Several Northeast Georgia-area teams will be making their first playoff appearances in many years tonight. Several others are continuing long playoff streaks.
Jackson County is making its first playoff appearance since 2017. They already have their most wins since 2012 (6) and can match that total with a win tonight. The Panthers, however, have never won a playoff game in their history (0-4 all-time).
Before Sid Maxwell arrived in 2015, Dawson County had made just four playoff appearances from 1967-2014 and had never won a playoff game. The Tigers take on Sandy Creek tonight to open their seventh consecutive postseason trip. They are 6-6 under Maxwell in the playoffs and have made the second round or better five times.
From 1957 to 2000, White County had made no state playoff appearances. The Warriors are making their 11th postseason trip since then tonight against Cedar Grove, and their fourth trip in five seasons under Tim Cokely, who now has led them to more postseasons than any other coach. However, they are just 2-10 all-time in the playoffs and 0-9 all-time in road playoff games.
Union County has made 10 postseason appearances all-time, eight under former coach Brian Allison. The Panthers take on Lovett tonight in Atlanta and it will be the first playoff game without Allison since they played Adairsville in 1973 under former coach Mickey Birchfield. They are 0-5 all-time in road playoff games.
10-WIN SEASONS ARE A RARITY FOR MOST
Cherokee Bluff is making something that has traditionally been difficult to achieve look easy. In just their fourth season, the Bears already have two 10-win seasons under Tommy Jones. A win tonight over GAC would set a new school-record with 11 wins.
To put that in perspective, Gainesville began playing in 1905. It wasn’t until 1951 that the Red Elephants posted their second 10-win season. Buford began playing a full schedule in 1945 and it took 10 years for the Wolves to get their second 10-win campaign.
In its history, Jefferson had just two 10-win seasons from 1947-2007. A win tonight over Hapeville Charter will give the Dragons their 11th 10-win season since 2008. Only Buford in our area has more in that span.
Speaking of the Wolves, a win on Saturday over Kell would give them their 23rd consecutive 10-win season, the longest current streak in the state. The last time they failed to win at least 10 games was in 1998, which was also their last season with a losing record (4-6) and the last time they failed to make the playoffs.
Commerce has 24 10-win seasons but just two since 2007. The Tigers opened in 1909 but did not begin playing full schedules until 1942 and did not snag their first 10-win season until 1964.
Rabun County had just one 10-win season (1998, 11 wins) in its history but a win tonight over Pace Academy would give the Wildcats their seventh straight 10-win campaign. They also have won seven straight first round games.
Gainesville, which did not make the playoffs for the first time since 1999, is the third-winningest program all-time in the state (758 wins) and has 18 10-win seasons in its 108-year history. Ten of those have come since 2002 under former coach Bruce Miller but none since 2014.
As for other programs around the area, East Hall has had just four, none since 1990. North Hall has just four, none in its first 46 seasons, and all coming since 2004. West Hall has just one 10-win season (1995) in its 34-year history.
White County has none in its 55-year history and Johnson, which opened a later, also has had none in its 54-year history. Chestatee has none in its 20-year history. Jackson County has none in its 41-year history.
FINAL STATE STAT LEADERS
For those teams making the GHSA playoff, team and personal stats will count for their overall career totals. But there is something to winning the regular season stat totals.
Rabun County senior Gunner Stockton and junior Jaden Gibson finished at the top of the list in two of the three main offensive categories after last week’s regular season was completed.
Stockton finished as the top passer in the state with 3,228 yards. Gibson was the state’s leading receiver with 1,497 yards. Stockton now has thrown for 12,746 yards in his career and is inching ever-closer to Trevor Lawrence’s career state record. He needs 1,157 yards to break the record. If the Wildcats get at least back to the semifinals, Stockton will need to average 289 yards/game.
He already owns the all-time passing touchdown record at 166 and counting. If can throw 13 more TD passes this season he will break the single-season record of 56 held by K'Hari Lane of Macon County (2016).
Gibson sits at 1,497 yards receiving on the season and he also is inching closer to a state record. Gibson needs 550 yards to break Marcayll Jones’ (Warner Robins) single-season record of 2,046 yards set in 2018. Again, if the Wildcats get back to the semifinals, Gibson can break the record if he averages 138 yards/game.
As for the state rushing, no area runner won their classification but several finished in the top four in the classification.
Rob Brown of Trion finished with 2,002 yards to narrowly beat Keyjuan Brown of South Atlanta (2,001 yards) to sit at the top of the final state yardage totals.
Towns County senior Kyle Oakes has a huge season finishing fifth overall in the state, and second Class A Public, with 1,648 yards. Kevin Rochester of North Hall finished the regular season with 1,447 yards, good for 14th overall and second in Class 3A. Cherokee Bluff’s Jayquan Smith sits 18th with 1,368 yards, which is fourth in Class 3A.
Commerce freshman Jaiden Daniels had a breakout season with 1,327 yards, good for 25th overall and fourth in Class A Public mainly in just seven games once he was inserted into the starting lineup.
Trey Ransom of Jackson County has 1,299 yards; Silas Mulligan of White County has 1,039, and East Jackson’s Tyler Crow finished with 1,005 yards as the area’s only players to top the 1,000-yard barrier.
Rochester, Smith, Daniels, Ransom, and Mulligan all can add to their totals in the playoffs tonight.
As for other quarterbacks in the area, East Hall senior Clete Cooper, East Hall just missed out on a 2,000 yard season for a second consecutive season finishing with 1,960 yards and 43rd in the state. Chestatee’s Luke Bornhorst was 47th overall with 1,907 yards. Both Cooper and Bornhorst are done for the season.
But Union County’s Logan Helcher has at least one more game and was 50th with 1,875 yards. Dawson County’s Zach Holtzclaw also is still alive in the playoffs and has 1,844 yards.
Holtzclaw’s teammate Bailey Dameron is fifth in the state with 1,050 yards and second in Class 3A just 73 yards behind Jadyn Rice of North Murray (1,123 yards).
(Stats provided by Georgia High School Football Daily)
