Langston Hughes back in familiar territory, defeats Coffee to return to GHSA 5A title game

By the time the clock struck zero on Friday night, the Langston Hughes Panthers found themselves winners over the Coffee Trojans and back in familiar territory as the win helped them advance to the Georgia High School Association Class 5A state championship game, their third appearance in the title game in four years.

"It's amazing, it's a blessing," Langston Hughes head coach, Daniel "Boone" Williams, said after the Panthers 49-26 win over Coffee to secure their spot in the GHSA 5A title game. "It's so hard to get to a state championship and to be able to go back with this group, they went as freshman so them being seniors and being able to get back, it's so exhilarating right now and emotion is through the roof right now," Williams said.

And while the task of reaching the 15th and final game of the season is not an easy thing to do, the Panthers win on Friday began with an opening drive in which they appeared to have no issues capping with a Christian Langford touchdown pass to Jabari Jones, as they would take a 7-0 lead after the extra point.

And on the ensuing Coffee possession, as expected, looking to establish a their ground game in hopes of somewhat of a repeat performance from last week, which resulted in Trojans' running back Tyrese finished with 605 yards rushing and seven touchdowns, Coffee marched 80 yards down field, attempting no passes, and score on a Woodgett two-yard rushing touchdown, evening up the score at seven all after the successful extra point.

However, the Panthers would respond immediately on their next possession as Langford and Jones would connect once again, this time with Jones running a little extra to elude Coffee defenders and find his way to the end zone for the 54-yard touchdown to help the Panthers take a 14-7 lead. On the ensuing Trojans' possession, the Panthers' defense would come up big as pressure would lead to an interception for Keith Bass and eventually a Langford 70-yard touchdown pass to Maurice Gleaton.

Taking over on the next possession, Coffee continued with their rush attack, however would come up short this time as the Panthers' defense would come up with a big third down stop at their own three-yard line, forcing the Trojans to settle for a field goal to make it a 21-10 Langston Hughes lead. And that lead would extend on the Panthers' next possession after a three-yard rushing touchdown by Jones would make it a 28-10 score.

As the game progressed, the Panthers defense began to take away the rush attack of the Trojans, who struggled to find success through the air, making them one dimensional most of the night, while the speed of their offense caused problems all contest as Langston Hughes would eventually pick up the win.

"They want to run the ball and if we could put them in passing situations, we knew it was going to kind of come to us," Williams said of the Panthers' game plan to get out ahead of the Trojans early and force them to have to play from behind and rely on the pass game more, again, something they struggled with all game. "We just came out, executed our game plan. We came out and said we were going to bomb them quick and that's what we did," Langford, who finished with four passing touchdowns and one rushing score, added.

Langston Hughes will take on Milton in a battle of Fulton County Schools teams for the GHSA 5A title on Tuesday, December 17 at 7pm.