Cedar Grove quarterback Jelani Woods (with ball) accounted for five touchdowns to lead the Saints into the Class 3A state semifinals for the second consecutive season. (File photo by Mark Brock)

Cedar Grove quarterback Jelani Woods (with ball) accounted for five touchdowns to lead the Saints into the Class 3A state semifinals for the second consecutive season. (File photo by Mark Brock)

Senior quarterback and Oklahoma State commit Jelani Woods passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more to lead the No. 6 ranked Cedar Grove Saints to a 47-21 victory over the No. 4 ranked Calhoun Yellowjackets on Friday night at Calhoun.

Woods, who threw for 267 yards in the game, helped the Saints (11-2) to jump out to an early 14-0 lead with a pair of first quarter touchdown passes. Woods connected for 34 yards and 68 yards with senior receiver Dennis Bell for the scores.
A 17-yard run by Woods coupled with his third touchdown pass of the game, 24 yards to Jadon Haselwood, had the Saints heading into halftime up 28-7.
Cedar Grove scored once in the third quarter on a 2-yard run by Woods to take a 35-14 lead into the fourth quarter.
Grant Walker (155 yards rushing) and Demetrius Tharpe would add rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the final of 47-21 over Calhoun (10-3).
The Saints advance to the Class 3A semifinals for the third time in school history and for the second consecutive season. Cedar Grove was 12-1 in their 1976 appearance and finished 14-1 in 1991 when they advanced to the state finals.
Cedar Grove goes on the road for the third consecutive week as the team heads to Cordele to take on No. 5 ranked Crisp County (13-0) on Friday at 7:30 pm. Crisp County defeated Pierce County 56-21 to advance to the semifinals.
CLASS 6A – Tucker 28, Mays 21
The No. 4 ranked Tucker Tigers went into Atlanta’s Lakewood Stadium and came away with a 28-21 victory over the No. 3 ranked Mays Raiders to advance to the Class 6A state semifinals for the first time since 2013.
The Tigers (12-1) put together a 63-yard drive that took over five minutes to expand an early 7-0 lead to 14-0. Tucker’s go to man on the goal line, Chris Broadwater, scored the first of three touchdowns in the game as he went in from one-yard out. Adam Lippy’s second consecutive PAT made it a two-touchdown lead.
Mays closed the gap to 14-7 by recovering a Tucker fumble in the end zone.
Tucker would make it 21-7 at the half with an answering 69-yard drive with Broadwater, who had three touchdowns in the Tigers second round win, got his second touchdown of the night with a two-yard run up the middle. Lippy was good again on the kick.
Tucker's Chris Broadwater (1) scored three touchdowns for the second consecutive week to lead Tucker into the Class 6A state semifinals. (File Photo by Mark Brock)

Tucker’s Chris Broadwater (1) scored three touchdowns for the second consecutive week to lead Tucker into the Class 6A state semifinals. (File Photo by Mark Brock)

The Raiders came out swinging in the second half as quarterback BJ Phillips connected with Norman Price on a touchdown pass to again cut the lead to one score at 21-14 on the half’s opening drive.
The Tiger defense came up big as Mays drove to Tucker’s 16. Brian Strozier came up with a big sack on third down and Mays failed to convert on fourth down to give Tucker the football on downs.
Broadwater got away for a 44-yard run to the Mays 31 and a few plays later scored what would be the clinching touchdown on a three-yard run. Lippy tacked on the point after for a 28-14 lead.
Mays answered to pull within 28-21 and with the Raider defense deflecting and intercepting a Tigers’ pass at the Tucker 31 were threatening to knot the score. However, on the first play following the interception the Tigers recovered a Raider fumble to again thwart one of the Raider’s patented comebacks.
Tucker drove down the field into Mays territory used all but 10 seconds of the remaining game clock before turning the ball over on downs.
Mays got off one long pass play, but the receiver was tackled as time ran out in the game.
The Tigers are in their seventh semifinal and taking on a Northside-Warner Robins team that is 1-2 against the Tigers in the state playoffs. Northside won the 2005 semifinal thriller with a big comeback victory in a 31-28 win. Tucker grabbed a 17-16 win with a fumble return as the Eagles looked to be putting the game away in the 2011 quarterfinals. Northside gained revenge with a come-from-behind 23-20 win in the 2012 quarterfinals.
The pair renew their thrilling playoff matchup at 7:30 pm on Friday at Hallford Stadium as the Tigers host for the first time in the series.
Valdosta 31, Stephenson 21
The No. 1 ranked Valdosta Wildcats held of a game Stephenson Jaguars’ squad 31-21 at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium in Valdosta on Friday night.
Stephenson held a brief 14-10 lead with 7:50 left in the half only to fall behind 24-14 at the break as the Wildcats pulled out some trick passing plays to gain the momentum.
Valdosta (12-1) extended the lead to 31-14 in the third quarter. Stephenson could only must one score of its own in the second half with a fourth quarter touchdown to make the final margin of 31-21.
The Jaguars finish the season 8-5 with a strong run in the state playoffs.
DCSD FOOTBALL STATE PLAYOFF RESULTS
FRIDAY, NOV. 25
CLASS 6A
Tucker (12-1) 28, Mays (11-2) 21
Valdosta (12-1) 31, Stephenson (8-5) 21
CLASS 3A
Cedar Grove (11-2) 47, Calhoun (10-3) 21
DCSD FOOTBALL STATE PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, DEC. 2
CLASS 6A
Northside-Warner Robins (11-2) vs. Tucker (12-1)
CLASS 3A
Cedar Grove (11-2) at Crisp Co. (13-0), 7:30 pm