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The State Semifinals Game of the Week takes us to Jefferson for a second straight week as the Dragons play in a third consecutive Semifinals game.
JEFFERSON
The Region Champs have once again rolled to the Semifinals round, and for a third straight season will be playing for a trip to the Benz. Last year, it was a thrilling win that came down to the final play to secure a trip to Atlanta. The top-seeded Dragons overcame a 21-point deficit in the opening quarter last week, and reeled off 30 straight points. It was the most exciting game of the season for them, though they’d rather not fall behind like that. The defense made the stops when it needed to, and Colton Grant had perhaps his best game of the season. Don’t bet against this team!
WEST LAURENS
The Raiders are undefeated and will be forced to travel after rolling through Beach, Oconee County, and Jenkins in the playoff run. Last week, it was a game that wasn’t in the bag until the final horn in a 21-16 final. Five of the wins this season for West Laurens have been tight, so this team is battle-tested and rely heavily on the state’s leading rusher in Ty Cummings.
BY THE NUMBERS
JEFFERSON
- 12-1
- Region Standings: 8-AAA Champions
- 34.15 OFFENSE AVG
- 12.23 DEFENSE AVG
- #1 State Ranking
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WEST LAURENS
- 13-0
- Region Standings: 4-AAA Champions
- 39.38 OFFENSE AVG
- 14.85 DEFENSE AVG
- #4 State Ranking
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Be looking for highlights post-game later tonight as well as a story recapping the contest. BLITZ partners with Fox 5’s 11 PM “High 5 Sports” show throughout the season. We make sure to get Jefferson coverage on the big market show! You can also follow us on Twitter (@BlitzSportsGa) for live score updates (5G pending).
OUR PREDICTION
We typically make a case for both, with our official pick linked below. Let’s begin with the home team, the Dragons. Jefferson simply cannot get down in a 21-point hole again and expect to win. That’s an outlier. They have that potential, but it’s imperative to get ahead early this time, and put all the pressure on Ty Cummings for West Laurens. The Raiders will have to chew up the ground and the clock with Cummings. He’ll need three TDs and north of 250 yards for them to have a shot at this one. OUR PICK: SEE HERE
DO WE BRING LUCK?
For Jefferson, the Dragons have gone 26-5 overall in our 31 games covered for them going back to 2013.
DETAILS OF THE MATCHUP
TIME: 7:30 PM Kickoff
PLACE: Jefferson Memorial Stadium / Jefferson, GA
LAST MEETING: 2016: #4 Jefferson 21, West Laurens 0 (Round 2)
ALL-TIME RECORD: Jefferson leads 1-0 in the all-time series
RECORDS: #1 Jefferson Dragons (12-1) vs #4 West Laurens (13-0)
HEAD COACHES: Travis Noland (233-98; 28 Seasons); Kip Burdette (24-20; 4 Seasons)
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
Just one prior meeting, and it also was a Second Round matchup nearly 10 years ago. In 2016, the Dragons won 21-zip at home under coach Ben Hall, advancing to the Quarterfinals with a win that night.
TEAM LEADERS (2025 Stats)
*Stats accumulated by team-published data on Ga MaxPreps
JEFFERSON
PASSING
Colton Grant – 1,060 yds, 10 TD, 4 INT, 63% completion
Boone Horn – 183 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT, 58% completion
RUSHING
CJ Hays – 810 yds, 8 TD
Max Brown – 421 yds, 4 TD (out for season)
Colton Grant – 422 yds, 11 TD
Darren Pinkard – 460 yds, 8 TD
Eli Primm – 299 yds, 5 TD
Jacob Berardinelli – 67 yds, 1 TD
Griffin Drake – 65 yds, 2 TD
Boone Horn – 46 yds, 1 TD
RECEIVING
Logan Edmunds – 455 yds, 4 TD, 23 rec
Dalton Dye – 349 yds, 6 TD, 15 rec
Darren Pinkard – 286 yds, 0 TD, 15 rec
Carter Perrin – 149 yds, 0 TD, 16 rec
DEFENSIVE LEADERS (missing RND 1-3)
Dylan Berardinelli – 96 TKL, 9 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 INT
Jacob Berardinelli – 87 TKL, 3 TFL, 1 INT
Eli Primm – 82 TKL, 1 TFL, 1 FR
Darren Pinkard – 65 TKL, 14 TFL, 6 Sacks, 2 INT
Mack Gaddis – 58 TKL, 3 TFL, 1 INT
Jordan Robinson – 44 TKL, 7 TFL, 2 Sacks
Max Brown – 43 TKL, 11 TFL, 1 FR, 1 FF (out for season)
Chance Payne – 33 TKL, 4 TFL, 1 Sack, 3 INT
WEST LAURENS
PASSING
Cason Pollack – 742 yds, 14 TD, 0 INT, 57% completion
RUSHING
Ty Cummings – 2,611 yds, 31 TD
Branden Brooks – 704 yds, 3 TD
Braylen Robinson – 277 yds, 4 TD
Shannon Adkins – 239 yds, 11 TD
Cason Pollack – 76 yds, 5 TD
RECEIVING
Juvon Hill – 285 yds, 7 TD, 16 rec
Branden Brooks – 176 yds, 2 TD, 15 rec
Ty Cummings – 164 yds, 2 TD, 9 rec
Evan Holmes – 111 yds, 4 TD, 6 rec
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Shannon Adkins – 151 TKL, 11 TFL, 8 Sacks, 1 INT, 3 FR, 3 FF
Hunter Castellaw – 115 TKL, 7 TFL, 6 Sacks, 1 BLK
Leroy Mack – 111 TKL, 3 TFL, 3 Sacks, 1 FR
Jayden Watkins – 105 TKL, 5 TFL, 4 Sacks, 1 FF
Maxx Chafin – 84 TKL, 12 TFL, 10 Sacks, 1 FR, 3 FF
JD Hogan – 80 TKL, 2 TFL, 1 Sack, 3 INT
Ethan Cason-Guyton – 64 TKL, 13 TFL, 10 Sacks, 1 FR, 2 FF
Jayce Blash – 50 TKL, 2 TFL, 5 INT, 1 FF
Juvon Hill – 21 TKL, 4 INT
