Woodward Academy War Eagles vs. Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Records, ranking: Woodward Academy (12-2, No. 10) is the No. 1 seed from Region 3; Thomas County Central (14-0, No. 2) is the No. 1 seed from Region 1.

How they got here: Woodward Academy – d. Evans 31-14, d. Houston County 27-7, d. Gainesville 20-17, d. Douglas County 24-21. Thomas County – d. St. Pius 49-0, d. Jonesboro 55-6, d. Rome 19-16, d. Marist 13-7.

Coaches: Woodward Academy – John Hunt (131-35, 13th season). Thomas County Central – Justin Rogers (26-1, second season)

Woodward Academy: Senior QB Griffin Marshall has thrown for 1,188 yards and 13 touchdowns and junior Landon Walker has thrown for 1,127 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 395 yards and nine touchdowns. Lucas Farrington leads the team in rushing with 972 yards and 11 touchdowns and has caught 24 passes. The receiving corps is led by Josiah Abdulla (47 catches, nine TDs), Wake Forest-bound Ben Grice (44 catches, 10 TDs) and Jerome Bettis (28 catches, four touchdowns). On defense, Wake Forest commit Andrew Hines III has 84 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and Tyree Myrick has 75 stops, nine for loss. Defensive end London Merritt is one of the top-ranked juniors in the state and four-star safety C.J. Heard recently de-committed from Florida State and has yet to select his destination.

Thomas County Central: Sophomore quarterback Jaylen Johnson has thrown for 1,794 yards and 28 touchdowns and rushed for 231 yards and nine touchdowns. Trey Brenton has rushed for 1,309 yards and 14 touchdowns. Tight end Malachi Thomas is the top receiver with 30 catches, an average of 18.1 yards, and eight touchdowns, and Tre’von Pringle has 32 receptions (17.0 yards) and three touchdowns. Linemen Ty Brown, Owen Braswell, Tommy Hires and Alex Ward were all named to the all-region team. Caleb Anderson (88) and Jayden Rubbo (82 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, five sacks) and Tywon Christopher (72 tackles, 13 tackles for loss) lead the defense. Cam Brooks, a sophomore ranked as the nation’s No. 2 edge rusher in his class, leads with 5.5 sacks and Kendarius Reddick, a junior who has committed to Auburn, has a team-high four interceptions.  Cornerback Devon Ross has committed to Northern Illinois.

Series history: Thomas County Central won the only meeting 48-14 in the first round of the 2002 playoffs.

State championships appearances: Thomas County Central won state championships in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997 and reached the final in 2002. Woodward Academy won state championships in 1970 and 1980 and appeared in the championship game in 1976.