Friday night recap: Semifinals

The Class AA championship is set. The No. 5 Rabun County Wildcats (14-0) will play the No. 2 Hapeville Charter Hornets (13-1) next Saturday at 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Hornets edged Heard County on the road for a 28-21 win while the Wildcats hosted and defeated Brooks County 23-12.

Hapeville Charter scored the go-ahead touchdown with 5.3 seconds remaining on a 20-yard run up the middle. The score stamped a 14-0 run after the Hornets saw themselves trailing 21-14 with 7:17 left in the third on Aaron Beasely's rushing touchdown.

While the Hornets are moving on to their first state title appearance, the loss for Heard County marks the end of a remarkable prep career for Braves quarterback Emory Jones, who is committed to play for Ohio State. Following the game, Hornets players and coaches greeted Jones on the sidelines to pay their respects for his effort.

For more on this game, see Corey Cusick's story for the Times-Georgian.

The Wildcats are also in their first-ever championship game, led by a defensive effort that allowed them to overcome a season-low scoring output. They trailed 5-0 before going on a 17-0 run, according to Morgan Lee of accessWDUN.

Rabun County sealed the win on Austin Jones' 74-yard touchdown reception from Bailey Fisher with 3:25 left, which brought the score to its final margin.

We'll break down the championship game next week. It should be a good game played by two programs hungry for their first-ever state title. Both teams are capable of putting up a lot of points and both play elite defense.

Check back on Tuesday for more.