GHSA Class AAA semifinal
CALHOUN YELLOW JACKETS (12-1) at CEDAR GROVE SAINTS (13-0)
Storyline: Calhoun is coming off an impressive 31-7 win at Liberty County in which QB Gavin Gray completed 32 of 38 passes for 274 yards and three TDs and the Jackets' defense allowed 134 total yards. The challenge gets steeper tonight against the top-ranked Saints, who won a state title last year and have outscored opponents 550-84 this season. They are coming off a 28-0 win over Pike County, their seventh shutout of the season. Cedar Grove defeated Calhoun 47-21 in last year's quarterfinals, though several members of that Saints offense have graduated. The Cedar Grove attack revolves around a ground game led by RB Darrell Neal, a 1,000-yard rusher who has 356 yards and three TDs in three postseason games. QB Xavier Dennis, who had just more than 700 passing yards in the regular season, has 486 with eight TDs in the playoffs; WRs Israel Spivey and Jadon Haselwood have combined for 449 of the yards and all of those scores. Cedar Grove's defense, led by sophomore LB Isaiah Ratcliff and S Haselwood (four interceptions in the playoffs), allowed just 122 yards per game during the regular season, though that number has nearly doubled in the postseason. Calhoun's offense gets a boost as RB Zack Fuller (1,146 yards, 18 TDs) has been cleared to play after incurring a concussion last week. That should help QB Gray and WRs Bralin Barton, Luke Moseley and Brannon Spector have success through the air. How well the Jackets handle the Saints' size advantage will go a long way in determining which team moves on to next week's championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.