Pierce County rides McGatha to final

Pierce County put the ball and its semifinal fate in the hands of Caden McGatha last week. Running or passing on 51 of Pierce’s 53 plays, the junior quarterback produced 388 total yards and scored his team’s five touchdowns in a 35-7 victory over Fitzgerald.

“He’s a great teammate first,” Pierce County coach Ryan Herring said. “He’s got great teammates blocking for him. He is a very tough kid, which we need at that position.”

McGatha rushed for 328 yards on 38 carries and was 8-of-13 passing for 60 yards. He has rushed for 1,911 yards and passed for 1,876 this season and could become what's believed to be just the second Georgia player to rush and pass for 2,000 in both categories. LaGrange’s Taeo Todd accomplished the feat last season.

McGatha is GHSF Daily’s Player of the Week. The award, sponsored by Sports Turf, will be presented to McGatha at his school Wednesday.

Profiles of 16 finalists' head coaches

The 16 head coaches in the state finals have won 993 games in Georgia, lost only 347, and have a winning percentage of .741. But most are new to the finals, at least as head coaches. Only Prince Avenue’s Greg Vandagriff, Cedar Grove’s John Adams and Pierce County’s Ryan Herring have won state titles. Others have won as assistants, and Coffee’s Mike Coe has won five in another state.

Here’s a closer look at them.

Class 7A

*Daniel Brunner, Walton: Brunner played at Roswell and became a four-year starter and two-time all-conference defensive lineman at Rhodes College in Memphis. He worked on staffs at Centennial, Roswell and LaGrange College before Walton hired him in 2013. Walton promoted him to head coach from defensive line coach and special teams coordinator in 2017. Brunner’s teams are 66-22 with two region titles. This will be Brunner’s first state championship game as a coach.

*Ben Reaves, Milton: Reaves played at Newton under his father, Ben Sr., and was a preferred walk-on wide receiver at Georgia in 2004 and 2005, finishing up the 2005 season as a student assistant. He’s been on high school staffs at Collins Hill, Berrien and Bay Shore in Florida. Milton hired him in 2017. He was the offensive coordinator on Milton’s 2018 Class 7A championship team that upset No. 1-ranked and previously unbeaten Colquitt County. Milton promoted him last season, when he became the first rookie head coach to reach a GHSA Class 7A semifinal. His teams are 22-6 with two region titles.

Class 6A

*John Hunt, Woodward Academy: Hunt is a former All-SEC guard at Florida who played briefly in the NFL with the Cowboys and Buccaneers in the 1980s. He coached high school football in Florida for seven seasons, then joined Steve Spurrier’s staffs with Florida (1999-2001), the Redskins (2002-03) and South Carolina (2004-08). Hunt was back coaching high school teams in his native Florida when Woodward hired him as head coach in 2011. His Woodward teams are 131-35 with eight region titles. This will be Hunt’s first state championship game.

*Justin Rogers, Thomas County Central: A native of Greenville, Ala., Rogers started his coaching career just across the Georgia border at Harris County (2002-09). His stint as Griffin’s offensive coordinator (2010-13) propelled him as an innovator as the 2013 Bears team averaged 42.7 points per game and won the Class 4A title. Rogers was Jones County’s head coach for five seasons, leading the Greyhounds to their first two 10-win seasons (2014, 2017). He was Colquitt County’s coach from 2019 to 2021 and won a region title and was 26-7. His teams have won two region titles and 26 of 27 games in two seasons at Thomas County Central, which will be playing in its first championship game since 2002.

Class 5A

*Mike Coe, Coffee: Coe was an all-state high school center who endured four knee surgeries. He says he has known since the sixth grade that he'd be a football coach. And he’s been one since the 12th grade, when he coached his alma mater Auburndale (Fla.) High’s JV team the spring before graduation. Coe remained on Auburndale’s staff until Madison County of Florida hired him in 2003. He became Madison County’s head coach in 2010. His teams won state titles in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021, and he was inducted into the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2020. Coe’s Coffee teams are 24-3 and will be playing for the first state title in school history.

*Maurice Dixon, Creekside: Dixon, the only state finals coach working at his alma mater, was an all-state lineman at Creekside and played at Bethune-Cookman and West Georgia. He also played basketball, wrestled and competed in track and field at Creekside. Dixon had worked as offensive coordinator at Mount Zion and Drew in Clayton County before Creekside hired him as head coach in 2017. Despite an 0-10 rookie season, Dixon has led Creekside to four region titles and three straight 10-win seasons.

Class 4A

*Thomas Clark, Stockbridge: Clark was an offensive lineman at Naxapater High in Philadelphia, Miss., and at West Virginia Tech. He coached at Tech for three seasons, then came to Georgia on the encouragement of former college teammates from Henry County. He has been at Stockbridge since. He was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach during a 2012-18 run in which the Tigers won at least 11 games each season. He was athletic director in 2019 and 2020, then hired as head coach in 2021. Stockbridge has won region titles the past two seasons and is in the finals for the first time in the football program’s 60-season history. This will be Clark's first state final.

*Kevin Smith, Perry: Smith was an undersized offensive lineman at LaGrange in the 1980s. He’s spent most of his coaching career in Houston County. He coached 16 seasons a Northside, four as defensive coordinator. Smith was the defensive line coach on Northside's 2006 and 2007 state championship teams. He was on Houston County’s staff for three seasons and spent two years at Griffin. Perry hired him in 2017. Smith led Perry to its first region title in 61 years in 2020. He has won three region titles, and his teams are 59-26 over seven seasons at a program that won 28 games the previous seven seasons.

Class 3A

*John Adams, Cedar Grove: Adams is a Southwest DeKalb graduate who played football under coach Buck Godfrey. He played baseball for two years at South Carolina and finished up his undergraduate degree at Jackson State in 2007. Adams had been Cedar Grove’s defensive backs coach since 2016 when promoted to head coach in 2021. He previously coached at Miller Grove, North Atlanta and Northwest Rankin in Mississippi. This is Adams’ third season as Cedar Grove’s head coach. In 2021, he won a state title in his first season. He has been with Cedar Grove for all four of the school's state titles.

*Baker Woodward, Savannah Christian: Woodward was a quarterback at his now-archrival Calvary Day and later worked on Calvary’s staff for six seasons. He worked at Bethesda Academy for three seasons, then joined Benedictine’s staff and was offensive coordinator from 2011 to 2017, winning state titles in 2014 and 2016. Savannah Christian hired him in 2018. His teams are 57-18 with two region titles.

Class 2A

*Ryan Herring, Pierce County: Herring was a member of a state championship team as a player at Oxford, Ala., under his father, Robert Herring. He then won a national championship as a defensive back at North Alabama. Herring was Pierce County’s defensive coordinator from 2001 to 2004, and Pierce hired him back as head coach in 2019 after he’d been a head coach for 13 years in Alabama at Oxford, Lincoln and Selby County. Herring’s Pierce teams in five seasons are 59-8 with four region titles and the school’s first state title (2020).

*Biff Parson, Rockmart: Parson played quarterback at Franklin County and Liberty University and then for a season in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The son of a long-time Georgia coach, Ronnie Parson, Biff has worked on staffs at Hart County, Liberty, NFL Europe, Dublin, Lamar County and Mary Persons. He was Banks County’s head coach when Rockmart hired him in 2016. He has won seven straight region titles and holds an eight-year record of 83-17. Rockmart had won only 38 games the previous eight seasons. His 2018 Rockmart team was the 2A runner-up.

Class A Division I

*Scott Roberts, Swainsboro: Roberts was a quarterback at Irwin County in the early 1990s and played two years of baseball at South Georgia College. He started coaching in 1997 and has worked on staffs of eight programs. He was Swainsboro’s head coach in 2008 and 2009 but strangely fired after a 10-2 finish. A new administration hired him back in 2017 after four seasons as Bainbridge’s offensive coordinator. In 2018, the Tigers won their first playoff game since his 2009 team. In seven seasons, Roberts has won three region titles and 64 games. Swainsboro’s 2022 and 2023 finals appearances are the school’s first since its 2000 Class 3A title.

*Greg Vandagriff, Prince Avenue Christian: Vandagriff played wide receiver and free safety at Halls High in Knoxville, Tenn., and at Tennessee Wesleyan. He came to Georgia in the 1990s, first as Wheeler’s defensive coordinator, then was head coach at Campbell (1999-2001) and Kell (2003). He was Woodward Academy’s defensive coordinator for 12 seasons before Prince Avenue hired him as head coach in 2016. Vandagriff’s eight-season record at Prince Avenue is 96-12 with four region titles and two state championships.

Class A Division II

*Richard Fendley, Bowdon: Fendley is the son of Richard Findley Sr., a longtime defensive coordinator and for five seasons the head coach at Warner Robins. Fendley Jr. was a center at Warner Robins and a sophomore on the Demons’ 1988 Class 4A championship team. He played four seasons at tackle at West Georgia. Bowdon hired Fendley as head coach in 2018. He’d been an assistant at Heard County from 2008 to 2016, when he also headed up the Braves' weightlifting teams that won three state titles. Fendley’s Bowdon teams are 52-22 despite a 1-9 first season. The 2022 state title was the school’s first since 1992.

*Stephen Holmes, Manchester: Homes played defensive line at Temple and then at Jacksonville State (1997-2002). Manchester hired him as head coach in 2021 after eight coaching stops as an assistant, including one at Manchester (2013-14). He also worked at Upson-Lee, Villa Rica (twice), Pike County, Spalding, Griffin and most recently Sandy Creek. His Manchester teams are 25-11 in three seasons. This is Manchester’s first state finals appearance since its 1997 Class A championship team.

Today’s interviewee is Stockbridge coach Thomas Clark, whose team defeated Benedictine 45-31 in the Class 4A semifinals and will play Perry for the title next week. Stockbridge will be the first Henry County Schools team to play in a football championship game. Clark became Stockbridge’s head coach in 2021. He had been on staff as an assistant or athletic director since 2009.

Thomas Clark, Stockbridge head coach

1. What has been the reaction of the school and community to beating Benedictine and making the championship game? “It’s a lot of excitement right now. We’re in uncharted territory in terms of making the state championship. My phone has been blowing up. I’ve received a number of calls and texts and people reaching out on social media. Every head coach in the county and pretty much every AD in the county has reached out to me personally. I’ve been at Stockbridge a long time. This is my 15th year. We had a good run from about 2011 to 2018 and fell short. There are a lot of former players and coaches and teachers showing overwhelming support. Cam Webster, who played at Ole Miss and in the NFL, was at the game. We had a long list of guys there, too many to name. We accomplished a goal that we set out to achieve a long time ago.”

2. You lost to Benedictine 34-14 in the 2022 quarterfinals. How are you better now? “Those guys last year hadn’t been in that type of dynamic situation. That team was new to that. They were the more disciplined team. We made critical mistakes with turnovers and penalties. This year, we made less mistakes. This time around, we were getting the guys back from that deep playoff run, and we were the more physical team. That was critical. We were able to establish the run and control the line of scrimmage on both sides. We were more disciplined and tougher and physical.”

3. You got a big game from your running back, Jayden “Duke” Scott, who rushed for 310 yards and three touchdowns. What makes him so effective? “I’ve been telling people in interviews that he’s the best running back in Georgia and one of the best in the nation. He’s been overlooked because he’s had two major injuries in 2021 and 2022 and missed eight or nine games those years, so he didn’t have the ground-breaking numbers. We got him back last year in game nine, just for those playoff games. In 2021, he broke a bone in his foot and missed seven or eight. But he’s a phenomenal football player and even better person. He’s definitely what you want in a football player. He’s humble and kind. He’s a total back. He’s complete in terms of vision, reading blocks, setting up blocks. He’s also explosive. He runs a 10.8 100 and weighs around 210 pounds. He’s the kind that can make you miss but run you over.”

4. You’ve been at Stockbridge your entire high school coaching career. Why stay so long? “We’ve always had great administration, and I really enjoyed working with Coach Whitley [former head coach Kevin Whitley, who led Stockbridge to five region titles]. We had a shot every year to win the state championship. That’s what kept me here. That was a goal, and I didn’t want to step away during those years. I got a chance to be athletic director [in 2020, when passed over for the head coaching job after Whitley left], and I wanted to give that a try and learn and grow from an administrative standpoint. I love the community and where I live. I had a lot of schools trying to get me to coach at other places, but I wanted to stay with the goal of winning a state championship here.”

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100 Greatest

GHSA Finals

No. 4: Thomas County Central 14, Thomasville 12 (1993 Class 3A)

Road success

Swainsboro is the 12th team in Georgia history to reach the state finals by winning four playoff games away from home, including neutral sites. Swainsboro has won at Metter, Lamar County, Elbert County and Brooks County.

2023 Swainsboro

2017 Colquitt County

2015 Westminster

2015 Pace Academy

2013 North Gwinnett

2011 Landmark Christian

2010 Savannah Christian

2008 Flowery Branch

2006 Shaw

2006 Peachtree Ridge

1999 Lowndes

1991 Colquitt County

Walton can become the first Cobb County Schools team to win a championship in the highest classification. What previous Cobb schools reached the finals in the highest class? (Answer Wednesday)

Answer to Monday’s question: Swainsboro and Bowdon are the two finalists that started their seasons 0-2.

Jostens is the largest class ring manufacturer in the world. Order your class rings by clicking here.

Coaches, click here to nominate your players for the GACA/BSN All Star Football Game on Dec. 29, 2023!

GHSA

(All championship games will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium)

Class 7A

Semifinals

Walton 41, Camden County 25

Milton 45, Grayson 35

Championship

Walton vs. Milton

7 p.m., Dec. 13

Class 6A

Semifinals

Woodward Academy 24, Douglas Co. 21

Thomas County Central 13, Marist 7

Championship

Woodward Acad. vs. Thomas Co. Central

7 p.m., Dec. 12

Class 5A

Semifinals

Creekside 28, Jefferson 17

Coffee 33, Cartersville 18

Championship

Creekside vs. Coffee

4 p.m., Dec. 13

Class 4A

Semifinals

Stockbridge 45, Benedictine 31

Perry 28, Starr’s Mill 24

Championship

Stockbridge vs. Perry

4 p.m., Dec. 12

Class 3A

Semifinals

Cedar Grove 49, Calvary Day 42

Savannah Christian 51, Carver, Col. 26

Championship

Cedar Grove vs. Savannah Christian

1 p.m., Dec. 13

Class 2A

Semifinals

Pierce County 35, Fitzgerald 7

Rockmart 34, Cook 24

Championship

Pierce Co. vs. Rockmart

1 p.m., Dec. 12

Class A Division I

Semifinals

Prince Avenue Christian 49, Bryan Co. 14

Swainsboro 24, Brooks County 17

Championship

Prince Avenue Christian vs. Swainsboro

4 p.m., Dec. 11

Class A Division II

Semifinals

Manchester 35, Telfair Co. 13

Bowdon 35, Schley Co. 31

Championship

Manchester vs. Bowdon

7 p.m., Dec. 11

GIAA

(Championship Games)

Class 4A

First Presbyterian 44, Brookstone 24

Class 3A

Valwood 42, John Milledge Academy 21

Class 2A

Edmund Burke Acad. 16, Gatewood 10

Class A

Flint River Acad. 14, Robert Toombs 7

Here are the matchups for the first two rounds of the flag football playoffs, which will be played today at the No. 1-seeded schools. The games listed below are first-round contests; the winners will meet immediately afterwards for the second-round games. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played Thursday.

Class 7A

At Marietta

Chattahoochee vs. Lowndes

Kell vs. Marietta

At Blessed Trinity

Mountain View vs. South Forsyth

Brookwood vs. Blessed Trinity

At Pope

Valdosta at Johns Creek

Pebblebrook at Pope

At Central Gwinnett

Milton vs. Mill Creek

Etowah vs. Central Gwinnett

At Grayson

Woodstock vs. Peachtree Ridge

West Forsyth vs. Grayson

At Alpharetta

Hughes vs. Allatoona

Camden County at Alpharetta

At Denmark

Berkmar vs. Sequoyah

North Gwinnett vs. Denmark

At Colquitt County

Walton vs. McEachern

Centennial at Colquitt County

Class 5A-6A

At Whitewater

Morrow vs. Houston County

Luella vs. Whitewater

At Greater Atlanta Christian

Heritage (Conyers) vs. Central (Carrollton)

Grovetown vs. GAC

At McDonough

Warner Robins vs. Mt. Zion (Jonesboro)

Northgate vs. McDonough

At Greenbrier

Paulding County vs. Walnut Grove

Miller Grove vs. Greenbrier

At Loganville

St. Pius vs. Evans

Villa Rica vs. Loganville

At Jonesboro

Trinity Christian vs. Locust Grove

Perry vs. Jonesboro

At Lithia Springs

Lakeside (Evans) vs. Tucker

Jackson County vs. Lithia Springs

At Westside (Macon)

Mary Persons vs. East Coweta

Riverdale vs. Westside (Macon)

Class A-4A

At New Hampstead

Sumter County vs. Long County

Wheeler County vs. New Hampstead

At Harris County

Mount Vernon vs. Hebron Christian

Towers vs. Harris County

At Southeast Bulloch

Jenkins vs. Jordan

South Effingham vs. Southeast Bulloch

At Therrell

Clarke Central vs. Jackson (Atlanta)

Callaway vs. Therrell

At Pace Academy

LaGrange vs. Redan

Oconee County vs. Pace Academy

At Columbus

St. Vincent’s vs. Washington County

Islands vs. Columbus

At North Oconee

Tri-Cities vs. Northside (Columbus)

Washington vs. North Oconee

At Calvary Day

Dodge County vs. Savannah Country Day

Kendrick vs. Calvary Day

In Rockmart's 34-24 victory over Cook, Rockmart scored twice in the second quarter to lead 14-3. Cook returned the second-half kickoff for a touchdown to make the score 14-9 but got no closer. The scoring sequence was wrong in Monday's Semifinals in Review. ... Monday’s List should have said that Perry's first football season was 1954. The List was correct in stating that Perry set a GHSA record for the most seasons until its first state finals appearance (70).