Atlanta, Georgia – For the first time in seven years, a city of Atlanta public high school will be competing for a state football title.
George Washington Carver, now more popularly known as the New Schools at Carver, will tangle with the Saints of DeKalb County’s Cedar Grove High School of Ellenwood Georgia for the AAA title. Kickoff is scheduled for noon Saturday, December 11 at Georgia State University’s Center Parc Stadium.
The last APS school to compete for a state grid title was in 2014. Under head coach Corey Jarvis, the Raiders finished their regular season 8-2, but lost the title game 25-18 to Northside-Warner Robins.
Carver and Cedar Grove won their semi- final games for this years’ finals the weekend of December 3. The Saints knocked off Appling County 27-6 while the Panthers benefited from a two- point attempt by Pierce County which failed in the closing moments of the 4th quarter to prevail over the Bears 19-17.
Here’s how both teams got to the final stanza of the AAA playoffs.
Cedar Grove, which finished the regular season at 7-3, knocked of White County (79-0), then SE Bulloch (48-10) in round 2, followed by a 48-6 defeat of Crisp County in the quarterfinals, then 27-6 over Appling County.
The Panthers finished the 2021 regular season at 7-2, won round one of the playoffs 56-27 over North Hall, round 2 over Liberty County 53-6, were 46-14 quarterfinal winners over Burke County and semi-final victors over Pierce County 19-17. Interestingly, one of Carver’s two during the regular was 17-0 to Cedar Grove.
This final round action creates some history for Darren Myles’ Panthers. It’s the second Panther grid team to get to the finals of a football playoff. In 1967 under Coach Clarence Fisher, the Panthers made it to the finals of the AA playoffs but lost to Dalton 14-12.
The Saints, meanwhile, under first year head coach John Adams, has returned to the AAA finals after taking the title three times previously in 2019 over Crisp County, 2018 over Peach County and 2016 over Greater Atlanta Christian.
Last updated on December 7, 2021