Georgia Class AAA semifinal matchup

photo Calhoun High School's Austin Bennett (5), Jireh Wilson (3) and Jacob Callahan (10) bring down Cedar Grove High School's Jessie Reverio (4).

WESTMINSTER WILDCATS (12-1) at CALHOUN YELLOW JACKETS (13-0)

• Stars: Westminster's main offensive threat is sophomore running back Zay Malcome, a 5-foot-5, 160-pound ball of energy who has rushed for a school-record 1,537 yards. He had 150 yards and a touchdown run and, after being pressed into emergency quarterback work, passed for the team's other score last week. The main strength of the Wildcats lies on the defensive side, where end Russell Ude, a California commitment, and middle linebacker Charlie Trense are extremely disruptive. Calhoun's spread offense revolves around junior quarterback Kaelen Riley, who is coming off an uneven performance against Elbert County in which he turned the ball over four times but accounted for 270 total yards and two scores. Running back Cole Jackson has emerged as a workhorse in the playoffs, while an unheralded receiving corps, led by Carson Brown, Chazz Moss and Thomas Lester, has become a major team strength. Defensively, end Landon Rice draws numerous double teams and is a big reason why linebackers Jireh Wilson, Austin Bennett and Tristan Fuller are free to wreak havoc.

Read moreCalhoun High takes 56-home game winning streak into state semifinals

• Storyline: The health of Westminster's quarterbacks is the big story. Starter Rankin Woley missed last week with an arm injury, and backup Keller Harper injured an ankle last week. If Malcome has to take snaps again, the Jackets' aggressive defense will see how many hits the diminutive athlete can take.

How they got here: Region 4 No. 3 seed Westminster defeated Laney 35-12, Central-Carroll 27-10 and Hart County 14-0. Calhoun, the Region 6 champion, defeated Rockmart 43-14, Cedar Grove 38-18 and Elbert County 19-17.

• Coach's quote: "Westminster is very good on defense and they use more multiple looks than anybody we've ever played. They like to create havoc by blitzing a lot, so hopefully we can take advantage of a seam or two being open." -- Calhoun's Hal Lamb

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