Here are the top 10 Middle Georgia high school football teams of the 2010s

As the decade comes to a close, The Telegraph took a look back at the best football teams in Middle Georgia over the last 10 years.

All-time great talents like Jake Fromm and Malik Herring helped make this one of the most competitive decades for high school in the area.

A pair of teams took home titles in this decade while a host of others came painfully close on a few occasions.

Here is a look at the 10 best Middle Georgia football teams from the last decade.

2011 Northside (Semifinals)

The Eagles’ lone loss was to the eventual state champion Tucker in the semifinals by one point. With less than five minutes to play in the game, Northside was sitting at the Tucker two-yard line with the chance to go up two scores.

What happened next is a moment etched in every Northside fan’s mind.

Somehow Tucker’s Justin Rivers came out of the pile with the football and proceeded to sprint 99-yards for what proved to be the game-winning score.

If not for that play, the Eagles may have hoisted the state championship trophy in the next round.

The 13-1 season is one of the most impressive of the decade and included an undefeated regular season with wins over Warner Robins and a shut out of Houston County.

2014 Northside (Champ)

The playoff run alone could land them on this list. Led by future Georgia Tech quarterback Tobias Oliver, the Eagles went on a championship run with a thrilling 31-20 win over Allatoona in the semifinals and 25-18 win over Mays in the title game.

Northside found itself down 18-7 at the half against Mays. Oliver rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown in the second half. But the signature moment for the team will be the 70-yard touchdown pass from Oliver to Nate Greene that got the Eagles back within four points. It changed the tide of the game and the season.

Willie Jordan set a Northside single-season rushing record with 2,173 yards. The Eagles finished with 14-1 record including wins over Warner Robins and Houston County.

2015 Houston County (Quarterfinals)

It was arguably Jake Fromm’s best season at Houston County as he passed for over 4,000 yards, 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Bears lost just two games that season: 24-17 to Jones County and Allatoona in the quarterfinals, an absolute shootout with the Bears falling 59-47. Allatoona would go on to win the state championship two weeks later.

They finished with an 11-2 record and got wins over Warner Robins and Mays.

2016 Mary Persons (Semifinals)

This team was absolutely loaded with talent. The team’s three losses came to a Jake Fromm-led Houston County team, a one-point loss to Peach County and a Trevor Lawrence-led Cartersville team in the semifinals.

The Bulldogs were led on defense by future Georgia defensive end Malik Herring. The defense gave up over 21 points just three times all season.

This is a team that in most years probably wins the state championship. The team went 11-3 on the season.

2017 Peach County (Runner-up)

A lot of people will remember this team for what might have been instead of celebrating just how good they were.

The Trojans lost the state championship to Calhoun 10-6 but a controversial call late in the game cost them a potential game-winning touchdown.

It was a team loaded with talent across the field with guys like Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson and Georgia Tech linebacker Quez Jackson. It is also amazing to look back at the young talent that was just starting to take off like Clemson signee Sergio Allen who was just a sophomore at the time.

The Trojans finished the season with a 13-2 record with wins over Mary Persons and Houston County.

2018 Warner Robins (Runner-up)

Another controversial call looms large over this team.

In overtime, there was a roughing the kicker call that should have resulted in a first down at the one-yard line. Instead, the penalty was mysteriously declined and Warner Robins would lose to Bainbridge in triple overtime. This doesn’t take away from the talent of this team. Dylan Fromm threw for over 5,000 yards and wide receiver Marcayll Jones set the Georgia state record for single-season receiving yards with over 2,000.

The team lost just three games all season, though one was a 41-0 forfeit due to an ineligible player. They finished the season with a 12-3 record. They picked up key wins over Northside and Rome, the team that knocked them off in the 2017 state title game.

2018 Peach County (Runner-up)

Once again the Trojans finished runner-up in the state championship, this time as a result of a last-second touchdown grab by Jadon Haselwood. This was another state championship-caliber team but unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

The 14-13 loss to Cedar Grove felt even worse after the heartbreaker in 2017 to Calhoun. But it doesn’t take away from how special that two-year run was for this team.

The team went 12-3 on the season and picked up big wins over Northside and Calhoun.

2019 Dublin (Champ)

One of the three teams from the 2019 season on the list, the Fighting Irish were the only ones to bring home a state title.

Led by a three-pronged rushing attack of JaQues Evans, Zion Kemp and Marcus Adams, Dublin ran through its schedule and capped it with a dominant performance over Brooks County in the title game. Dublin grabbed its fifth state title and first since 2006.

They finished the season with a 14-1 record and beat Brooks County twice including the state title game.

2019 Warner Robins (Runner-up)

In Marquis Westbrook’s first year as head coach, he took the Demons to their third state title game appearance. They led for nearly the entire game but Buford rallied to win in overtime.

The Demons weren’t supposed to be this good after losing top players like Dylan and Tyler Fromm. Yet quarterback Jalen Addie progressed much faster than anticipated and helped power this team to a title appearance.

The Demons finished with a 13-2 record and even shutout Northside 39-0, a rarity in the rivalry series for either side.

2019 Jones County (Semifinals)

The Greyhounds find their way onto the list for two reasons. From a talent perspective, it’s one of the best Middle Georgia has seen and this might be the most successful season in the history of the school.

They made it back to the semifinals for the first time since 1961 and lost to eventual state champions in Buford. The team was led by quarterback Hunter Costlow and a dangerous duo at wide receiver with Duke signee Jontavis Robertson and Maleek Wooten. Jones County also boasted a 1,000-yard rusher in Andrew Carner.

This story was originally published January 1, 2020 at 5:00 AM.