Gabriel Georges stars as Baylor runs past McCallie to reach title game
Baylor and McCallie have a football rivalry filled with tradition and memorable performances.
David Gabriel Georges set a new standard Friday night.
The heralded junior running back for the Red Raiders rushed 32 times for 435 yards and seven touchdowns at Heywood Stadium as the top-ranked hosts defeated the third-ranked Blue Tornado 56-35 in their anticipated TSSAA Division II-AAA semifinal showdown. Baylor has advanced to a fourth consecutive BlueCross Bowl and will face second-ranked Brentwood Academy in a matchup of 11-0 teams at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4, at Finley Stadium.
"That was the best high school performance I've ever seen," Baylor fourth-year coach Erik Kimrey said, "and that's the best high school player I've ever seen. He makes me a really good coach. We've really tried to take care of him throughout the year, because he doesn't get as many touches as he could.
"When we need him, we uncork him, and he knows that. He was as healthy as he's been all year."
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Gabriel Georges rushed 25 times for 280 yards and three touchdowns during the 38-35 win at McCallie on Oct. 3. He threatened that total in the first half Friday, amassing 229 yards and four scores on 14 carries as Baylor took a 28-14 lead at the break.
In four games against McCallie these past two seasons, the 6-foot, 205-pounder has 84 carries for 1,066 yards (12.7 yards per carry) and 14 touchdowns.
"He's the best player in America hands down," Blue Tornado coach Joel Bradford said after his second season at the helm ended at 10-3. "He's a special guy and a high-character kid who works extremely hard and runs hard. It's not always fun to watch him play, but he's someone I've never seen before in high school football."
Gabriel Georges had touchdown runs of 17, 1, 4 and 33 yards to stake Baylor to a 28-7 lead with 2:38 remaining in the first half, but McCallie zipped 73 yards in three plays and pulled within 28-14 on a 17-yard touchdown toss from Elliott Drapeau to Jacob Lamontagne.
McCallie got the ball to start the second half and used a 76-yard scoring strike from Drapeau to Keeyshawn Tabuteau on the opening play to make it a one-possession game at 28-21. The Blue Tornado outscored Baylor 21-7 in the third quarter to produce a 35-35 deadlock and evoke memories of last December's title game at Finley, when McCallie erased a 21-0 deficit and won 27-21 for its second straight BlueCross Bowl victory against Baylor and the program's fifth state title in a six-year stretch.
The Red Raiders wrote a different script Friday night, taking a 42-35 lead with 10 minutes remaining on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Briggs Cherry to Jamyan Theodore. Baylor then stopped the Blue Tornado on downs at midfield and went up 49-35 on the sixth Gabriel Georges touchdown and his second from a yard out.
McCallie's last gasp occurred when Keaton Whaley intercepted Drapeau at Baylor's 16 with 4:29 remaining and Gabriel Georges raced 84 yards on the next play.
"We talked all week about toughness and belief," Kimrey said about the 21-0 fourth-quarter surge. "In the third quarter, we had some guys get beat and give up some easy scores, and we punted the ball. We certainly felt like the momentum was swinging in their favor, but our guys were resilient, stayed in the moment and believed something great was about to happen."
Said Bradford: "It was a long game with a lot of energy and emotion. We just couldn't sustain it. That's part of it, but our guys kept fighting."
Gabriel Georges overshadowed the efforts of Drapeau and Tabuteau in their respective high school finales, with Drapeau throwing for 395 yards and three touchdowns and with Tabuteau compiling nine receptions for 227 yards and a score.
Baylor and Brentwood Academy were scheduled to play in Nashville on Sept. 5, but that game was canceled due to lightning. The Eagles advanced Friday night with a 38-7 rout of Christ Presbyterian Academy.
"It's two undefeated teams," said Kimrey, who led Baylor to the DII-AAA title in his debut season in 2022. "They've got a great team. It will be a huge challenge."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com. Gabriel Georges stars as Baylor runs past McCallie to reach title game | Chattanooga Times Free Press
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