Oconee Co teams play for state championships

State championships are on the line for two schools in Oconee County: the girls on the North Oconee High School flag football team play Southeast Bulloch for a state title trophy, while Prince Avenue Christian School’s football team takes on Swainsboro for a state championship.

Both games afternoon games are in Mercedes Benz Stadium, 2 and 4 o’clock respectively. Both games will be televised by Georgia Public Broadcasting.

From GPB…

Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets vs. North Oconee Titans

When: Monday, 2 p.m.

How they got here: Southeast Bulloch (21-0) d. South Effingham 33-0, d. Jenkins 46-0, d. Therrell 20-0, d. New Hampstead 20-14. North Oconee (14-2) d. Washington 35-0, d. Northside Columbus 31-0, d. Calvary Day 6-2, d. Columbus 12-6.

Coaches: Southeast Bulloch – Marci and Nick Cochran. North Oconee – Jay Lasley.

Southeast Bulloch: The Yellow Jackets are the two-time defending state champions. Korine Talkington has thrown for 2,591 yards and 47 touchdowns, with only three interceptions. She has also rushed for 111 yards and three touchdowns. Jaci Kitchings leads the team with 244 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. The top receivers are Chloe Cochran (52 catches, two touchdowns), Alex Odom (50 catches, 17 touchdowns) and Natalya Odom (49 catches, 18 touchdowns. Top defensive players are Kelsey Johnson (68 tackles), Kaley Moore (61 tackles, eight sacks), Jadyn Williams (23 sacks) and Kristiana Tisby (16 sacks). Alex Odom has a team-high eight interceptions and Natalya Odom and K Adams have six picks apiece.

North Oconee: The Titans won the Area 6 championship. Their non-league losses have come against Loganville and rival Oconee County. Top players include Ellen Pasternak, Grace Maddox and Reese Riddle.

Swainsboro Tigers vs. Prince Avenue Christian Wolverines

When: Monday, 4 p.m.

Records, ranking: Swainsboro (12-2, No. 10) is the No. 3 seed from Region 2; Prince Avenue Christian (13-1, No. 1) is the No. 1 seed from Region 5.

Coaches: Swainsboro – Scott Roberts (79-32, ninth season); Prince Avenue Christian – Greg Vandagriff (96-12, eighth season).

How they got here: Swainsboro d. Metter 20-0, d. Lamar County 18-6, d. Elbert County 34-28, d. Brooks County 24-17. Prince Avenue Christian d. Athens Christian (forfeit), d. Mount Vernon 72-41, d. Irwin County 41-7, d. Bryan County 49-14.

Swainsboro: Senior Demello Jones is a Georgia commit who does it all. He has rushed for 1,160 yards and 10 touchdowns, passed for 300 yards and six touchdowns, and has 32 tackles and caused two fumbles on defense.  The Tigers are a run-heavy team, with Jordon Williams rushing for 1,212 yards and 16 touchdowns and Qindarius Brown running for 992 yards and 14 touchdowns. Top tacklers on defense are La’marquis Webb (157 tackles, 10 tackles for loss), Jerrod Steward (145 tackles, 12 tackles for loss) and Jylerris Williams (99 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks). Bryson Tarver has four interceptions and seven passes defended.

Prince Avenue Christian: The Wolverines are led by QB Aaron Philo, a Georgia Tech commit, who has thrown for 4,276 yards and 53 touchdowns and rushed for 526 yards and 13 touchdowns. Connor Causby leads the team in rushing (880 yards, 14 TDs). Six players have more than 30 catches, with freshman Hudson Hill leading the way with 72 receptions for 1,107 yards and 17 touchdowns. C.J. Dockery (47 catches, 11 TDs), Thornton Hester (45 catches, six TDs) and Causby (42 catches, six touchdowns.) make up a talented group. Jake Atha (6-3, 260) is the top offensive lineman. The defense is led by juniors Kyler Giddens (143 tackles, 14 for loss), Mac Bradley (143 tackles, 12 for loss) and Christian Garrett, a four-star defensive tackle.

Series history: Prince Avenue Christian defeated Swainsboro 52-34 in the 2022 state championship game in their only meeting.

State championships appearances: Prince Avenue Christian is making its fourth straight appearance in the championship game and is seeking its third title. Swainsboro is playing in the title game for the second straight year and seeking its first championship since 2000.

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