs and flows where you had the 14 on the board and you're sitting there saying, okay, the field has completely tilted Grayson's way.
Then you get the running game going.
Cam Wood picking him up and putting him down, going from one end of the screen to the other.
That usually means touchdown.
So long touchdown for him 69 yards out.
Then you go with the long pass over the top with the passing game blocking working so far up front for Joey King.
I cannot wait for what Matty Cruz gets to find out from Santavious Bryant at the break.
We are tied.
No shock.
All right, well, what other scores do we have?
Well, let's find out as we go to the Georgia EMC scoreboard.
So much more than electricity.
The way that it looks right now, North Gwinnett and West Forsyth once again, that 1157.
You can turn that one to the half.
Buford three field goals to the good.
They are leading Douglas County by the score of 9-0 Valdosta now up on Walton.
We can change that 1-17 seven in the first.
That one's heading to the second.
Rome and Jackson County Rome kicked a field goal with 0:12 to go.
Second quarter.
That one is tied at the half at 17.
Page two.
Marist and North Oconee.
That one's at the break.
Marist leading by six.
Toombs County with a lead over northeast Macon.
3-0 Fitzgerald and heard that one is at the break and heard County is 17 14 to the good Lincoln County leading 28-10 That one is second quarter.
Prince Avenue scores in the second to cut the margin to 29 14.
Gainesville and Langston Hughes obviously postponed.
We're keeping an eye on that one.
We're also keeping an eye on the legal ramifications on that one.
We don't know when.
We know the appeal is going to be at the beginning of the week, but we don't know a win for the game or any more information of that going forward.
When we know, we'll let you know.
That's the early round of scores.
Thomas County Central is in a fight right now.
They're up by two.
Kel is leading Cartersville and Benedictine is rolling.
They are up by 30.
Sumter County leading Carver Atlanta 20-12 Thank you, Jack Patterson.
That one's heading to the third.
Okay.
So we've got a lot of great games to keep our eyes on when it comes to scores.
John, thanks as always.
We'll have a few more of those coming up later in the show.
For right now though, our signature moment is brought to us by our friends over at Cigna.
Alcohol abuse remains a concern with teens.
Our Hannah Goodin sits down and she'll have more on how you can pay attention to the signs of use and where teens can seek help if they need it.
Too many of our friends and family members are struggling with alcohol abuse, and teens are increasingly at risk.
Here to tell us more is Scott Kennedy, vice president of sales for Cigna Healthcare Scott.
How concerned should parents be about teens and alcohol?
Hannah.
The CDC has found that 10% of teens are binge drinking and teens have a lower tolerance for alcohol compared to adults.
Their bodies and brains are still developing, and that makes them more vulnerable to alcohol abuse.
What are the warning signs that your teen could be struggling with alcohol?
Well, pay attention to changes in their behavior like mood swings, social withdrawal, changes in friends, unusual behavior, or even a drop in grades.
And talk openly with your kids about alcohol and set a good example for them by practicing responsible drinking behavior.
And if you have a problem with drinking, then you need to seek help.
Yeah, how can somebody get help?
Well, talk to your doctor.
Most health plans offer a substance abuse treatment benefits, and your employer may even offer confidential employee assistance programs.
And then Alcoholics Anonymous and Alateen are free, local resources within our community.
And you can get help right from home.
So this is so important.
Scott, thank you for being here.
Thank you.
If you would like more information on teen and alcohol abuse, please visit cigna.com.
Thanks as always to our friends from Cigna for the signature moments that you get to see here on Football Fridays in Georgia.
Now it's time to catch up with our friends from the Georgia Campaign and the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, reminding us a bunch of different ways here this season on Football Fridays about being your best on the roads here in the state of Georgia.
Heads up, Georgia has teamed up with Shepherd center to teach you about the dangers of distracted driving.
53% of vehicle crashes are related to a type of distraction.
One kind of distraction would be visual distractions.
The biggest, of course, being the cell phones, but also your console, which are now in a lot of vehicles, is like a computer screen.
Your radio, your speedometer, your dials, your switches, and your passenger.
And someone like me having a baby in the back seat.
I'm often looking up at the mirror or turning around to look.
And those are visual distractions that can take our eyes off the road just long enough to get us in trouble.
So when you get in the car, you need to make sure to put away all the visual distractions that might take your eyes off the road while you're driving to keep yourself and other drivers safe.
Tune in next week for more helpful tips from the.
Shepherd center to help keep you from driving distracted.
And remember the Heads Up Georgia campaign, where the students of the state of Georgia get to show us that they're going to take our jobs one day.
The PSA campaign, it is ready for voting, and we get to find out who the best in the state is at creating a message for the Heads Up Georgia campaign, and you win stuff in a couple of weeks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Thanks to our friends at Heads Up Georgia.
Love that.
Now we're going to see one of the best coming up.
We have to take a quick break, but we're going to have our you pharmacy Georgia player spotlight.
We'll be right back.
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Cigna Healthcare mission is to improve the health and vitality of those we serve.
Visit cigna.com to learn how you can support your physical and emotional well-being.
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Welcome back into our Football Friday in Georgia halftime show presented by Georgia Access.
We're bringing health insurance home.
It's halftime and we've got a tied ballgame John 14-14 But there's a whole 'nother half of football to be played.
But right now we've got this week's Georgia Player Spotlight.
And it is brought to you by You Save It pharmacy.
Mason Brown is a junior linebacker from Jefferson who flips a switch and has that want to mentality.
He's not avoiding contact.
He's looking for contact.
And the thing that I appreciate about the way he plays as well is he's going to play as hard as he can play.
When it's time to play, he's a he's an animal, you know, and he's able to flip that switch.
Max does a great job on offense.
He's going to get a lot of reps for us in the state championship game.
He made a couple of plays that were just sheer effort and want to had nothing to do with coaching, had nothing to do with technique.
It was just him really doing everything he could to make a play for our team.
And you hit somebody and you just feel their whole body just shock back and you hear the crowd go, ooh, that just makes me hungrier.
Want me to do it again?
And certainly doing his part right now down early to Cairo, at home in Jefferson at the break.
Jefferson now leading the surge makers by the score of 23-21 Thanks to our friends at you.
Save it for all that they are doing here on Football Fridays in Georgia all season long.
Now it's time to catch up with our friends at Georgia EMC and the Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award.
And for this trip we go to Huston.
Let's just say it was wet, but it ended up really well.
Jackson EMC in 35 other participating Georgia Electric membership cooperatives congratulate Mill Creek High School on winning the GHC Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award.
This award honors schools that exhibit exemplary sportsmanship during competitive events.
Only one school in each region in each classification is chosen to receive this annual award.
The GHSA takes into consideration all aspects of sportsmanship, making the award a tribute to the entire community.
Jackson EMC is honored to present the Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award to Mill Creek High School, one of our incredible partner schools in Gwinnett County.
At Jackson EMC, we invest in schools and young people because we live and work in the communities we serve.
This award recognizes the character and integrity of Mill Creek student athletes, parents, and fans, all of whom contributed to winning the Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award.
Introduced in 2006, This award reinforces the GHSA philosophy that everyone associated with high school activities, from athletes to spectators, should adhere to the fundamental values it represents.
I think it's just kind of symbolic of the spirit of our student body.
Everybody is so supportive of all the sports and all the athletes at our school.
I think it just shows that our kids are really great kids.
They support each other.
They do great things in our community.
So it's really a symbol of our kids and what they do.
I think that's amazing.
I think it really just exemplifies just how, like together we are.
I had an entire student section of people who supported, who want to come out here and show how much pride we have for our school and our community.
Man, it's awesome.
Not only do we compete to win region and state championships, but also have a wonderful set of students, coaches, and community that supports each other, works together.
Everybody's at every sporting event just cheering each other on.
Georgia EMC in the 36 participating Georgia Electric membership cooperatives are proud to sponsor the Cooperative Spirit Sportsmanship Award.
Congratulations to the Mill Creek Hawks Community.
Most of that video shot before the skies opened up, and we actually had to do some of the presentation indoors.
Once again, thanks to our friends at Mill Creek and the Georgia's EMCs.
Yep.
And you guys want to keep it right here on GPB.
This is the part of the break where John's going to be doing some stretches back here, because we're getting ready for some more scores to update you from around the state of Georgia.
And we have Bracketology.
It's all coming up next.
No pressure.
So.
You wouldn't take a call during the big game.
Oh hey what's up man.
You wouldn't be texting while cheering on your team.
Jacket.
And you definitely wouldn't want to watch a video while marching with the band.
So why would you drive a car while distracted driving isn't a game when you lose on the road, it could lead to a crash.
So when you get behind the wheel, put the distractions aside, drive hands free, and save lives.
Heads up Georgia.
Half of the nation's opioid overdoses happen right at home because people don't understand the dangers of taking an oxy or perc with a glass of alcohol for stress or to sleep.
Learn how to protect your family from opioid overdose at Opioid Response Info.
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Our physicians specialize in bone, joint and sports injuries from diagnosis to recovery.
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All right.
Welcome back to our Football Friday Georgia Halftime Show presented by Georgia Access.
We're bringing health insurance home now if you're just now joining us it's currently halftime of our 6-A quarterfinal game between Grayson and Carrollton.
It is also the rematch of last year's 6-A state title game.
Now we have a tied ball game at the half.
It's 14-14 but that's not the only game going on tonight.
John Nelson.
No ma'am.
North Gwinnett leading west Forsyth low left that one at the break.
Valdosta leading Walton Douglas County and Buford.
Buford leading as they head to the third quarter.
5-A Woodward.
Academy has been going back and forth.
Thomas County Central now leads by two Roswell and Sequoyah.
That one, once again has been all Roswell.
Once again, we mentioned Hughes and Gainesville.
We're waiting on that one.
Roman Jackson County.
That one is tied heading to the third quarter in Quad-a Creekside leading Lithonia.
That was 21-0 in the second.
Cartersville and Kell.
This one is one of the surprises of the night.
Kell had a ten point lead in the second quarter at the break.
Benedictine leading.
It is.
If I could read my own handwriting.
Central Carroll by 334512 Marist.
The North Oconee.
Once again, we figured that was going to be low scoring.
Marist is up 137 at the break.
AAA Jefferson.
We mentioned that they were down early.
They're now up two at the intermission.
By 23 21 score Jenkins and West Laurens.
They are tied at the half.
Sandy Creek was leading Douglas Lagrange leading Stevenson.
That one's heading to the fourth quarter.
Lagrange.
Matt Napier on the road could come up with an upset double.
A Sumter County has now expanded their lead to 26-12 That one is in the third quarter at Lakewood Stadium.
Another one of the surprises of the night, a hateful charter leading Morgan County at Morgan County, 217.
Beginning of the third quarter.
Carver, Columbus.
They were leading Thompson 217.
That one was second quarter heading to halftime.
Burke and Rockmart last time we had report on that one, that one was 77.
Now we go to class A, Division one.
We'll start there, go 81 82 and finish with private.
So class A, Division one heard County had a lead of 17-0 17 14.
That one's heading to the third quarter.
Tombs in northeast Macon once again figured that was going to be low scoring tombs.
Up 3-0 worth and Gordon Lee worth was up by one score.
Gordon Lee was charging to try to come up with a tie.
Rabun County and Pepperell, that one tied up in Lindale class A Division two Wheeler and Clinch.
Clinch was leading by more than ten points at the end.
Second quarter Jenkins and Bowden once again, that one was tight, but Bowden was starting to pull away and early.
That one was tight.
Early on.
Brooks and Lincoln County, that one has been all Lincoln County.
As we head to the half now, private fellowship in Savannah Christian, that one has been all fellowship.
That one is now third quarter Calvary Day in Whitfield.
We've got an update there.
It looks like it's going to be running clock third quarter Calvary day leading that 140 5-0 under 5:00 to go in the third GHC leading at Athens Academy early on.
Pack and Hebron Christian.
And that one is the last one on the board.
Hebron Christian and Prince Avenue.
And we're going to get an update on that one, because I get to filibuster for a second and let you know what's going on there.
Last time we had it, it was 29 14.
That was second quarter.
So we'll say 29:14 at the break.
We'll go there and we'll update things as we go.
So we've got a couple of precincts we got to keep an eye on Kell and Cartersville.
Keep an eye on that one.
Sumter County charging to Atlanta from Americus.
They have Carver Atlanta on the ropes.
Nobody does it better.
And you know what?
We're going to have a lot more scores coming up in our post game show.
That's right.
If you guys didn't know we have a post game show right here after our matchup, you don't want to miss it.
We're going to have coaches calling in from busses, the field house, their cars safely.
Of course.
Georgia.
Others are driving.
You don't want to miss it.
So keep it right here on GPB after the game for our post game shows, we'll be closing those brackets and a little chaos and fun.
The two.
We'll see you soon.
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Home.
Start of the third quarter game tied at 14.
Our halftime interview is brought to you by Johnny's New York style pizza.
Madison crews standing by with Santavious Bryant.
Coach coming in to the second half.
In the first half, you guys had a strong start and then it was the Trojans able to sneak on back in.
What was your message to the team.
And just stay the course.
Just do what we do and we've come out in the second half and won a bunch of football games.
So that's our plan tonight.
What are the second half adjustments you want to see made from the first?
Just do things the right way.
And we gave them a couple things.
Didn't do get out of character with a couple of things.
Just get back to us and just do things the right way and finish the game.
Awesome.
Thank you coach.
Appreciate it.
Thank you.
We'll send it back up to Matt and Wane over there in the booth getting ready for the second half.
Thank you Madison.
Wow what a first half.
We had a great momentum swings.
First of all, it was Grayson.
Clemons comes out, throws the first couple of punches, then Carrollton responds.
And they actually had the momentum going into the locker room.
And it was all about speed when you watch the game.
Matt, the first half, first quarter, it was all about Grayson speed and then the speed turned on with Cam Wood and the ability to make big plays for Carrollton.
What a great game in that first half.
Yeah, that big run by Cam Wood really kind of turned the momentum in this game.
Let's take a look at those first half highlights there Wayne.
And it started out with Grayson.
This was their second possession.
And Ashton Turner bulling his way into the end.
Zone.
Playing with a lot of pace in that first drive.
Finally getting in the end zone.
And right here Brandon Gray able to get into the end zone and put their team up 14-0 Exactly.
At that point, it was all Grayson until this run by Cam Wood.
What a big time run that seemed to energize the entire team, and the energy shifted over to Carrollton.
And then after another big cam Wood run got him up close to midfield, it was Cypher going up top for Peyton Zachary.
Big plays all around for Carrollton, and that's what's kept them in this game so far in the first half.
Halftime stats.
What jumps off the page at.
You really the rushing yards?
Carrollton been able to make some big plays running the ball.
Time of possession falling to Grayson something you felt like Carrollton had to do to try to win this game?
The biggest thing for Carrollton early on they were killing themselves with the penalties.
So here we go.
Ready for the start of the third quarter.
Two quarters to go.
The winner advances to the state semifinals, and the winner of this ball game will be at home against either North Gwinnett or West Forsyth.
At halftime, North Gwinnett was leading West Forsyth 15-7 So the winner gets to play at home in the Final Four next week.
Second half.
Kickoff is brought to you by Heads Up Georgia.
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As Julian Vargas has it teed up and ready to go, and Grayson will get the ball first to start this third quarter.
And we are underway with a kick going to be taken at the 1 yard line.
All the way up to the 23 and then no more from there.
And that was Stafford on the return.
Wow what a big first half.
Jonathan Stafford had with six catches for 103 yards.
Yeah, he's very productive.
Great job catching the ball out on the edge.
Getting up field and Jay Hagan on the defensive side for Carrollton right there.
And the special teams making a play.
What energy he has brought from that secondary.
Making big plays big hits downhill.
Yeah Hagan has been a monster.
That was his ninth tackle already in this game.
He has been all over the place.
He's been big for them.
On defense as Deuce Smith brings out the offense to start this third quarter and nothing doing in the run game right there.
That was Brandon Gray on the carry getting nothing.
Nice job by McLendon out there on the defensive end.
Watch how he gets off of this block.
Takes on the double team.
Gets off the block right there.
McLendon making a play with the penetration.
62270 senior been offered by Berry and Reinhardt.
They're not all power conference offers, but there are opportunities at the next level.
Smith fakes a pass now cuts it up in the middle and runs it.
That was Hagan again coming up to make the tackle.
Tackle number ten for Jay Hagan early here in the third quarter.
Kind of made Deuce Smith right there.
Tiptoe as he saw number 2 coming from that safety spot playing big minutes and physical football is Jay Hagan.
You can see the aggressiveness right there.
Kj Gamble Hagan.
This defense and they're they're playing downhill.
They play fast make a lot of plays.
Nagbe in motion.
Pass is thrown and it's going to be caught.
And that is going to be Clark Ty'jae Clark with the catch and the short gain.
Nice job.
About Clark Ty'jae Clark the three star 511170.
Good find.
Little quick slant right there.
Good job catching the ball with his hands.
First and ten.
Back to quick action here for Grayson.
Thrown to Quarterman and Quarterman wrapped up by Tyler Boyd and put on the ground.
Going back.
Something.
They've been working all night that Quarterman Tyler Boyd you can see right there.
Quarterman still on the ground.
Looks like he's grabbing his hamstring.
The offense that's a five yard penalty from the previous spot.
Still first down.
Quarterman would be a big loss.
He hasn't gotten up yet.
He's committed to East Carolina.
24 total offers, and he has been one of their top receivers all season long.
Fighting for extra yards right there and kind of pushing on his leg.
Looks like maybe he's cramping up.
Same position.
Second half.
Just starting.
You would imagine he would have hydrated there at halftime.
But right there just fighting for those extra yards.
Dawson Quarterman the East Carolina commit 63202 a physical big play, tough catch kind of guy.
Grayson has 32 players with college football offers or commitments.
Here's a look at some of their top prospects.
Tyler Atkinson, the five star rated as high as the number 1 linebacker in the country.
He's committed to Texas Jordan Agbanoma, a four star in 2027-21 offers, and Davis committed to Ole Miss.
Four star linebacker Dawson Quarterman, who is now running off the field, committed to East Carolina, and Jonathan Stafford.
We talked about him a lot tonight, committed to Western Kentucky.
Yeah, this team is so deep, so stacked for Coach Bryant.
We haven't even gotten around to some of those young sophomores and freshmen.
But a future for him.
So first and 15 coming out of that penalty that was called Wiley Quarterman was already down on the ground and the handoff goes to Turner, and Turner gets about five of it back.
So back to second and ten.
Now the ball playing with pace.
We saw this early in the game getting the plays in and out is Deuce Smith.
Handoff goes to Turner again.
Nothing.
And that's Zykie Helton.
Mr.
Helton once again deep penetration just nowhere to find a hole there for Ashton Turner.
What a big game.
Zykie Helton he's making that 52 seem like it's a defensive number the way he's playing.
Third down and ten.
Trips left right here.
You have to imagine trying to get something deep down the field and Dawson Quarterman.
Smith on the rollout throwing and missed him looking for Stafford over there on the sideline.
It's fourth down.
Once again, a little rollout.
Smith paying the price right there.
Trying to throw that ball on the edge.
You have a player down for Grayson.
Yes sir.
Looks like maybe the.
Looks like George Nagbe right there.
Is that the tight end?
Looks like it might be 17.
It is.
No, it's Turner.
Turner has to.
Turner.
Looks like he's going to be okay though.
And Carrollton is about to get the ball back for the first time here in the second half.
Good job of his Carrollton defense since about the two minute mark in that first quarter, they have really tightened up playing fast, forcing third and long and Deuce Smith to have to make plays.
Hersey, standing at his 20 1 yard line to punt.
Zachery.
And they got close to it.
Hersey short kick going to hit it.
The 43 and take a Grayson bounce down to about the 37.
And that is where the Trojans will go on offense for the first time here in the third quarter.
When we get back.
You know he's 67, 320 that can run.
That's agile, that can get around.
So that's the biggest thing that we see.
And the college season will.
When you put in the work the scholarships will come.
You know the coaches will find you.
It actually pushes me to work even harder than what I'm working.
I always do an extra rep or extra set just to try to get that edge on my opponents, because I know nobody works like me.
I think what sets him apart is the motivation to be great.
You know, the motivation to be the best lineman that he can be.
Once I got that mindset that I got to be the best, I got to.
Jojo is the marketplace for Georgians to be able to purchase health insurance coverage and dental coverage designed for Georgians by Georgians.
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Those fans don't need to be started up.
Great environment.
Electric environment here on this Black Friday Thanksgiving weekend quarterfinal first and ten Carrollton CJ Cypher out there to run the show to start this third quarter.
Going to wing it out here, complete the cam Wood cam Wood runs right over the defender and buries him into the ground.
And this is what you call finishing the run right here.
Great job out in space catching the ball and aspect.
He hasn't shown you a lot tonight.
He's cam Wood good decision.
Fumbled the ball there a little bit by CJ Cypher getting the ball out on the edge.
And watch how he finished this run against RJ Isaac.
Second down three to go.
Ball at 40:05.
Taking a while to get the play in to Cypher.
Ball is thrown.
Is caught by Mosley.
Mosley slips out of one tackle and Mosley down to the 30.
Four Ryan Mosley.
Once again good protection here for CJ Cypher to survey the field.
He sees that kind of skinny post in there to Ryan Mosley the big body, putting it on the numbers, there is Cypher.
First and ten Cypher in the pocket stands in their guns it off the hands of his target Keaires Miller the tight end at the 20 1 yard line.
And Miller comes open late here.
Cypher just not setting his feet, kind of rushing really wasn't under any pressure.
Good pocket to deliver this ball.
Just threw it a little wide there to Miller.
Second down and ten.
Great time.
Second and ten to get the ball.
Try to get downhill with cam Wood.
In these situations.
Cam Wood gets the handoff following Miller into the hole and Cam Wood gets dragged down.
That was Tyler Atkinson making the tackle.
And just like in that first quarter, kind of when you start trying to go east and west is just too much speed for Grayson right here.
Great job by the D line.
Working down just nowhere to cut that ball back.
And then you know, the man in the middle Tyler Atkinson can work through the traffic to make the tackle.
Atkinson the 2024 GPB Defensive Player of the year for the entire state.
Good chance to repeat that honor this year.
He came into this game with 553 career tackles.
Tackling machine.
Can't wait to see him on the next level.
Cypher steps up into the pocket and it's going to be caught down at the five yard line.
And that is Cam Wood again.
They're going to rule him out of bounds.
Out of bounds is the call.
Ruling on the field.
That won't be popular.
Pass both side judges throwing their hats down on the field right here faking a little pump fake there by Cypher.
And you can see right there that left foot.
Out of bounds.
Yep.
Out of bounds.
Great job of concentrating.
Really kind of lost himself out on the field coming in to make the play right there.
So obviously he made the catch inbounds.
You saw him stick the landing.
But he had stepped out prior to the catch which makes him ineligible.
So fourth down they're going to try a long field goal here.
This is going to be a 46 yard attempt from the left hash for Vargas.
He's six for seven on the season.
This would be his longest make of the year.
If he can do it.
Kick is on its way and the kick is going to be good.
Julian Vargas sticks it in from 46 yards out.
And Carrollton has their first lead of the night.
Had a few extra yards.
There was Mr.
Vargas strong kick in these cold conditions.
Good operation on the snap and hold.
And that could have been good from 50 right there.
Good leg.
Good kick on there for Vargas.
Yeah we talked about that with both coaches.
You know when it gets cold like this that football becomes like you're kicking a concrete block.
These punters and kickers, sometimes they're standing on that sideline a long time trying to keep warm.
Nice job.
Points are a premium here.
Good job.
Good confidence here for Vargas to show his team if that's something they need later in this game to try to get the win.
Six plays 34 yards on the DBHDD.
The new red ribbon 365 curriculum scoring drive.
Carrollton has their first lead of the night.
Comes with 7-43 to play in the third quarter.
Vargas will kick off line drive kick going to be taken at the two and returnable.
And Bin-Wahad gets going to stop at the 19 yard line.
Saif Bin-Wahad on the return.
Once again, nice job covering on the kickoffs and the pumps tonight by Carrollton.
Special teams playing at a high level right now.
All the momentum for Carrollton.
The defense seems to finally have figured out this offense of Grayson.
You imagine they need to start trying to find themselves in a little more third and makeable.
A lot of third and longs trying to produce Smith to try to create.
Some first and ten Trojans and slipping on the cutback Ashton Turner.
It's going to be interesting, Wayne, as we go throughout this game, Grayson has played in only two games all season long that were decided by a touchdown or less, and those both were back in August.
Carrollton has played in only one game that was decided by a touchdown or less, and that was also back in August.
Yeah, a lot of these guys aren't used to playing deeper into the game.
Great job.
Good coverage there on the back end.
Shem Mcmillan deep down the field, the star backer making a play right there on the ball, knocking it out.
Now it's going to be third down.
Right here trying to work the ball deep down the field.
Kind of lost the ball right there as Mcmillan but able to get enough on it to break up the pass.
What's happened with this Grayson offense since they were moving the ball so well their first two series.
Yeah.
Once again in a third and long situation where Drew Smith is now have to make a play deep down the field.
Heavy rush.
They set up the screen and it's dropped.
They had it set up.
He had two blockers out in front of him.
And that was Cam Johnson.
I think in there to try to get that screen going.
Great operation.
Good play.
Call a little rushed on the throw.
There was Deuce Smith had plenty of time to deliver this.
A softer ball convoy in front right there.
Couldn't come up with the catch.
And this Carrollton defense once again forcing a three and out setting up for good field position for their offense.
Hersey on the punt, standing at his six snap, gets back.
Heavy.
Rush comes in there and that punt goes straight up in the air.
It's going to be fair.
Caught at the 38 yard line and Carrollton will have a short field to work with as they go on offense for the second time here in the second half.
We talked about that cam Wood big run for the touchdown has seemed to ignite this defense, and it is totally blanketed.
It's kind of matching the effort of the Grayson defense, the speed, the energy completely on Carrollton defense right now.
But if you're Carrollton I know you got the field goal, but you feel like against this Grayson team, if you can punch another touchdown in here, you've got to take advantage of this short field.
17 unanswered points by Carrollton after falling behind 14 to nothing.
That's Welch in motion behind the line.
Hotlzclaw in their quarterback stands in the pocket, delivers deep, and it's going to be broken up at the goal line.
Trying to get it to Mosley right there and Goggans breaks it up.
He had a pick earlier in the game.
Good job of London Goggans falling back into this play right here.
If he doesn't come back from the other side of the field, this is a touchdown.
Good job by him getting into this play and getting that right hand on that ball.
Second down and ten.
Handoff goes to Cam Wood.
And he's going to be tackled immediately by ant Davis.
And Davis cam McGee.
That nose tackle.
Just hard to move a man 64, 323 out of the middle Anthony Davis playing downhill.
The four star oatmeal commit.
He took official visits to Alabama and Michigan as well.
Now it's going to be third down and nine.
Grayson defense playing with a lot of speed has to come up big here.
Try to get off the field here in this situation.
Hotlzclaw on the sprint out.
Heavy rushes coming.
Gets it out of there.
And it's caught.
First down catch by Welch at the 28 yard line.
The missile that comes into your screen is Tyler Atkinson bearing down on Hotlzclaw right there.
But a great job of being able to throw the ball, deliver it down the field to Welch.
Got a man down for Grayson.
Looks like another cramp situation.
I think that's the Carrollton sideline booing, thinking that they're slowing down the offense here.
Trying to take the energy, get a free time-out, get settled.
But we've seen a couple of players here to start this for Grayson.
And as I said and you mentioned Matt a lot of these guys have not played deep into the second half of games on both sides and a lot of blowouts for them, where a lot of these guys are rotating at this point in the game and now high pressure game, they're going to come out to perform.
Here's a look at the Grayson schedule.
And their key games this season.
The victories over Collins Hill, Raven gap, Thompson, Alabama, the number 1 team in that state.
Mallard Creek, one of the top teams in North Carolina.
Newton in their region, the number 2 team in their region and then their playoff victories against Norcross and Colquitt County.
The first two rounds.
The winner of tonight's game, if it's Grayson, they will be hosting North Gwinnett or West Forsyth in the semifinals next Friday night.
Big opportunity here for this Carrollton offense put a lot of pressure on Deuce Smith when he takes the field right here.
Just want to clean up operation and try to hang seven on the board.
Nice job moving in the pocket there on that last play by Mason Hotlzclaw.
So first and ten Trojans.
Camwood gets the handoff, cuts through a hole.
He shifts his way down to the 18 yard line.
Nice job blocking out on the edge.
Offensive line outside zone play.
Good.
Find patience.
By Cam Wood right there.
The zone blocking.
Getting to the next level.
It's Zykie Helton making a play.
Good block out on the edge by Peyton Zachary as well.
This time Kam Wood able to find a little lane to work up in.
So second down and two 5 minutes now under that to go here in the third quarter.
Cam Wood again.
Cam Woods going to be close to the first down.
And I think he got it.
Nice job by Cam Wood recognizing the pressure coming from the backside trying to get up in there before those linebackers come barreling down on him.
Good recognition by that young man.
What a big season and a big part of this team.
He has become in his senior year.
Well he did not pick up the first down.
I thought they had waved the chains through, but they have not.
Third down and one.
Spratling in the game at tight end.
Heavy personnel.
Cam Wood does pick up the first down this time and still moving the pile all the way down close to the five.
First and goal to go.
It's always about the little things.
When you want to have some success.
Watch how Cam Wood gets his shoulders square instantly right here, right there, knowing that he only needs 1 yard, he picks up a big run, but he understood that he had hit the line of scrimmage, getting the shoulders square.
So if anybody comes up and hit him, he can fall forward and pick it up.
Not the five.
The next yard line up the ten Alpha insurance red zone.
First and goal from the ten cam Wood runs to the pylon.
Touchdown Carrollton and now a nine point lead for the Trojans.
Big time hit by Nick Archer.
Watch 36 deliver the blow right there on the edge.
Right there.
That is one of those.
That's a winning play right there.
That is how you win a big time game against the nation's number 1 ranked team right there.
Nick Archer, the young freshman coming out on the edge delivering the blow right there.
The Goggans for a walk in for cam Wood.
Vargas on for the P.a.t.
A crushing block by the freshman.
The get Wood into the end zone.
24 14.
Carrollton has scored 24 consecutive points after falling behind 14-0 in this game.
Ten point lead Carrollton getting late in the third quarter.
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Carrollton leading Grayson 24 14 343 to play in the third quarter.
Wayne Gandy you made a living throwing blocks.
Tell me about this one here by the young man.
The freshman.
This is a game winning block right there on a big time player.
We're talking about London Goggans.
The three star, the young freshman, Nick Archer in in a heavy formation with the kickout block knocked.
You know they call it a pancake right there.
That was the kind of block that you need.
Walk in for cam Wood.
Seven plays 38 yards to get the touchdown.
DBHDD new red ribbon 365.
Curriculum.
And the ball is going to go into the end zone.
And you got your good buddy James Bostic here in the booth with us tonight.
Played at Auburn with you played in the National Football League super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.
We've watched here tonight Carrollton one running back who's gained 145 yards by himself.
Grayson using three running backs who've totaled 63 yards.
I got to ask your friend up here, do you prefer the one back system or the three back system?
He says the three back system.
That's a man thinking about his future right there, taking care of those legs right?
But here in high school football, sometimes you can still do the one back.
You can still work.
Work hard.
Cameron Wood.
Just so dynamic, showing you the total package here tonight.
There is the run by Thomas short gain for Thomas.
Nice job getting down here.
Jamaar Harris the linebacker getting to the legs of Josh Thomas Harris.
Once again, big surprise program Kidd this season, but what a playmaker he has become.
Second down.
Pass Nagbe couldn't hold on to it a little bit too much mustard.
There's Jay Hagan again.
Jay Hagan physicality has been his brand of football here tonight.
They do have a. Let's check the penalty call right here.
There is no foul on the play for or for pass interference.
The ball was tipped and touched behind the line of scrimmage.
Third down.
Looks like maybe they were thinking it was going to be an offensive pass interference right there on the little pick play.
But a great job once again.
Jay Hagan the senior making a big hit and forcing another third and long here for this Deuce Smith offense.
It's third down and eight.
Smith to the air and nearly picked by Dorian Barney.
Dorian Barney there.
Shut down corner for Carrollton here.
He's reading this all the way right there.
Staring down the receiver is Deuce Smith giving Barney time to be able to break on that ball right there.
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss getting them another great player.
And Dorian Barney.
You sure it's going to be Lane Kiffin?
Well.
That announced.
At least for the night.
Yeah that.
We won't know for sure until tomorrow or so we're told.
It's fourth down.
Yeah.
Hersey punts.
It gets a roll.
And finally down at the 40.
But still great field position for Carrollton as they get ready to head back out there on offense.
And they've got a ten point lead now.
Complementary football has been their brand so far this last quarter and a half.
For Carrollton.
They're feeding off of each other.
Special teams.
The defense is just playing at the next level not giving any room for Deuce Smith in these receivers of Grayson.
The work and the offense has been capitalizing with big plays and big moments.
Regardless of which quarterback has been in there.
First and ten now at Cypher again, Cypher is thrown for 104 yards, eight of 12 with a touchdown, that one going to Peyton Zachary tied the game up at Zachary in motion.
They're going to hand off to him and he's going to change directions.
And big Wooten got a piece of him.
Nope, that wasn't Wooten.
That was McGee who got it.
Cam McGee six for showing you the athleticism right there, faking the jet sweep, coming with a comeback here.
And we've talked about trying to do these kind of plays against the speed right there.
Cam McGee showing you and not letting Peyton Zachary cut that ball back and letting the linebackers rally to make the play.
Peyton was smart.
He's like I better get down before Big Cam falls on top of me.
Squished the air right out of this football.
Cypher out there on the edge and goes to Zachery.
Zachery gets a couple of yards on the play.
Isaac comes over there and knocks him out of bounds.
Ty'jae Cypher I'm not sure we have said it enough.
This young man is a freshman, 61, 180 freshman right there with the arm strength to get that ball out.
This Grayson defense needs to come up big right here.
Third and long.
Once again we saw that last set of downs.
Mason Hotlzclaw be able to move around the pocket and deliver.
You feel like they're going to bring some pressure and make CJ Cypher make a quick decision.
Third down and eight with 2 minutes to play in the third quarter, Cypher quickly out to Miller.
Miller surrounded by defense, still finds a place to get the first down.
Keith Miller right there.
The tight end.
Good route here.
Just working behind the coverage as the linebackers go with the blitz.
Kind of held your breath right there as though he he didn't realize he needed to get upfield to get the first down.
Don't run back.
Run forward there young man.
The young sophomore bright future for him 62, 195.
He's got five offers including Georgia Southern Liberty and Georgia State.
Cypher in the middle looking for Mosley.
Mosley looking for a flag and got it.
Might have a DP here on Rilee Drew.
Rilee Drew right there grabbing the waist of Mosley letting him get underneath on that slant route.
You can see trying to get back into play.
Grabbing that the back of his jersey.
Good call by the line judge.
There are two fouls on the play holding against the defense.
Ineligible man downfield against the offense.
Those penalties will offset.
Replay the down.
Sometimes that as you run that RPO game you got to get the ball out.
Sometimes a little quicker.
Offsetting penalties.
This Carrollton offense don't get away from the run too long.
Get the ball to cam Wood.
Keep running right at the heart of this defense.
First and ten.
Zachery in motion.
Going to toss it to him and he's going to get tripped up.
That is Hannibal navies.
You might recognize the name his daddy played in the NFL for nine years.
Navy's transferred over from Buford here playing in the backfield.
Good job.
63205 playing safety.
Long and rangy, three star headed to Arizona.
Nice job right there by him playing downhill.
He was playing wide receiver at Buford.
Transferred to Grayson, told coach Bryant.
I just want to play wherever I can and get on the field.
And Coach Bryant said.
I think you're a safety.
Pass thrown complete first down, big play goes to Zachery inside the 35 yard line.
CJ Cypher once again showing the ability to move outside the pocket.
Decide to go with the deeper route with Peyton Zachary gave up the short route.
The cam Wood you can see Zachery is kind of looked like maybe he's cramping.
We do have another Grayson player down as well, but it looks like Zachery is laboring too.
Yeah he is.
Zachery he's got a cramp and so does the Grayson player trying to I.D.
Him right now.
Flat on his back.
Interesting that we're having so many cramps and the temperature, and I know the temperature doesn't have anything to do with it.
It's a hydration issue, but it's, you know, low 30s right now.
One of those things you have to imagine maybe some of the younger guys absorbing a lot of caffeinated, trying to get that energy level, trying to get warm.
It's not something that high school players are consistently in the South used to having to deal with these types of temperatures, but we alluded to some of these guys, you know, especially somebody like Payton Zachary doing a little more double duty tonight.
The Grayson team, a lot of blowouts where they haven't played a lot into the second half of games, and it's high competition out here tonight.
He's got to salute both teams for the effort and energy they're playing with.
But you do see Waylon Wooten walking off.
You got to wonder with the holiday Thanksgiving holiday which of course as we all know is a big holiday.
Perhaps you got out of your routine a little bit yesterday.
I know I did.
I did many times.
But it was fun.
Yes, it was a joy.
So first and ten on the Ram ball of the 34.
First down.
Cypher big pocket clean for a long time.
Throwing to the end zone and back of the end zone.
And incomplete.
A lot of contact down the field late.
There by Eric Johnson.
Only a three man rush.
Plenty of time to deliver this ball.
You can see surveying the field CJ Cypher a lot of contact by number 3.
GPB as he's pulling on Welch right there, pulling him to the ground.
Second down and ten ball sitting at the 34.
34 seconds to play here in the third quarter.
What a fabulous game we've had here in the state quarterfinals.
Cam Wood again gets the hand off Cam Wood down to the 26.
We cannot overstate just how big Kam Wood has been for this team this year.
When they lost Kamari Farmer and turned to a guy that basically for most everybody outside the program was an absolute unknown.
And Coach King just raves about his commitment.
Couldn't be more proud of than anyone he's ever coached.
And the production at a rate I don't even think Coach King knew he had in his arsenal.
Is Kam Wood.
, and that is the end of the third quarter.
12:00 to go.
Kam Wood 152 yards rushing tonight and two touchdowns on the ground.
He's got the Trojans one quarter away from advancing to the semifinals.
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All right.
What do you think, Jasper?
Honestly, I think that polyester shirts affecting your game.
What?
I think cotton would have been a better choice.
Cotton?
Yeah, it's come a long way.
You know, nowadays, cotton breeze and wicks moisture.
Great.
But buying cotton means supporting Georgia farmers.
I think that's wonderful.
Okay, sure.
But what do you think about the putt?
Oh, it's really hadn't thought about it.
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We move to the fourth quarter.
Carrollton on top 24:14 Time now to check back in with Madison Crews, who right about now is pretty chilly.
I would think.
Thanks, Matt and Wayne as I'm down here field level, I'm joined with the Trojan cheerleaders who have done a great job as well, getting the crowd ready to go.
Something head coach Joey King talked about the importance of having home field advantage, winning the coin toss and getting to do it in front of these fans.
And they've done every single time.
They're rowdy, they're loud, and their breaks in the cold.
All right.
I think I'm going to leave it to the Trojans to kind of get us going.
Ready for the fourth quarter.
Right, guys?
Let's go.
Well, Madison is exactly right.
Carrollton has won 18 straight games at home.
Their last loss came at home in the 2023 quarterfinals against Walton.
They went on to play in the state championship game that year as Cam Wood on the run.
And he's close to the first down on the short third down.
Carry.
It's one of those times where you really lean on cam Woods you're up ten, you're in great position right here to tack on some more points.
Want to eat up some clock?
It looked like they didn't.
Didn't get it.
They didn't get it.
Fourth and less than a yard.
Now.
Big play right here early in the fourth quarter.
It's fourth and less than a yard.
Fourth and.
Short Trojans.
Taking a long time.
Getting the play in.
Letting the clock run down.
Wood gets the handoff.
He's not going to get there.
And Davis.
Or did they call something.
Yeah they dropped a flag on the play.
Play ball.
False start over on that right tackle spot prior.
To the snap.
False start offense five yard penalty.
Still fourth down.
So keep the offense on the field.
You bring Vargas out.
You can see a little flinch there by Fielder right here I would keep the offense out on the field.
Keep this drive going.
You're trying to take down the number 1 team in the country.
Stay aggressive.
You have all the momentum.
From right here it would be a 47 yarder.
He already hit a 46 yarder in this game.
But they keep the offense out there on fourth down and five.
Offensive line has been giving great protection here tonight for both quarterbacks.
If you Grayson got to watch Cam Wood out of the backfield.
Cypher throws caught by Mosley.
First down and more down to the 15.
Eric Johnson makes the tackle but not enough to keep them from getting the first down.
Brian Mosley headed to Athens right now making plays on both sides of the ball.
Good.
Fine.
Right there.
Just stop.
Route by Mosley.
Catch the ball.
Get upfield.
Get out of the tackle.
Keep the chains moving.
But we do see that Carrollton has a player down.
It's Mateo Wells the left guard.
His teammates tried to help him up and he immediately went right back down.
Stepping aside.
So.
You wouldn't take a call during the big game.
Oh hey what's up man.
You wouldn't be texting while cheering on your team.
Jacket.
And you definitely wouldn't want to watch a video while marching with the band.
So why would you drive a car while distracted driving isn't a game when you lose on the road, it could lead to a crash.
So when you get behind the wheel, put the distractions aside, drive hands free, and save lives.
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So Wells comes off the field Santavious Bryant team in a position they have not been in very often this season.
Down ten here in the fourth quarter.
Dangerous territory right here.
Knocking on the door trying to punch another seven on.
Marc Mitchell number 77.
Checks in for Mateo Wells at the left guard position.
Calyb Woods want to continue to feed him.
Try to get downhill.
Cut down your splits with his offensive line, play physical in between the tackles.
Handoff goes to Cam Wood and Kam Wood breaks out of the tackle by Tyler Atkinson and gets another couple of yards down to the 11 yards.
Great job right there.
Shoulders where playing behind running behind your pads.
Kam Wood falling forward.
And that's all you want on first down in this situation.
Physical play power pulling.
Look at the legs.
Look at the ability to get out of the tackle there by Wood.
He is a powerful young man going to stay home here in Carrollton and play for the West Georgia Wolves next season.
Carrollton taking time, letting the clock, trying to make it not only get points but shorten the game.
In doing so.
Less than five on the play clock.
Kam Woods straight up the middle.
Who went out earlier back in the ball game making the tackle along with Kam McGee.
It's going to be second down.
Third down.
Pardon me?
Mateo Wells back in the game as well.
Over there.
That left guard.
Be very surprised.
You can see heavy personnel going in there.
Mark Mitchell going in at tight end getting bigger bodies over there.
Kj Gamble.
Right here in this situation.
Get the ball to Kam Wood high Helton.
Moving from that left tackle to more of a tight end position on that right side.
17 for 162.
Kam Wood does he get the ball on third down?
You bet he does.
First down.
Kam Woods still driving down to the two.
I know it.
It makes you big offensive linemen.
Makes your heart feel good to see a guy run the ball.
Like yeah, I love this kind of football.
They say it's old school.
I say it's winning football right there.
Linemen look at the run.
The effort by this young man late in the game.
He's not tired.
He's working.
He knows this is the best time of the game for him.
Got to be one of the best stories in the state.
Over 1,200 yards rushing.
Actually pushing up over 1,300 by the end of the night with the 169 that he's put on the board today.
Heavy packaging once again.
Nick Archer back.
Wood gets it again.
And Wood did he get in?
Touchdown.
Kam Wood third rushing touchdown of the night.
And Carrollton has scored 30 consecutive points and with a p.a.t.
Will go up by 17 here in the fourth.
All about the attitude.
Look at the offensive line.
Get your jersey.
Get your feet into the end zone.
That's what you want to do.
If you're an offensive lineman, you want to be standing in the end zone.
That means there's no penetration.
And a guy like Kam Wood driving the second effort to get in for the touchdown.
What a performance by Kam Wood tonight in this Carrollton team after falling behind 14 to nothing.
Vargas 31 14 Trojans have a 17 point lead on the number 1 team in America.
Upset in the making here in the quarterfinals.
In the rematch of the 6-A state championship game.
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Carrollton inching closer to another berth in the semifinals.
Leading this 13114.
And Cam Wood has been a huge story as they capped that 13 play, 60 yard drive with his third touchdown of the night.
DBHDD the new red ribbon 365.
Curriculum scoring drive.
And now Grayson with their backs against the wall Wayne Gandy do they have a 17 point comeback in them?
They would need a defense or special teams touchdown right now in the way that Carrollton is able to possess the ball and run it with cam, would you imagine they've shortened the game where they've Grayson is going to have to get big chunk plays, something they've not been able to do all night.
Grayson has a 26 game winning streak in jeopardy here tonight.
As the ball comes down at the six yard line.
And a short return up to the 20.
So Grayson has won 26 in a row dating back to the start of the 2024 season, including a victory against Carrollton 38 24 last December, 18th in the state championship game.
Carrollton has won 20-6 of their last 27 games and their only loss to the team they're playing right now.
31 points unanswered.
Just dominant for this Carrollton team and now they're forcing Deuce Smith to come out and do something and try to win this game.
He's going to have to get big plays against a very aggressive defense, an outstanding secondary.
Can they get vertical Deuce Smith going up top and going deep.
And it's a jump ball and it's broken up.
Quarterman was the intended target and Quarterman actually became the defender on that play to keep the interception from happening.
Dorian Barney really ran this route for Quarterman right here.
As you can see in great position.
You if you didn't know who threw the ball, you would think the ball was being thrown to Darian Barney.
Great job of running that route right there and getting underneath that pass.
Second down and ten.
Smith heavy rush gets it out of there just in time and nearly intercepted.
Pressure coming from the back side.
Caden Spratling feeling the pressure trying to get the ball out.
Almost throwing an interception right there.
Keith Barefield staying.
Excuse me Nate Maston staying aggressive defensively bringing pressure on the backside.
They're going to make Deuce Smith make quick decisions to get the ball out of his hand in this situation.
Another third and long.
They haven't moved it an inch.
Smith heavy rush quarterback sack back at the nine yard line.
Caden Spratling.
Number 14 Smith.
Mr.
Memphis right there taking the whole O-line and just pushing him back.
612 30-3 star here.
Watch how he comes right here underneath the block of the right guard.
No chance for the back to get a chip on him right there.
The splash play we talked about.
That's the kind of plays he brings.
Dominant rusher.
Hersey on the punt.
That's the third sack for Spratling here in the playoffs.
Short kick fair catch.
Called for.
Made at the 37 yard line by Peyton Zachery.
And now with 6:53 to go some pushing and shoving.
The officials step in immediately and shut it down.
And now, with 6 minutes and 53 seconds to go, Carrollton can put this game on ice.
And imagine all this started for the defense on a Cam Wood touchdown run.
Up until then, Grayson was having their way with this defense, and since that run for that touchdown to put those seven on the board, this defense is just snuffed out everything for Grayson.
Exactly right.
When Cam Wood broke off that long touchdown run until he did did do that.
Carrollton had no life on offense, but it flipped the switch of energy on this team, and they have been different ever since.
And not just on offense on both sides of the ball.
Cam Wood going to get it again.
Oh my goodness.
Davis Hannibal Davis Navy's pardon me comes up from his safety spot.
Makes the tackle.
Navy's playing down here.
Big body 63204.
Your magic getting underneath the block right there of Welch to make that play.
This defense understands it at this point.
Heavy run mindset for Carrollton trying to keep the clock rolling.
Get a couple of first downs.
Don't really need any more points on the board and you're in this situation.
Just want to be clean in the operation.
No turnovers.
Just take care of the football.
Handoff goes to Cam Wood again.
And.
I know when.
We were talking about a few moments ago, you said, you know, this isn't old fashioned football.
This is old school football.
This is winning football.
But 21 carries for Cam Wood.
That's kind of old.
School football.
Yeah.
111 back carrying the ball over 20 times is something that used to be the norm.
Right here we I think we have a. Personal foul.
After Grayson.
After the play here.
This against Grayson, you're going to give them a first down.
Starting to see the frustration set in for the Rams.
They have not been in this situation for well over a year.
Their last loss was in August of 2024.
Two fouls on the play after the play.
Unsportsmanlike conduct offense after the play.
Unsportsmanlike conduct defense.
Those penalties will offset the down and start.
Third down here.
Third and long Trojans.
You imagine the offense is going to give the ball here to cam.
Would just try to get a couple of yards and get Vargas out for the field goal attempt.
In this situation, nothing fancy.
Clock continues to run.
It'll be under 530 by the time Carrollton snaps this ball again.
Running a reverse a flea flicker back to Hotlzclaw who throws downfield for Miller, who makes the catch?
Was he inbounds?
He was inbounds.
First and goal to go from the eight.
A little bit of trickery here by the Trojans.
The reverse pass.
Ki Miller running down the sideline.
Great body control.
Adjusting.
His body is the big tight end keeping his feet in bounds.
Pass.
Wow what a gutsy call there by dusty Phillips and Joey King the head coach in that situation.
The dagger if you will.
So now first and goal to go from the eight.
If that wasn't the dagger a touchdown right here certainly would be.
Cam Wood on the cutback.
Gets a couple of yards on the play.
Ball bodyguard.
You kind of get the sense that the the Grayson team and the Grayson sideline, the stands, they're all kind of stunned.
They haven't experienced this in a long time.
This is the team they beat for the state title last year.
They was able to overcome some early season losses or some star players.
They seem very confident.
Came out on fire dominating this game in that first quarter.
And everyone in the stands and on the sideline, just almost standing still.
You don't see a lot of body movement when you look across the field.
It's kind of sleepwalking that this is happening.
Hotlzclaw dumps it off for Miller again and Miller gets knocked out of bounds at about the five yard line.
Going to bring up third down.
Pass complete to Miller.
He was out of bounds.
So we'll stop the clock at 4:13.
Saw Miller trying to make an effort of not getting out of bounds and just kind of got carried out of bounds there.
He's going to come out.
Looks like he's maybe working off some cramps as well.
Stick around the GPB sports postgame show is coming up from our studios in Atlanta with John Nelson and Nikki Palmer.
They'll have scores and interviews from all over the state on this quarterfinal Friday night.
And also they will announce where we will be televising the semifinals.
So stick around for that.
Zachery in motion.
Handoff goes to Cam Wood.
He gets swallowed up by Wooten and it's going to be fourth down.
565.
This sets them up for an easy field goal right here.
If that's what they decide to do.
It's right in the middle of the field.
Yeah, the clock run down.
Keep the clock running.
Call a time-out.
And try the field goal with Vargas.
In this situation.
And they haven't brought him out yet.
They've got 20s still on the play clock.
So they can run this thing down close to under 315 before they snap it.
Or they might just run it all the way down and call a time-out.
Call a time-out.
And bring the field goal unit out.
Looks like that's what they're doing.
They're just killing time.
Time is running out for Grayson.
There's the time-out.
Time-out.
Carrollton.
That is Carrollton first charge time out of the half.
This is also going to be a media time-out.
3:21 to go.
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Stick around for the post game show.
We'll have the updates on all the scores.
Of course, this victory here keeps Carrollton alive for what they hope will be their first state championship since 1998.
They've won seven, but they haven't won one since 1998.
They got close last year.
In fact, they've been to the state finals twice under Joey King and they're going to improve to 27-16 all time in the quarterfinals.
That's 43 all time quarterfinal games.
They've been really good for a really long time.
Vargas on for the field goal and he pumps it through.
And that might be it.
34 14 Carrollton with the lead.
30 34 points unanswered.
It's just amazing.
It is against a team like Grayson.
The number 1 team ranked in a lot of polls in the country to be able to put that up there, and we're talking about in aggressive fashion, they've done this on the defense, special teams, offensively just have been attacking this Grayson front on both sides of the ball, and nothing is more stunning than 34 points unanswered by Grayson in this game.
Especially the way the game started because it was it was 14-0 Grayson and they were seemingly in complete control in command of the game.
I mean, Carrollton seriously looked like they were in deep trouble.
Had them deep in their territory, and then Cameron Wood out long run and the defense feels like they had just flew in from Paris, I guess, or something.
But they have been balling out on the defensive side of the ball.
The Grayson coaches are vacating their booth next to us.
That is the universal white flag right there.
So kick is going to be taken from the 1 yard line.
And knocked out of bounds at the 14.
So we know that North Gwinnett has already won.
They beat West Forsyth in the quarterfinals tonight.
And we know that the winner of this game which now appears strong strong likelihood is going to be Carrollton.
They will be back here next Friday night for the semifinals.
Hosting North Gwinnett for a spot in the state championship game.
Buford has won.
They eliminated Douglas County tonight and Valdosta has a lead on Walton in that game.
And if that holds, then Buford has to hit the road and play at Valdosta in the semifinals next Friday night.
Coach at Buford typically welcome people into their village.
They're going to have to go on the road and come up big in Valdosta.
Deuce Smith going to go to the air, throws it over the head of his target turnover.
There.
Of course, you know, going on the road and getting a big victory is a hard thing to do.
But remember Carrollton did that last year when they went to Buford and beat the Wolves in the semifinals at their place in the last game ever at Tom Riordan Stadium.
A lot of brand names left in this 6-A division.
Big time programs.
Smith to the air and sails on him a little bit.
It's going to be third down.
Hats off to Grayson and what they put on all season long.
No matter where you went, it seemed like teams wanted to miss out.
Having to play Grayson.
They want it if you wanted.
If you played them, you felt like I need to play them in the state final.
You didn't want to have to cross their path, but this team came up here huge at home to defeat this Grayson team.
Third down.
Smith throws it out of there and incomplete again.
It's going to be fourth down.
Once again, pressure there.
Zykie Helton the pass rusher.
Mason McLendon jumping up, knocking that ball down.
The defense that was sleepwalking there for a quarter just has been amazing here the last three.
This will be just the fifth loss for Santavious Bryant.
As the head coach of Grayson.
Number 1 Peyton Zachary.
Punt is going to be caught by Zachery at the 32 yard line, and now just 2:50 remains in the season for Grayson.
Carrollton is going to be back here at home in the semifinals next Friday night and playing a very good North Gwinnett team.
We've seen North Gwinnett a couple of times on GPB sports Football Fridays in Georgia, including just last week in the second round when they defeated Lowndes.
They've got only one loss the entire year, and they have.
They've been a team that's only gotten better with each and every week, and it'll be a battle of two teams that play two quarterbacks.
Yeah, and this combination tonight didn't have to do a lot of work here.
Cypher Hotlzclaw they made some some nice plays when needed.
But it was all about the ability of the offensive line and the run game with Kam Wood.
And it's going to just be tough with this.
Carrollton if this defense shows up like it did tonight.
, and they're going to get the freshman in there, we saw him throw that big block earlier in the game, and that's Nick Archer getting the carry.
Archer Ball.
Calyb Wood.
On the sideline.
He deserves a rest.
He is definitely the MVP here tonight with Carrollton team.
Wayne his rushing totals just keep going up every week in the state playoffs.
It's supposed to get harder isn't it?
It's supposed to go down and be tougher.
But they live and die.
On his performance.
His ability to work out and inside the pocket, running the ball.
Tyler Atkinson still out there making tackles.
Next time you'll see him will be in the burnt orange of the Texas Longhorns next year.
What a dynamic, truly the best defensive player I've seen over the last five or six years.
Just a tackling machines, all the intangibles.
He is the alpha that you're looking for at that position.
You know, and early on we felt like they were in deep trouble because they couldn't run the ball to the corners and to the edge.
And then, like you said, got to attack him up the middle.
And they did.
And that's when they started winning.
Nice job right there.
Nick Archer picking up that first down to end this game.
You can get in victory formation.
Archer with a touchdown.
Quite sure that block will be on the highlight reel when they watch the film.
That Nick Archer had earlier in the game.
That's a helmet sticker right there.
Yeah it is.
Definitely gets you some at least a free sub or something for that kind of hit.
Time to run one more play.
Let's see if they get into a victory formation.
Not quite.
This will be the final play of the night.
Archer on the run.
That will do.
It.
Carrollton going to the semifinals.
And the number 1 team in America loses for the first time since August of 2024.
Great job.
Carrollton team seems like it's going to run.
Wow.
Locker room and I'm not sure if they just feel like they don't want to avoid any kind of.
I mean, the Carrollton.
Yeah, the Grayson team was coming across for the handshake, but apparently they're not going to do that.
It looks like something that the coaches asked him to do.
Just leave the field, make sure no kind of incident happened.
Tough loss here for Grayson.
Just stunned for the outcome right here tonight.
And of course, we saw the unfortunate events that happened there in the the Brunswick and Gainesville game last Friday night.
And that's still that is really thrown a monkey wrench into the 5-A playoffs as Cordon and appeals.
And but it's really unfortunate if something like that takes away the post-game handshake, because I think that's essential to sportsmanship in all sports.
Let's send it down to Madison Cruz.
Coach, congratulations on this amazing win.
What did you see from the guys keeping the momentum going from the first half?
How proud are you of them today?
Super proud.
We did exactly what we talked about at the half.
We just came out and kept playing physical football.
That's that's our brand of football.
Our kids bought into it.
They continue to fight.
We played well in all three phases in the second half and it's a big win.
Let's talk about Cam Wood.
Absolutely outstanding three touchdowns for you guys today.
How impactful is he on this team and how important is he especially in leading that offensive line.
Cam does a great job.
He practices just as hard as he plays.
He trusts those big boys in front of him.
We got a good group in front of him that works their tail off each and every day, and super proud of them.
To get this result.
Coach, you're facing North Gwinnett here in the semifinals.
Coming back here at home.
Let's talk about this crowd.
Absolutely amazing.
How important was it for you guys to be here at home.
And also get to send you guys to a semifinal?
Yeah.
Grissom Stadium is a special place.
And that's the thing.
You know, Grayson's a great opponent.
Those guys do a great job.
But you know, a win and being able to go play in the semifinal is what we wanted, regardless of who it was, how it happened.
Right.
So we're definitely thankful for that.
And we're going to celebrate it for just a minute.
And then we'll get to work.
Coach.
Thank you again.
Go get warm as we'll go and do a tag team.
We'll go and get Cam Wood in here as well.
Cam, congratulations.
You are our Georgia Commission Player of the game as we'll give you the towel here.
730.
Report the hat as well Georgia Cotton Commission player of the game.
Cam.
Let's talk about this win.
Moving on to the semifinals.
You take down number 1 Grayson here at home I mean what are you feeling right now?
I'm feeling great.
Like I give all the credit to my teammates.
Like everyone's been stayed the course, locked in all week.
Like we gave it our all.
We didn't we didn't treat this week any different from any other.
We prepare the same.
We go out, we fight.
We got a strong brotherhood.
And I just love my teammates and I'm so proud of them.
Cam throughout this, throughout the entire game, anytime there was any sort of play, big play, you were out there on the sidelines cheering everybody on, getting everybody going.
How important is it to be that voice especially hyping everybody up, getting everybody ready and also feeding off of this crowd.
Like Coach King says all the time, like sacrifice.
Put it on the line for your brothers.
And I like to do that.
Whenever my one of my teammates scores.
I love to praise him.
I love someone's down.
I like to pick him up.
I just I love my team and we're going to we're going to be together every game.
Cam, you guys are going to be facing North Gwinnett in the semifinals.
How important is this crowd going to be coming back here at home and facing the really strong opponent, North Gwinnett?
We just have a great fan section everyone.
I mean, everyone here just loves a great town.
Everyone loves Carrollton football.
And I can't thank everyone enough for coming out and supporting us.
But it's going to be another week.
We're going to prepare the same and come out and do what we do.
Awesome.
Thank you.
Cam.
Cam Wood, our Georgia Cotton Commission player of the game.
We'll send it back up to Matt and Wayne who are in the booth.
Thank you Madison.
Great job there tonight.
We appreciate that.
Carrollton now 13-0 And as we started this game about 3 hours ago, we said this Carrollton team might actually be better than the one that got to the state finals a year ago.
What do you think?
Yeah, I think they're unselfish on offense.
They don't have this idea that one person has to make all the plays.
They spread the ball around with Mosley, Zachery, and then Cam Wood has just been the key figure.
The MVP of this offense.
And that tenacious defense playing at a high level tonight.
Well be sure to join us next Friday night at 730 as we bring you the state semifinals.
Stay tuned for our postgame show with John Nelson and Nikki Palmer as they will announce our game selection next week.
If you miss portions of tonight's game, or you just want to see it again, you can catch a full replay later this evening or in the coming week at GPB dot Sports on Demand now for Wayne Gandy Madison Crews, our VP of sports, Kevin, our game producer, Glenn Diamond, our director Russ Aaron, I'm Matt Stewart once again, Carrollton moves on to the semifinals, knocking off number 1 Grayson 34 14.
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This is just so driven to accomplish the goals I. Started kind of in between seventh and eighth grade, never playing before.
She really did get a late start, but she she worked her tail off to catch up is what she did.
If we don't have a good setter, then the hitters can't do what they need to do with the ball, so that takes repetition and learning and thinking and knowing what to do instinctively.
And she's she's got that.
And to me, that's what makes her exceptional at what she does.
It's a really hard position to play.
It takes a lot of focus, a lot of really quick decisions.
It can be the most athletic person in the room, but you have to be able to make those split second decisions and make smart choices to benefit your team.
Welcome into our Football Friday in Georgia Post game show presented by our friends over at the Governor's Office of Highway Safety Jon Nelson.
Parking your phone while driving saves lives.
Buckle up Georgia.
But we are about to drive this post game show.
But first things first, a big congratulations to Joey King and the Carrollton Trojans for knocking off the number 1 team in the country.
That's the Grayson Rams Trojans won big 34-14 John Grisham Stadium was rocking tonight.
The Trojans they had 30 unanswered points.
Just a phenomenal performance.
They're going to go on to host the North Gwinnett Bulldogs.
And Eric Godfrey.
That is going to be an incredible semifinal game John let's talk about the performance though.
Let's talk about their offense in particular.
And a guy named Kam Wood.
Unbelievable.
I've heard I've heard of Kam Wood part of the night for the rushing offense for Carrollton 187 rushing yards total on 29 attempts.
You're talking about 6.5 a carry for for Kam on the night.
Part of this balanced offense for Joey King 187 on the ground, 193 in the air.
So you're having me do math.
That's 380 in the overall tonight.
Get this defensively.
Defensively what Carrollton was able to do 77 rushing yards on 34 attempts tonight for Grayson.
And then 12 catches for 152 yards.
Once again.
Math 229 total yards of offense held Grayson to that number tonight after being down 14-0 And we talked about it at the half.
You end up with 34 straight and it was an unfamiliar position for Grayson for Grayson having to come from behind and having a lot of players playing into the third and fourth quarter unfamiliar territory.
Joey King has been there before with Carrollton and with Cartersville working all the way back, and they get the Duke tonight and they get to host again and stay at Grisham Stadium.
As Maddie Crews got to talk to Joey King about just a second ago.
She did, and he was quick to give the crowd a big credit and said, man, they really showed up tonight and they're going to do it next week too.
Have no doubt about that, John.
We are down now to 31 teams, 33, 33, 33.
30, 31-2 That still need to figure.
It out.
Yeah yeah yeah.
Okay, great.
Who will be moving on to the semis?
But let's go ahead and get started.
Let's can we go ahead and look at some scores before we get coaches on the line.
Go ahead and get your scoreboard here.
North Gwinnett the win tonight over West Forsyth 25 15.
Once again that's going to set up what happens next week.
Left hand side of your bracket.
It was Douglas County and Buford.
Buford.
It was a tight one early 9-0 Buford ends up getting the win Walton and Valdosta Valdosta is winning.
Big third quarter Rome gets the win at Jackson County tonight by two scores.
Marist a walk off 32 yard field goal by their kicker.
They win on the road at North Oconee, northeast Macon and Toombs.
Toombs advances Fitzgerald and heard another buzzer beater and heard County wins in Franklin, Brooks, and Lincoln.
Lincoln wins Big Prince Avenue and Hebron.
Hebron wins Big Gainesville, and Langston Hughes were.
Obviously, we are going to wait on that one.
So let's go to the private classification, find out what's going on down at Calvary day one of the early precincts reporting tonight.
And there's the man himself, the head coach at Calvary Day, Jason Cameron.
You win 527 tonight over Whitfield.
What did you learn about yourself?
You were in control early and you rolled to the 45 point win coach.
Yeah, we just you know, our kids, their preparation spoke for itself.
They practiced so hard this week.
And you know, even before last week's game when we had the three weeks of preparation for week two it's been a great practice team all year.
Their prep work is great.
They handle themselves like professionals and you know, they play the game hard.
They're a group that loves each other and it shows every Friday.
Coach, you were promoted to head coach if you will.
So in your your first season in the new role, what have you learned about not only your position but your team?
Like I said, great group of young kids.
Coach Stroud, who's a who's a great football coach, one of the best in Georgia.
I took over for in the foundation was just so strong.
So we've, you know, we took what was there and, you know, put a little spin on it and, you know, just continue to run with it.
We got like I said, we got a great group of kids.
They work their butt off for us and they just love each other.
Coach.
Up next you have where my kids go to school, if you will, the fellowship.
Jason Nicky drops that in, so go.
For it.
The fellowship, Paladins and Coach Thompson, you'll be walking in to our neck of the woods.
What's your immediate thoughts on that matchup?
I haven't even had time to think about it yet.
But you know, I know that they're they're they're going to be really well coached.
You know, they're they're a storied program that seems to always be in the quarterfinals.
Semifinals.
So I'm sure we'll have our hands full.
You know, we'll get back to work on Sunday and get ready to go.
I love that, coach.
Well, thanks so much for calling in to our postgame show.
We look forward to following you in your semifinal game.
John is hang on, we haven't talked about this yet.
John is out of his seat and he is.
I don't know if you can see his seat, but do you see how you can see the back of mine right here?
You can't see John's because it's off.
He has no back.
Of his chair.
There's no chair.
Back because that makes the efficiency so much greater to get in and out of a seat.
So much said.
Thanks, Jason.
That's great.
It's always great to catch up with Jason and find out what's going on at Calvary Day.
He gets the win.
He goes to Fellowship Christian.
All right, let's take a peek at the bracket on the private side.
And once again as we look it is there we go.
Here's your rundown.
We saw what you saw with the fellowship in Savannah Christian.
That was 45 14 win there for fellowship.
And they're going to face Calvary Day.
So here is once again fellowship Christian gets the win tonight over Savannah Christian.
It was over early fellowship had a big margin.
They go on to win by 31.
Fellowship is going to host Calvary Day because Calvary Day once again catching up with Coach Cameron.
You see Calvary Day they made their way through had the bye.
He mentioned the three weeks off to get ready for Kings Ridge.
They were the first score in the barn last week.
They get the win against Whitefield Academy tonight.
So that's the left hand side of the bracket.
Calvary day is going to make the road trip to Fellowship Christian.
Upper right Athens Academy.
Gassy.
Gassy was dominant in this.
And gassy the Spartans get the win tonight 49 14 over Athens Academy at Athens Academy.
And that means that gassy because they are team number 6.
They have to travel.
And you're going to see they're going to take on Hebron Christian Hebron Christian 63 20 winners tonight over Prince Avenue.
So Hebron Christian wins by 43.
And your final four in the private classification is going to be Calvary Day at Fellowship Christian.
And you see right there gassy heading to Hebron Christian.
That's your run down the middle for there.
And I'm going to slide into my chair.
That has no back because you can't hear me do it.
You hear that?
There's no there's nothing that goes on when the man takes the back off his chair.
Unbelievable.
John, thanks so much for for taking us through a few scores, a bracket, if you will.
We have a whole lot more of that coming up.
We've only had one coach on the show.
Thanks so much again to Coach Cameron.
We will be right back with more scores, more coaches and more closing of the brackets.
Coming up.
So.
You wouldn't take a call during the big game.
Oh hey what's up man.
You wouldn't be texting while cheering on your team.
Jacket.
And you definitely wouldn't want to watch a video while marching with the band.
So why would you drive a car while distracted driving isn't a game when you lose on the road, it could lead to a crash.
So when you get behind the wheel, put the distractions aside, drive hands free, and save lives.
Heads up Georgia.
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All right.
What do you think, Jasper?
Honestly, I think that polyester shirts affecting your game.
What?
I think cotton would have been a better choice.
Cotton.
Yeah, it's come a long way.
You know, nowadays, cotton breeze and wicks moisture.
Great.
Plus, buying cotton means supporting Georgia farmers.
I think that's wonderful.
Okay, sure.
But what do you think about the putt?
Oh, it's really hadn't thought about it.
Welcome into our football Friday in Georgia postgame show presented by our friends over at the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
Parking your phone while driving, John.
It saves lives.
So heads up, Georgia, and we got to give you guys a heads up.
We have another coach on the line coming from the three A bracket.
We've got Coach Napier from Lagrange.
Coach, are you with us?
Oh look at that.
I'm right here on the bus ride back.
Matt Napier on the bus.
On the bus.
That's how we like to see it.
Coach, a big congratulations 24-7 you guys are going to back to back semifinal appearance.
Can you just express to us what it means to you to be one of the final four teams?
It's special, you know, just proud of our kids, the work that they put in.
You know, you get opportunities like this.
And for them to see the fruits of their labor pay off and and to be able to continue to play, it's special.
You know, it's a special thing to be a part of.
I'm blessed to be the coach here and just really proud of the guys and the way they play the game, the way they represent our community.
It's just it's a special program, and I'm I'm blessed to be a part of it.
Matt, ever since you walked in the door, it's been eight wins.
It's been nine wins last two seasons.
You're now in double digits.
Last year it was ten.
Now it's 11.
What has been the key to this consistency in the six years?
I want to say that you've been in charge down there with the Grangers.
Yeah.
Continuity or coaching staff.
We we've had the same staff pretty much for the entire six years.
Great, great administration.
And then the kids believe shout out to coach our middle school coach does a great job.
He did our pregame devotion today.
And just the foundation all the way back to when they're young and these kids work their tail off in the weight room and just just proud of the way that they show up every day.
They're eager to win.
They put the work in.
So credit goes to the players and the community and all the support that we have.
Coach, thanks so much for taking the time to call in from the bus.
We appreciate it so much.
And good luck.
As you face Sandy Creek in the semifinal matchup.
Awesome.
Thank you guys.
Go Grangers.
And when you look at the schedule, I know that Matt probably has earmuffs.
Region rivals out of the blocks.
Sandy Creek and Lagrange played each other.
First region game of the year.
Sandy Creek got the Duke 237 all the way back on August 29.
So it's a chance for these two to meet, for a chance to get into the last game of the year.
All right, let's take a peek at the AA bracket.
Show you what we've got going on.
And it is all settled.
Upper left hand corner Jefferson wins tonight 47 28 Cairo had it.
It was 23:21 at the half finishes up 47-28 Travis Nolan and the Dragons.
They go on to win and they will host West Lawrence who wins tonight 21 16.
And you have the leading rusher in the state going to one of the toughest places to play in the left hand side of the bracket.
West Laurens advances as team four.
They're going to go take on team number 1 next week as Jefferson hosts West Laurens right hand side of the bracket.
You see how it is.
Full left is full.
Right is full.
Upper right hand side will explain.
Sandy Creek gets the Duke tonight.
They shut out Douglas.
It was tight early.
Sandy Creek put the pedal down.
They win 34-0 And then Lagrange with the defense that they had five turnovers that they created against the very very tough Stevenson team.
Lagrange wins it 247 and Lagrange will travel to Sandy Creek in the reverse fixture.
If you want to call it that.
The home game was at Callaway back on August 29.
Now it's going to be at Sandy Creek at the battlefield in Tyrone next week.
As you end up with Sandy Creek as team number 3, taking on Lagrange team 15.
And that is your AAA bracket.
That's our AAA.
Well, John, let's go back to our game.
Grayson Carrollton Carrollton one.
We know they're going to play North Gwinnett.
Can we go ahead and look at the 6-A bracket?
Why not?
Let's go ahead and take a peek at the 6-A bracket.
I mean, look, we just ask and then we ask the.
And then it.
Appears the.
Powers that are the magic fingers that are on the other side of the glass, there's your magic fingers, there's your 6-A bracket once again, Carrollton on the left hand side.
Carrollton wins tonight in dramatic fashion.
Frankly, down 14-0 You score 34 straight.
You upset the number 1 team in the country as the number 11 team in the country.
Carrollton advances.
North Gwinnett wins 25-15 over West Forsyth.
So North Gwinnett at Carrollton.
That is going to be next week.
We're waiting on Walton and Valdosta.
Last check that we had it was Valdosta winning by 17.
And that was in the fourth quarter.
It is still a 17 point margin.
Valdosta leads Walton 45:28 fourth quarter.
And that one is at Bazemore-hyder.
The winner of that one is going to take on Buford, who beat Douglas County tonight 30-15 So Buford, as the region eight number 1 will either go to Valdosta and take on Valdosta next week at Bazemore-hyder.
Or if Walton scores three unanswered touchdowns here in the remaining time they have left, Walton would travel to Buford.
So North Gwinnett at Carrollton or Buford is going to Valdosta, or Walton is going to Buford.
And that is your run in 6-A.
Awesome.
Well, maybe we'll have that update here soon.
So from 6-A, we're going to go to 82.
I sorry you got it.
Single a Division two.
And our in our world we're saying 82.
So hang with us with that.
Class A Division two.
Yes we hear that Coach Tompkins is on the line.
Coach, can you hear us?
Where is he?
There he is.
He's there he is!
Lee Hoskins gets the win tonight.
And you put 52 on the board against Brooks County.
I know a lot of folks were looking at this one coach and sitting there.
This is not your normal number 3 your third round matchup.
What was it like there tonight.
I, I missed you.
Somebody was talking about unmuting my phone.
I ha.
I just wanted to know what it was like tonight going up against Brooks.
Because these are two that have fantastic pedigrees in class A football.
What was it like out there tonight?
Winning by 36?
Well, you know, Brooks is a very talented football team.
They've got athletes everywhere and they're so dangerous.
Every time they have the ball you're worried about them scoring.
So we knew we needed to be pretty efficient on offense.
And we knew knew that we needed to hold on to the football and finish drives.
And our kids did that tonight.
And I'm very, very, very proud of the way we played.
Coach.
For viewers that hasn't seen Lincoln County play, how would you describe the type of play that that how your how your team performs, who you guys are, what you're about?
How would you describe Lincoln County?
Well, we're a blue collar football team.
We run the wing T we're going to come off the football and try to run it down your throat.
For the most part, we do have a passing game, but we're running.
The football is who we are.
So blue collar and we try to play real good defense.
And play with the short field.
We're very fortunate that we've got a spectacular kicker in a guy named Fortson.
Partridge.
And he, he averages probably 95% of his kicks go in the end zone.
So our defense gets to start on the opponent's 20.
And that's always a big plus.
Coach what are you going to focus on this week in practice as you prepare for the Final Four?
Was there anything that stood out about your team where you went?
We got to clean that up a little bit.
Well, I'll tell you what we do.
We we always focus on us and we certainly scout our opponent and we know what they're going to try to do to defeat us.
But I think day in and day out, you need to work on yourself, look in the mirror and get better at all the little things.
We just need to clean up little things.
Maybe steps, hat placement, things of that nature.
But we're playing hard, and we're playing with a great deal of passion.
So I'm excited about our kids, and I'm excited to have a chance to play in the semis.
Coach, thanks so much for taking time out of your night after your big win to call in to us on our on our post game show.
We appreciate it so much and we wish you the best as you continue your run into the final four.
Well, thank you very much and thank you for what you do for Georgia High school football.
Lee gets the Duke tonight, Lincoln County.
So let's run through the bracket quickly.
Class A, Division two.
Let's start in the upper left hand corner.
And it is once again the pedigree working its way forward.
Clinch County over Wheeler.
Great season for Wheeler County.
And the folks in Alamo Wheeler loses tonight 27 22.
So Clinch County your division your region two champ.
They get the win and they will host because of the tiebreaker as we go.
And we find out that it is going to be Bowden.
Bowden put up a number in the 40s tonight against Jenkins County.
At home Jenkins County went to Bowden.
They lose.
Great season for Jenkins County and everybody in Millen.
So Bowden is going to go to clinch next week on the left hand side of your bracket.
You want to talk heavyweights in class A. It is true heavyweights there.
Now take it full and we'll go to the right hand side of the bracket and lay out everything that we were discussing with Coach Hoskins.
We'll start up top.
Who's he playing and where is he going?
Answer Blakely.
He's going to play early county.
Early county over Screven tonight they advance.
And as the region one champ they're going to host same seed.
You're going north for the next round and they're going to play once again Lincoln County Lincoln County winners tonight 52-16 over Brooks right here.
So Lincoln County beat Hawkinsville last week.
Beat Brooks County tonight.
And they are going to travel to early County.
And I'm going to slide into my very quiet backless chair and.
Find out what's going.
On in AA.
Because we've got an upset on the road to talk about.
Let's talk about it.
And I hear that we've got a coach on the line.
It is Winston Gordon from Hapeville charter.
If technology will allow.
There he is on the bus.
On the bus.
On the bus.
Yeah.
So coach, break it down for me that you're coming back in on I-20 after the win at Morgan County.
What was it like out there tonight in a hostile environment?
Well, it just just was cold, you know, that's all I can say.
Cold.
Oh.
I love that, coach.
Hey, what was the turning point in your game tonight?
What was it that happened where you were like, I think we're going to pull this one off.
Well, I don't think it was a turning point.
I just think a lot of people just underestimated how good our team is.
We got a great team.
I mean, you see how we, you know, John, know what we do in the first part of our schedule.
There's no there's no doubt about what what those kids can do.
And and always overachieve.
We do more with less, you know, and these kids are going to keep persevering.
And I think this is a team that will take us where we need to get to.
All right.
Well, the next team that you're going to be facing is Sumter County.
What's your initial thoughts on that matchup?
I think something one of the best teams in Two-a as well.
I mean, when we saw him play Carver Columbus, I mean, they should have won that game and they should be undefeated right now.
So I think they're a solid team.
Will Rogers do a good job?
He's a good friend of mine.
You know, Fulton County guy.
Creekside, you know, so he he do a great job with his kids, and they come to play every time, just like our kids.
So are you two going to talk this week at all, or are you just going to kind of keep secrets and not talk to each other?
And whatever happens down there in Americus is going to go.
Well, John, we talked last week.
I gave him a few pointers on Cobb.
I must have gave him too much because he went in there and blew him out.
So you know, we just gotta strap up and get it done, but we definitely a talk, you know, we'll definitely talk.
Coach, how was your bus?
So quiet.
I mean, really.
Is it because they know they don't want to do up downs on Monday?
If they get them?
All right, well, then let's do this.
Let's do this.
Go ahead.
Bring them up for you.
Go.
There you go.
Let him shout it out.
It's like they're cheering but it's all quiet Cheering it's okay.
Cheer loudly.
You won't get an up down penalty from us for cheering loudly on a bus.
Winston, just get home safe, my friend.
It's going to be great.
Once again.
Tenth straight season in the playoffs and you're heading to the semis to take on Sumter County and traveling to America's.
Be safe, my friend.
We'll see you soon.
All right.
Thanks a lot, man.
Thanks, coach.
Nothing like quiet Cheering.
Wow I love that.
They knew they knew.
They said no we're not going to get any up downs.
That was awesome.
We love when they call in from the bus.
All right John take us to the AA bracket.
Let's take it full.
Let's show you what's going on right now.
And once again we talked about the left hand side of the bracket.
And you see Sumter County with the win tonight they won by 18.
Won by 19 over Carver Atlanta 39 20 Hapeville charter wins by 12 at Morgan County Hapeville charter at Sumter County next week.
Then the right hand side of the bracket.
You're looking at Carver Columbus dominant early winning over Thompson by the score of 3810.
Burke and Rockmart once again, that one was back and forth, and we're getting reports that Burke County did win that one.
One point late, but we're going to confirm it before we advance them in the bracket.
So Carver Columbus is the team number 3.
And they would be hosting on the right hand side of the bracket if Burke County wins.
If Rockmart wins, it's down at Rockmart.
So we're going to get a final score advance at the right hand side of the bracket.
But Hayesville charter, Sumter County left hand side in AA, who.
Is it getting easier for you, John?
No.
No.
Because you've got to be doubly correct.
Doubly correct, doubly coming off that AA bracket, we'll have more scores and we're gonna hopefully close out some of those brackets as well.
When we come back after the break.
Keep it right here on GPB.
Doubly correct.
She says.
You wouldn't take a call during the big game.
Oh hey what's up man?
You wouldn't be texting while cheering on your team.
Jacket.
And you definitely wouldn't want to watch a video while marching with the band.
So why would you drive a car while distracted driving isn't a game when you lose on the road, it could lead to a crash.
So when you get behind the wheel, put the distractions aside, drive hands free, and save lives.
Heads up Georgia.
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Welcome back into our Football Friday in Georgia postgame show presented by our friends over at the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
Heads up, Georgia.
We want to go ahead and give you guys a heads up.
We are going through scores.
We're going through brackets.
John has caught up to his breath now.
So we are moving and grooving.
We're going to go ahead right now and take a look at the 5-A bracket.
John.
Walk us through it please.
Sir.
5-A with the magic of the magic fingers on the other side of the glass, left hand side of the bracket.
Thomas County Central advances.
Wood and Woodward Academy went down to the jackets nest tonight.
Thomas County Central back and forth early.
Thomas County Central wins by 304919.
They will host Roswell.
Roswell beat Sequoyah 42 35.
It was a tight game all the way through Roswell.
Your seven, your region seven champ is now going to travel to Thomas County Central.
Your region two champ.
That's the left hand side of the bracket.
Obviously, we're waiting to find out what's going to happen between now and next Friday involving Hughes and Gainesville and in the low section of the bracket, Rome goes to Jackson County tonight, wins 31 17.
So it is Roswell at Thomas County Central.
Hughes in Gainesville, the winner of that one.
And Roman, we have to find out what's going to happen there.
That is 5-A.
But we're going to now go to class A, Division one and catch up with a winner tonight in.
Coach Buddy Martin.
There you go.
Toombs County, can you hear us?
Yes.
Ma'am, I. Got you.
Oh.
He's okay, all right.
We didn't know.
If you.
We didn't know if you were, like, outside freezing.
If you were inside.
We didn't know where you were, buddy.
That's why we were.
I'm in.
I'm in the the heat.
The technology was whipping my butt.
It happens to the best of us.
Don't worry, coach, but first, a big congratulations.
You beat the defending state champs in northeast Macon.
What's your immediate reaction?
And how did your team get it done tonight?
Well, not not to nitpick you, but we're the defending state champs.
They're the runner up.
But yeah so so proud of our guys.
Man they they they played phenomenal tonight.
Our defense bow their neck got after it.
Challenged them.
You know thought thought the most the most disciplined, the most physical most relentless team would win.
And our guys rose to the challenge and it was phenomenal night.
So quarterfinals in year one of your administration you win last year at 13-1 you're 12-1 and you're now 13-1 again this season.
What has it been that's been the key to the consistency since you've been down there in Lyons for Tomb County?
Yeah, really good players John.
Really, really good players.
We we got we've got a tremendous group.
I mean, you know, tremendous group all three years.
I mean tremendous coaching staff, tremendous support.
The community is is unbelievable here.
And we've got some really good football players that that are all in.
They work hard and they you know they want to be successful and they know what it takes.
Heard County is going to be where you are going.
So I imagine you're probably going to be packing up in about two days time to have to go from Lyons to Franklin for this next matchup.
I know that heard County, you and Heard County have been at the top of the charts most of the season.
Can't wait to see this one.
Thanks for dropping by.
Especially get warm thaw out because we know that you're going to be back at it again next week.
Left hand side of the bracket.
Thanks for dropping by.
Yeah, thanks.
Go Dawgs.
Go win another state title coach.
There he goes.
We're going to get after Banks.
Can't read my notes without my glasses.
I'm right there with you.
Everything's fine.
Cannot read.
All right.
So now we've got Coach Danny Britt on the line.
We're going to go to 4-A John.
Danny Britt winner tonight over central Carroll down there on the coast.
And once again it's there.
There are certain things that are normal in the.
Postseason right.
This wasn't normal.
Well sunrises in the East that much we do know.
And then the Benedictine cadets they always make deep runs into the playoffs.
And so once again the consistency is there.
And then on April 15 you pay your taxes.
So it's like taxes, sunrise and Benedictine making deep runs.
And big scores.
Yes, and big scores.
So, so Benedictine gets the win tonight.
Once again they put 80 on the board with Central Carroll.
And for them this season it's been 42 against East Forsyth.
Let's go to Danny Britt right now.
After knocking off Cass last week.
And they win 80-32 so this is safe guessing Danny where are you.
You're outside cold.
He's in the elements.
Yeah.
Well, I was driving, like I said, headed back to the school when you called.
I pulled over in the parking lot of a convenience store.
See?
Safe?
Safe guessing.
We believe in this.
Does what does the the prolific nature of your offense.
Does it surprise you at times?
The numbers that you put up on a weekly basis at points.
It doesn't really.
I mean, we've got a lot of really good guys and you know, been playing well and a very good offensive line.
And what does surprise me a little bit, we were able to do it tonight, really, without Bubba Frazier, who was injured a little bit, beat up.
And we just kind of used him as a decoy.
He didn't.
We didn't really use him at all.
Coach, can you just walk me through?
I mean, what does advancing to a semifinal game mean to you and your team?
Does it get old?
It does not get old.
I can promise you that.
Not even close.
No, I love it, and it means a lot.
This team has worked really hard.
And, you know, we want to be there.
And, you know, it's become, you know, somewhat of an expectation for our guys.
So but no, it never gets old.
It's very exciting.
So.
Okay.
Please get back in your car, turn the heat back on and go back home and get ready for Marist.
Who's coming to town next week?
Danny, thanks for dropping by.
Go get warm.
Congratulations on the win tonight, my friend.
All right.
Thank you so much I appreciate it guys.
There he goes.
Coach Benedictine.
Gets the win tonight 80 32 Marist on a walk off field goal.
Gets the win 23 20.
And so the right hand side of that bracket heavyweights Benedictine once again region one champ beats East Forsyth beats Cass beats central.
Carroll who came to the coast tonight.
Marist once again had to go on the road to Bogart and they got the win 23 20.
And so Marist at North Oconee now Marist for the second week in a row is going to have to go to Benedictine.
And that's the right hand side of the bracket in quad a once again now left hand side of the bracket will start up top.
Creekside.
The win tonight over Lithonia and we're waiting for the winner of Cartersville and Kell.
Kell was winning big late.
And so we're trying to find out what happens there.
So Creekside as your champ out of region four is going to host.
Either way the winner of Cartersville and Kell is going to go to Creekside next week in south Fulton County.
So that is the rundown there.
And once again, I think that's seven of eight brackets.
Once again wrapping up quickly.
Class A Division one teams at Howard County, the winner of Worth and Gordon Lee takes on Pepperell.
Pepperell is team ten.
And so they would be going either way on the road to either Chickamauga or to Sylvester.
And that is eight up and eight down.
All right.
Well, that concludes our Football Friday in Georgia post game show quarterfinals are done.
Semifinals are next week.
Do we know where we're going yet?
No we don't.
Best in the business behind the glass.
When we know we'll let you know.
Follow along on all the socials.
Nick and Nelly, we are out.
We will see you again next week from somewhere in the state of Georgia.
You wouldn't take a call during the big game.
Oh hey what's up man?
You wouldn't be texting while cheering on your team.
Jacket and you definitely wouldn't want to watch a video while marching with the band.
So why would you drive a car while distracted driving isn't a game when you lose on the road, it could lead to a crash.
So when you get behind the wheel, put the distractions aside, drive hands free, and save lives.
Heads up Georgia.
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So I started checking the labels on our clothes too.
Did you know synthetic fibers like polyester are pretty much made of oil?
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