ATLANTA In a game where you had No. 1 offenses, No. 1 defenses, and 5-star talent, it was a senior punter that stole the show Tuesday in the Class 4A state championship game.
Marist’s Charlie Flemming kept Jefferson’s vaunted running game bottled up the entire second half as the War Eagles outscored the Dragons 16-0 in the second half to capture the crown with a 30-14 victory at Georgia State Stadium.
Flemming’s boots kept Jefferson pinned inside the 20 on all five of its second-half drives with starts at the 8, 20, 9, 8 and 20. Factor that in with a War Eagles defense that has been the state’s best in 2020, it was a bad recipe for the Dragons.
RADIO: WDUN 102.9 FM JEFFERSON (14-0): Ranked No. 2 in Class 4A; No. 1 seed from Region 8; defeated Benedictine 42-35 in the semifinals MARIST (12-0): Ranked No. 1 in Class 4A; No. 6 seed from Region 3; defeated Bainbridge 42-0 in the semifinals NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two programs. . After last week’s win, this Jefferson squad pushed its win streak to 14, the second-longest win streak in program history (14). Only the 2012-13 team (16) has a longer one. . The Dragons continue to show that familiarity, or a lack thereof, means little to them. Marist will be the 8th team they have faced in 2020 for the first time ever. They are 7-0, including 4-0 in the playoffs, vs. first-time opponents in 2020. . Marist is 7-0 vs. ranked teams in 2020. Jefferson is 5-0 vs. ranked teams in 2020. . If the Dragons’ Malaki Starks wasn’t already considered a top-5 player in the state, last week certainly garnered him some added attention. The junior ran for 321 yards an
RADIO: WDUN 102.9 FM BENEDICTINE (9-2): No. 1 seed from Region 3; defeated Riverdale 48-13 in the quarterfinals NOTABLE: First-ever meeting between the two programs. . After last week’s win, this Jefferson squad now holds the second-longest win streak in program history (13). Only the 2012-13 team (16) has a longer streak. . The Dragons have shown they can face the unknown in 2020. Benedictine will be the 7th team they have faced in 2020 for the first time ever. They are 6-0, including 3-0 in the playoffs, vs. first-time opponents in 2020. . The two teams have combined for three Class 2A titles since 2012, with the Dragons taking the title in 2012 and the Cadets capturing the 2014 and 2016 crowns. Neither has won a title above Class 2A. . Last week was one of the few times in 2020 that the Jefferson regulars played an entire four quarters. They showed their mettle as QB Malaki Starks (1,136 yards rushing, 20 TD) engineered a long 4th quarter TD drive, and a TD run, that eve