Bowdon Could Face Tough Path to Fourth State Title
Bowdon will begin its march toward a fourth straight state championship when the Red Devils open the 2025 Class 1A-Division II state playoffs this week.
Bowdon finished the regular season 8-2 but won the Region 7 championship, so they’ll be the No. 1 seed with at least two home games to begin the playoffs.
So, who do we see as the teams that could likely challenge for this year’s state champion?
Here are the top teams and their potential path to the championship. We start with the three-time defending state champions.
Bowdon Preview
Bowdon is seeking a fourth straight state title in Class 1A-Division II. They finished the regular season 8-2 overall but won their region with a 5-0 record. Head coach Rich Fendley‘s team has won 15 straight state playoff games as they look to go 5-0 in the postseason for a fourth straight season en route to another state title.
Bowdon’s Path to the State Championship
- Round 1: vs. Wilcox County, 7-3 regular season and No. 4 seed Region 4
- Round 2: vs. Seminole County, 8-1 regular season and No. 2 seed Region 1
- Quarterfinals: vs. Schley County, 6-4 regular season and No. 1 seed Region 6
- Semifinals: vs. Clinch County, regular season and No. 2 seed Region 2
Brooks County Preview
Brooks County lost to Bowdon in last year’s 2024 state finals and is hoping to get another chance this season. The Trojans finished the regular season 5-5 again this season, same as last year, and are hoping to make yet another 4-0 run in the playoffs to get back to the title game and a possible rematch with Bowdon.
However, as the projected path below shows, it won’t be an easy path to get there.
Brooks County’s Path to the State Championship
- Round 1: home vs. Taylor County, 7-3 regular season and No. 3 seed Region 6
- Round 2: at Johnson County, 10-0 regular season, No. 1 seed Region 5
- Quarterfinals: at Lincoln County, 10-0 regular season, No. 1 seed Region 8
- Semifinals: at Early County, 7-3 regular season, No. 1 seed Region 1
Lincoln County Preview
Could 2025 be the year that the Red Devils finally end the 19-year drought without a state championship?
They have won 14 state titles in the history of the program, but none since 2006.
They’ve been knocking on the door in recent years but haven’t been able to make it past the quarterfinals. Last year they went undefeated in the regular season but lost in Round 1 of the playoffs.
They are also undefeated this season, entering the playoffs with a 10-0 record in the regular season, and they’ll be the top seed from Region 8.
Lincoln’s path to the state title game could be a rough one. Let’s look at their projected path in this year’s playoffs.
Lincoln County’s Path to the State Championship
- Round 1: vs. Randolph-Clay, 4-4-1 regular season, No. 4 seed Region 1
- Round 2: vs. Hawkinsville, 8-2 regular season, No. 2 seed Region 4
- Quarterfinals: vs. Brooks County, 5-5 regular season, No. 2 seed Region 2
- Semifinals: vs. Screven County, 10-0 regular season, No. 1 seed Region 3
Clinch County Preview
The Panthers have just completed their first 10-0 regular season since 2018, which happens to be the last time they won a state championship.
Jim Dickerson was the head coach then, and this is his second season since returning as the Panthers’ head coach last year.
This could be a sign of good things to come if history repeats itself. Dickerson has won five state championships as head coach at Clinch, and the fans in Homerville are hoping their old ball coach can bring a championship back to town in 2025.
Last season, Dickerson led Clinch to the quarterfinals, where their hopes of another Dickerson-led championship ended in a 30-13 loss to eventual state champion Bowdon.
If Clinch has hopes of winning a state title, it looks like the path could once again depend on getting past Bowdon in the semifinals.
Looking at their projected path in this year’s playoffs:
Clinch County’s Path to the State Championship
- Round 1: vs. Chattahoochee County, 5-5 regular season, No. 4 seed Region 6
- Round 2: vs. ECI, 7-3 regular season, No. 2 seed Region 3
- Quarterfinals: vs. Wheeler County, 9-0 regular season, No. 1 seed Region 4
- Semifinals: vs. Bowdon, 8-2 regular season, No. 1 seed Region 7
Worth Watching
Wheeler County and Johnson County both finished undefeated in the regular season and will have a No. 1 seed as they begin the playoffs. They could be two teams worth watching in these playoffs.
