MACON, Ga. — The GHSA Final Four is only days away, and here in Central Georgia, we celebrate three teams left in the fight for a state championship -- Dublin, Jones County, and Warner Robins.
Marvin James breaks down our two 5A remaining teams as they prepare a date in the semifinals.
The Jones County Greyhounds are making history this season, reaching the state playoff quarterfinals for the first time ever, and it’s all a dream come true for Greyhound Nation.
“It’s crazy. I never thought I’d be here, and we just got to get everybody pumped up for the game and get everybody ready and go out there to play our game,” says senior Dominic Bass. ”All of our fans come out and give us a good atmosphere and it helps us play hard. We want to make history and make all of our fans proud. We want to do this for the community so we just have to go out there and ball out.”
It’s not like the purple-and-gold haven’t experienced playoff success, because they have, but under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Chastain, the Hounds hope to finish with a chance at a state title.
Senior offensive lineman Connor Griffin explains, “I want to play for another one and win the next one. I think we are ready to do something special, something that has never been done before, and leave a path for the underclassmen to set a standard here at Jones County.”
Down the road in Warner Robins, the Demons are in more familiar territory. This has been old hat for a program that boasts four state championships and back-to-back title game appearances.
“We’re very excited,” says senior Ryan Cooper. “We’ve been working hard all week. We’ve been killing all season in the playoffs. I’m confident in my guys, confident in players and coaches and the game plan this week. I’m reading to run the ball and our physical them this week.”
Last week's trouncing of Clarke Central is helping to keep the Demons focused, because they say the ultimate goal is not to just get to the last game of the year, but to win it all and hoist the trophy.
“Experience is paying off pretty good,” says Manny Thompson. “And it’s not like we haven’t been here before, we just have to execute and be ready on both sides of the ball. We can’t put anything past anybody because anything can happen, but if we come out and play our game ,there’s no doubt we should win.”
They're two teams that both share the same goal, looking to get past one more obstacle to have a chance at a state title.
Jones County hosts Buford at the Barking Lot Friday night at 7:30 p.m., while the Demons also welcome Starr's Mill to town at McConnell-Talbert, also at 7:30 p.m.
Dublin will be on the road to Thomasville for a chance to give the Irish a chance advance in the AA State Championship game.
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