GHSA Playoffs: State Finals Roundtable Discussion

We are back for our final installment of the roundtable discussions. You can see previous discussion by following the links below.

Semifinals  |  Quarterfinals  |  Round Two  |  Round One


1. Here we go, state finals are set and ready to begin. Let’s hear your picks for all the finals. Did any of your original picks make it all the way?

Blake Davis: 7A- Holding strong with the Hillgrove Hawks.  This one will not disappoint, because Parkview and that kind of tradition just does not roll over.

6A- Going to stick with the Greyhounds, Heritage is talented but don’t know if they are battle tested the same way Pope is.

5A- Going with Loganville, but this series is a toss up for me.  Both teams are hungry and talented.

4A- Denmark!  I did not put the gas in or crank the bandwagon, but it’s time for me to get on board!

3A- Pace Academy all the way here.  About as talented and athletic as you will find at the 3A level.

2A- Ty Floyd and the Rockmart Yellow Jackets roll in this one.

1A Public- Gordon Lee keeps rolling!

1A Private- Savannah Christian brings a crowd this week and takes the State Title!

Kyle Colletta: 7A - Staying with my original 7A pick in Parkview. I have seen both Parkview and Hillgrove play quite a bit this year, so I know how talented both sides are. Two very well coached teams, the 7A finals will surely be a clean, well-played series.

6A - The matchup between Pope and Heritage Conyers is definitely a close one. Pope has surely been tested this postseason, and Heritage has had some close series of their own. I am going to go with Pope to take the 6A title.

5A - Another tough series here between Loganville and Ola. Ola has had a tough road to the finals and will definitely look to rely on Evan Boyle (Georgia Tech) and Patrick Holloman (Georgia) to take the series from a red-hot Loganville squad. It is very tough to go against Loganville here, but I think Ola can edge this out.

4A - I have made the mistake of going against Denmark this postseason, and it proved to be the wrong pick. I was able to see Denmark against Blessed for the first two games of the series, and they just do not have any quit in them. You can tell that they play as a team, and are not “just happy to be here.” With that being said, I am going to go with Northside to come away with the series victory here. Their path to the finals has been a good one, taking down Cartersville and North Oconee. They will definitely have their hands full with the gritty Denmark team.

3A - Pace and Pike County will go head-to-head Tuesday in Macon. I am confident that Pace will keep up their perfect postseason run and take the 3A title. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Pace has the fire-power to be the best team in the state and they are two wins away from solidifying that. Pace will have to match up against a pair of KSU-bound arms in Coleman Crow and Dylan Garner.

2A - I like Rockmart here. Ty Floyd had a huge semi-final game on the mound last week, and will look to carry that momentum into the state finals.

1A Public - Gordon Lee, yet to lose a game in the playoffs, has been a force in the 1A bracket. I am looking for them to continue their winning ways and come home with the 1A public title.

1A Private - This looks to be a great showdown in Savannah on Tuesday. I picked Tattnall Square at the beginning of the playoffs, so I have to stick with my guns here. They have had to take the last two series to three games, so it was anything but easy to get to this point. Savannah Christian has had a similar path. I see this series going three games, with Tattnall Square taking it home.

Andy Sroka: 7A: I have to stick to my guns here. I was a huge believer in what the Hillgrove Hawks have been accomplishing this spring and they’ve given me no reason to think that they’re not capable of going the distance. It doesn’t get any tougher than meeting Parkview in the title series, though. This match-up is the best Georgia baseball has to offer.

6A: Another couple of ranked teams are squaring off in the 6A championship in Rome: Pope and Heritage-Conyers. This is a really interesting series for two teams that have taken different paths here. Heritage has lost just once these playoffs, and it came last round to Effingham County, while Pope has required to win a game three in each round thus far. My 6A pick, Winder-Barrow, was eliminated in the quarterfinals, but I’m going with Pope’s experience and senior-heavy squad to lead them to a third straight state title.

5A: You can’t understate what Ola has accomplished this postseason. Series wins over the likes of both Buford and Kell on this stage gives them a significant chance to take it to the back-to-back champs Loganville, but I think the magic stops here. The Red Devils are, arguably, the hottest team in the state. They’ve yet to lose in the playoffs and have actually more often turned in lopsided wins than narrow victories. I just think this Loganville team is overwhelmingly good, and will give us our second three-peat champ in the state this year.

4A: I mean, how can you not adore Denmark here? This is the most special story of the playoffs, to see this scrappy first-year program grind their way to series win after series win. It led up to movie-like moment when they took on one of the best teams in the state last week, Blessed Trinity. They came back to win game two after dropping game one and stormed out front to a lead in game three and held on to win. That’s what got them to a state title series in the first season of ball. As for Northside, the Patriots probably haven’t gotten enough credit. Denmark has stolen some of that thunder, but they’ve won 30 games this spring and have lost once this postseason – and they beat a top-ranked Cartersville squad in the quarterfinals.

3A: Pace has frankly cruised to this point in the playoffs. They’re undefeated in the postseason and have crushed most of their opponents. Meanwhile, Pike County has only dropped a single game in the postseason and they have some pretty convincing wins on their regular season resume, against the likes of Ola and Houston County. I’m taking the Pirates here to hand Pace their first two losses of the playoffs.

2A: Seeing how Rockmart elected to utilize their ace Ty Floyd last week against Callaway, I’m not sure that there’s a way the LSU commit will allow the Yellowjackets to drop a series this spring. As talented as Jeff Davis’ program is, Floyd looks absolutely unbeatable right now and it should protect Rockmart from losing two games in the title series.

1A Public: Seeing Schley County and Gordon Lee wind up in the championship game isn’t a huge surprise here. Both teams are No. 1 seeds that took advantage of bye weeks in round one. Schley’s lost just one game to this point and Gordon Lee hasn’t dropped any to this point. The two will meet in Savannah today, and I think I have to give the edge to the Trojans in what should be one of the tightest series on this championship Monday.

1A Private: I have to go with my Tattnall Square Academy boys. Brooks Gorman & Co. have looked like the best 1A program in the state for the greater part of the spring and I think they have one more series win in them against a hard-nosed Savannah Christian squad.

Phil Kerber: 7A - Parkview. They have been on the most highly ranked teams all year and have been an absolute force in the playoffs, having yet to lose a game. Parkview was able to tame a potent North Gwinnett offense in the semis and I think they do it once again versus Hillgrove.

6A - This is a toss up in my mind. Pope has been forced to Game 3 in every round of the playoffs so far, but they may have one of the most talent rich rosters in the state. With that being said, I think it is Heritage Conyers time. This one will go three games with Heritage-Conyers taking the decisive Game 3

5A - Ola. They have successfully run the gauntlet that I thought would yield Kell or Buford in the state finals. It does not get much tougher than taking down Buford and Decatur in back-to-bac series. Loganville have not dropped a game in the playoffs yet, so I think they will take at least one game, but Ola will come away as state champs.

4A - Denmark. I have been on the Danes since the outset. During my trip to the Panhandle about a month ago, I had received reports from coaches that the Danes were the real deal despite their overall record. The first year school and No. 4 seed out Region 7 is going to cap their incredible run with a state championship. They solidified themselves as a team to be feared for years to come with their upset of Blessed Trinity in the semifinals. It also has to be recognized that Northside is having quite a run themselves as the No. 3 seed out of Region 1.

3A - Pace Academy. They have yet to drop a game this playoffs and are outscoring their opponents by a wide margin.

2A - This is another tough one as I think both teams have an equal shot at winning this. Both got through the semifinals by the skin of their teeth.

1A Public - This is the final that we were all looking for. The No. 1 seed Schley County vs. No. 2 seed Gordon Lee. I am going with Gordon Lee here. Gordon Lee is currently undefeated in the playoffs. They have been pounding the baseball offensively, scoring 10+ runs in two-thirds of their games, while limiting their opponents.

1A Private - This is another final featuring the No. 1 seed Tattnall Square vs. No. 2 seed Savannah Chrisitan. I am going to go with Savannah Christian to win it all here. The game is being played in their backyard at Grayson Stadium, which should have them feeling right at home.

2. What matchups do you find the most intriguing?

Blake Davis: Hillgrove and Parkview because these guys are deep and good.  Hard to match the depth at the 7A. Loganvile and Ola is going to be fun…  I will be keeping a close eye on that one.

Kyle Colletta: Every game in the state championship is a must-watch, but if I had to look at a couple of my favorites, I will have to go with:

Parkview and Hillgrove. They have two lineups that are loaded from top-to-bottom. Loganville and Ola, which I will be attending tonight. Denmark and Northside for obvious reason.

Andy Sroka: From a roster-to-roster comparison, the Hillgrove and Parkview series for the 7A crown has the potential to be special, bar none. Both programs line up some of the best talent the state has to offer, and to see them battling it out at Suntrust Park will be phenomenal. It’ll be impossible not to check in on Denmark-Northside regularly, and 3A’s Pace Academy and Pike County is going to be really good, too.

Phil Kerber: I agree with Kyle, all these games will be must-watch, when a state title is on the line everyone raises their game. A few I will have an eye on will be Hillgrove vs. Parkview in 7A. Both teams boast impressive talent and depth, which should make for a fun three game series. I also like the 5A matchup between Loganville and Ola. In my opinion the 5A postseason has been the most competitive.

Obviously I will be paying attention to Denmark vs. Northside since I have been driving the bandwagon all postseason.

3. What is your favorite storyline heading into the finals?

Blake Davis: Denmark of course, but also Pace Academy who has been rolling for quite sometime will be checked in on a bunch. Savannah vs Macon in Tattnall Square and Savannah Christian sounds super exciting. Can the Pope 2019 Class put a cherry on top of what might be the greatest four year run the state of Georgia has ever seen?  I am sure somebody will want to debate, but I would like to hear the argument against them.

Kyle Colletta: It is without a doubt Denmark. With no seniors, the Danes have come together to have an absolutely unforgettable season. Phil has been on board with them since the beginning, so I won’t take his shine away here!

Another story to look at is Pope going for their third straight state championship in 6A.

Andy Sroka: This question should have an asterisk on it because Denmark’s run is fascinating, but there’s obviously much more that’s caught my attention. I think if Ola is able to down Buford, Decatur, and Loganville to win the 5A title, that is going to be remembered as one spectacular run. In my mind, the 5A race has been the most competitive all spring long, and if Ola comes out on top of the pile, that’s going to be a great story.

Phil Kerber: Denmark. The Cinderella story is always one of my favorite storylines in all of sports. I love a good underdog story, and the Danes of Denmark have embodied that this postseason. The first year schools upset of Blessed Trinity, the highest ranked 3A team in our Power25, will go down as the most shocking upset of these playoffs. GO DANES GO!!

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