FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas linebacker commit Chris Paul (6-1, 235) of Cordele (Ga.) Crisp Country has his team a couple of wins away from making the Class AAA state championship game again, but a familiar foe is standing in the way.
Paul and the Cougars (11-1) will battle Cedar Grove (4-4 with four forfeits) Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals.
That is the same team that beat Crisp County 21-14 in the 2019 championship game and also eliminated the Cougars in the semifinals 55-0 in 2016.
“This is the third time that we have met this same team with a lot on the line,” Crisp County head coach Brad Harber said. “Cedar Grove is out of Atlanta. They have won three out of the last four AAA state championships in Georgia and obviously they are ranked No. 1 again this season in our state, and we are right up there with them.”
Paul has been a force on defense this season with 106 tackles, 25 stops for lost yardage, 13 quarterback hurries, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
“The crazy thing about Chris is every year he has gotten bigger and better,” Harber said. “He is a tremendous worker in the weight room, very competitive and in a lot of ways he is the leader of our defense. He is the the Mike linebacker and we put a lot on him as far as getting the fronts right and he has done that.”
Paul had 157 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, seven quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, two recovered fumbles and a forced fumble as a junior.
Once committed to Nebraska, Paul flipped to Arkansas in July after the Razorbacks offered, as had Tennessee, Louisville, TCU, Michigan State, Minnesota, West Virginia and a total of 24 college programs.
“Physically, he looks like a college player now and not a high school one,” Harber said. “He is one of those players you have every 5-10 years. I see him contributing early because not only is his body physically ready, but his football IQ is through the roof as well.”
It will be a matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 2, just as it was last season.
“For many weeks in the polls – which are significant to other people, but not the coaches – we have been No. 1 and No. 2 in the polls,” Harber said. “That is the way it wound up last year as well.
“We do have them at home and we are very familiar with them, obviously, and they with us as well.”
The matchup is happening in the quarterfinals this year instead of the finals because Cedar Grove had to forfeit four games this season due to an eligibility issue.
“They wound up a 3-seed because of that and that threw them into our bracket, which is why we are playing in the third round of the playoffs,” Harber said. “There are a lot of soap opera plot twists to this game.”