Class 1A Elite 8 State Duals Preview

STATE CHAMPIONS WILL BE CROWNED THIS WEEKEND!

CLASS 1A

The Bracket- Class 1A
#5 Pepperell vs #3 Trion
#8 East Laurens vs #7 Commerce
#4 Oglethorpe Co vs #1 Mt. Pisgah
#13 Temple vs #2 Social Circle

I successfully predicted 6 of the 8 teams that advanced to the Elite 8, not too bad, but Temple has made me look like an idiot all year long, congrats to the Tigers.  With Trion being the defending State Champions, it's only right that they received the #1 seed, that gives us one heck of a semifinal on the bottom half of the bracket.  Area 5 and 8 both have two representatives in the Elite 8, but this is really a 3 horse race.

Quarterfinals
The top 3 seeds will roll through their first round matches, with each team winning by 25 or more.  Commerce will have a little tougher time with East Laurens, but they should prevail as well with a match or two to spare.  

Semifinals
Trion vs Commerce on the top half will feature some good individual matches, but ultimately the depth of Trion will prevail.  One of the best semifinals in all classifications will be between Social Circle and Mt. Pisgah.  Both of these teams are absolutely loaded from top to bottom, but I think Mt. Pisgah pulls it out 29-27.

Consolation Rounds:
East Laurens over Pepperell
Oglethorpe Co over Temple

Social Circle over East Laurens
Commerce over Oglethorpe Co

3rd Place Match:
As long as Social is able to recover mentally and emotionally from their close semifinal loss, they should handle Commerce by 20-25 pints in the consolation finals.

Finals:
Trion vs Mt. Pisgah will be a great match featuring a team that is loaded up top (Trion) vs a team that is loaded down low (Mt. Pisgah). The key to winning this match will be which team is able to limit the damage being done by the other teams studs.  I would love to see this match come down to whoever wins between Tyler Nelson and Toby Maddux in the middle of the lineup.  Mt. Pisgah wins in a minor upset, 31-30.

Final Standings:
1. Mt. Pisgah
2. Trion
3. Social Circle
4. Commerce