The second round of the Georgia high school football playoffs has arrived. Title contenders such as Walton, Benedictine, and Coffee have made statements every week of the season, and their dominance has carried into the playoffs. Then, there’s Statesboro and Jenkins, the only teams in the state to reach the second round after just three regular-season wins apiece. Yes, the Blue Devils and Warriors each went 3-7. And out of the 64 regions within all classifications of the GHSA, these two teams happen to hail from the same one.
Region 1 in 5A mostly gains its notoriety for housing Ware County and Coffee, two of the best teams in the classification recently. The region championship game between the two schools garnered much attention and saw the Trojans dominate defensively.
Amidst all this excitement, the region’s other squads battled for spots in the playoffs. Jenkins and Statesboro tied for the third and fourth spots with two region victories apiece, but a blowout win by the Blue Devils in the head-to-head game earned them the higher of the remaining positions. To most, that seeding had no meaning, as Statesboro had to travel to metro Atlanta to play eight-point favorite Tucker, and Jenkins made a similar journey to region champion Arabia Mountain, an 18-point favorite.
On paper, neither of the 3-7 squads appeared better than their record at any point during the season. Statesboro fell to Bradwell Institute and Glynn Academy, while barely managing wins over Greenbrier and Southeast Bulloch. Jenkins also defeated Greenbrier, but the Warriors were shut out in half of their regular-season games. And yet, both squads managed to pull off shocking first-round upsets.
Led by four-star athlete Kam Mikell, a Statesboro offense that put up more than 20 points just twice all season torched Tucker for 28 points in the second quarter alone, eventually winning 49-28.
Jenkins, despite totaling just 80 yards of total offense, stunned a nine-win Arabia Mountain team by forcing four turnovers, including one late in the game to secure the 14-13 win. With dominant victories by Coffee and Ware County as well, Region 1-5A unimaginably secured a full sweep in the first round of the state playoffs.
It remains a mystery how both the Blue Devils and the Warriors pulled off upset victories; the two schools did have a tough strength of schedule, but failed to put up any sort of fight in those matchups. Neither head coach has a history of success in the playoffs, and both squads were relatively less talented on paper than their opponents. Regardless, Statesboro and Jenkins pulled off one of the greatest feats of this season with their efforts in the opening round of the playoffs.
The road doesn’t get easier for either team. The Blue Devils must take on a region champion Harris County team that defeated 3A state champion Sandy Creek in the regular season. The Warriors draw Dutchtown’s physicality on the road, and the Bulldogs are riding a four-game win streak. Can the two Cinderella schools keep dancing this weekend, or will the clock strike midnight?
