TOP 5 PLAYERS:
Valwood’s senior signal-caller, Jake Parker, is having himself quite the farewell tour. Last Friday Parker finished with a total of 202 passing yards, 37 rushing yards, and 4 TDs against their semifinal opponent, Westfield. Parker will be looking to continue his and Valwood’s hot streak for one more week as they look for a redemption win against Deerfield-Windsor in the championship.
A familiar face returns to the Top 5. Colquitt County QB Chase Parrish returned to form with 275 yards through the air and 4 TDs. The Packer quarterback made quick work of Central Gwinnett as they cruised to a 62-21 defeat. He was able to record most of his damage in the first half of play, allowing for a much calmer end to the game. Parrish will look to continue his brilliance as three games separate the Packers from a repeat.
Chris Retterbush, senior wide receiver for the Valwood Valiants, had a career night as he was a key catalyst in his team’s semifinal win Friday night. With 129 yards receiving and 3 TDs, all of which he worked for with yards after the catch. It is undeniable that he will be looked upon in the GISA AAA Championship game.
Brooks RB Jonathan White’s 16 carries, 102 yards, and 3 TDs, was enough to carry the Brooks County Trojans into the GHSA AA Elite Eight. His triple digit yardage and 3 touchdown performance was instrumental against a solid Manchester defense. White will be looking for more of the same against a stout Great Atlanta Christian front seven, if Brooks expects to advance into the next round.
Lastly, Shannon Young and Zebulon Johnson continue to terrorize their opponents on the ground. Combining for a grand total of 32 carries, 212 yards, and 3 TDs, they were a major factor in Clinch’s steamrolling of Dooly County. The dynamic duo looks to keep it going as they continue to fight for a state title.
TOP 5 TEAMS:
Our Top 5 Teams after week 13 are Colquitt, Bainbridge, Clinch, Fitzgerald, and Deerfield-Windsor, all of which have advanced into the next round. While Colquitt, Bainbridge, Clinch, and Fitzgerald get prepared for the next obstacle along their course, Deerfield-Windsor gets ready for a championship. It was a tough call on who to include in our Top 5, but the Knights narrowly edged out Valwood for our final spot due to Deerfield winning the head-to-head. The two will square away Saturday for a chance at glory and be the 2015 GISA AAA Champion.
* Our criteria is NOT creating hypothetical matchups amongst teams in an effort to crown a champion; that is settled on the field within each respective division, from A to AAAAAA. Since high school, unlike college, crowns multiple champions per year, our Top 5 is meant to highlight great teams who are excelling within their schedules, regardless of classification. It would be unreasonable and unfair to eliminate teams in lower classifications from our Top 5 simply because of that fact. We can only hold teams accountable to whether or not they are impressively performing against the teams that they are scheduled to play. In short, our criteria is based upon projecting performances and the likelihood of championships, regardless of classification.
