As you probably know by now, I will be part of Georgia Public Broadcasting's play-by-play crew for the December 11 Class A state championship game. I will provide color commentary while WSB's Zach Klein will call play-by-play. The game can be seen on GPB-TV at 1pm that Saturday. The two teams will be determined this Friday night and here is a brief breakdown of the two contests.
Clinch County @ Wilkinson County
To say the sum is greater than the parts would not be insulting to the Cougars of Clinch County because the sum adds up to the top ranked squad in Class A. Clinch County improved to 13-0 and earned a spot in the semifinals with a 34-27 comeback win over ELCA last week thanks to two fourth quarter touchdowns from Anthony McNeil. Last season, McNeil was the Cougars leading rusher and he has teamed with Tray Dorsey to form a potent one-two punch out of the offensive backfield. The defense of Clinch County also has shut down several potent offenses all season long and will look to do so against Wilkinson County as well. Clinch County has some big wins on the year, having knocked off Wilcox and Charlton entering the playoffs.
The Warriors will need a standout performance from sophomore quarterback David Whipple, who threw a 28-yard touchdown pass and ran for a go-ahead 40-yard scoring scamper in Wilkinson’s 20-7 win over ECI. Before the season is over, Whipple likely will post 2000 yards passing and 30 scores through the air. He’ll have the support of Tevin Underwood at tailback, Alvin Dupree at tight end and Devontaye Drayton at wideout. Drayton has had some problems with drops this year but he was solid in the quarterfinals against ECI, hauling in one score and securing a two-point conversion. Wilkinson County has now advanced to the semifinals for the second time in three seasons.
Savannah Christian @ Wesleyan
The Wesleyan Wolves won the Class A state title in 2008 and now sit on the verge of another championship game appearance. Several players have contributed to the team’s remarkable 2010 run but senior Kyle Karempelis has been churning up mileage like no other during the playoffs. Karempelis rushed for 298 yards in a quarterfinal win over Wilcox and had three touchdowns to spark the victory. He has over 5000 rushing yards for his career and 92 career scores, better than Herschel and Darius Walker. Andrew Frerking also provides senior leadership from the quarterback position and Georgia-bound offensive lineman David Andrews calls the shots down in the trenches.
Savannah Christian meanwhile is just one win away from returning to the Georgia Dome one season after coming up one win short of a title. The Raiders will surely have the 2009 season on its mind when the school lost 30-21 in the finals. The 2010 edition features a balanced offense with quarterback Harrison Curry capable of placing the ball anywhere on the field. The running game is strong as well as Will Austin can notch rushing yards as well as receiving yards (he ran for a 44-yard score and hauled in a touchdown reception against Lincoln County in the quarters) to complement Nardo Govan and fullback Andrew Moore. The defense is also stout, allowing just one second-half first down while snagging two fourth quarter interceptions to ice the quarterfinals victory.
1 comment:
Your comment about Clinch coming from behind to beat ELCA is misleading. You make it sound like Clinch was being dominated the entire game. These powerful teams were tied or changed leads eight times during the game, and neither team ever led by more that a touchdown. Also, both teams scored consecutive touchdowns at some point during the game. Clinch's consectives just happened to come in the 4th quarter.
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