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Bulloch Academy one win away from playing for state championship
Gators host Brookstone out of Columbus, who beat BA last year in semifinals
BA Football
Bulloch Academy running back Donya Garvin (22) pushes through one tackler while dragging another behind him as he gains yardage during the Gators' 37-0 thrashing of St. Anne Pacelli Friday night at Gator Alley in the GIAA state quarterfinals.

The Bulloch Academy Gator football team is one win away from advancing to the GIAA state championship at Paulson Stadium. 

The Gators knocked off St. Anne-Pacelli 37-0 in the state quarterfinals last week and will square off against Brookstone Friday at 7:30 in the state semifinals at Gator Alley.

Most teams want to start peaking as the state playoffs roll on and head coach Aaron Phillips believes the Gators got even better Friday, as they scored 37 points and held Pacelli to just over 100 yards of total offense.

“I feel like the level of intensity we played to was as high as it’s been all season,” Phillips said. “I feel like we always talk about our offense, and they played well, but I really liked what I saw from our defense. Pitching a shutout against the team who had beaten the previously No. 1 ranked team in GIAA made me super proud. Hats off to coach Robby Holder and his guys. On offense our offensive line really helped us impose our will against a pretty good-sized defensive line. We executed at a high level and we will need to continue that this week.”

This week, the Gators get a chance at a little revenge as they go up against a Brookstone team who knocked Bulloch Academy out of the playoffs last year with a 24-22 victory at Gator Alley. The loss to the Cougars still stings for the Gator coaches and players who are looking for payback Friday.

“The way things ended last year definitely left a bad taste in our mouths,” Phillips said. “We were a little sloppy with the ball, and they had a few things bounce their way, including a few tipped passes. Credit to them for winning that game, but we don’t feel we played our best game.”

This time around, the Cougars come in with a record of 7-3 including winning a couple of tight ones the past two weeks. Brookstone beat Stratford 33-28 last week and held on to beat Strong Rock 15-13. The Gators knocked off Strong Rock 49-14 earlier this year.

Brookstone is coached by former Georgia Southern offensive coordinator Rance Gillespie, who likes to air it out. The Cougars are averaging 25 points per game and are led by quarterback Broughton Branch who has thrown for 1,250 yards and eight touchdowns this season.

“Coach Gillespie gets to come back here to Statesboro where he used to coach at Georgia Southern,” Phillips said. “He is a great offensive minded coach and we will have our work cut out for us. We met with our defense to talk about the Brookstone offense and I believe they are up for the challenge. I feel like it will be a great atmosphere here at Gator Alley and we are looking forward to the challenge.”

Bulloch Academy and Brookstone are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start Friday at Gator Alley.