Terrell Academy to battle Brentwood for GISA state football championship Friday

Terrell Academy’s football team is one win away from a GISA state championship.

The Eagles take on the Brentwood School at 4 p.m. Friday in the Class AA finals, which is sandwiched between the AAA and A title games at Mercer University in Macon. The 1 p.m. Class A final features Thomas Jefferson Academy and Piedmont Academy, while the 7:30 p.m. game pits John Milledge Academy and Pinewood Christian Academy for the AAA championship.

Terrell (11-1), behind an offense that averages 41 points, is the No. 2 seed in the eight-team state tournament bracket, and Brentwood (10-1) is the top seed.

Terrell opened the playoffs with a 37-7 victory over Augusta Prep Day, followed by a 41-20 win over Edmund Burke Academy in last week’s semifinals. Brentwood cruised through its two state playoff games, beating Robert Toombs Christian Academy 49-21 and routing Gatewood 49-8 in the semifinals.

Terrell is in the playoffs for the sixth straight season under longtime head coach Bill Murdock, whose region title this year was his second straight and fourth in six seasons. The Eagles’ 10 wins are the most since Murdock took the team to back-to-back state championships in 2008 (12-1 season) and 2009 (11-2).

Joe Whitfield