Undefeated West Laurens Reaches First-Ever Semifinal, One Win From State Title Shot

Once a program stuck in years of losing, the 13–0 Raiders ride a historic season and a cultural overhaul into the GHSA Class AAA Final Four

DEXTER, Georgia – (41NBC/WMGT) – As the GHSA playoffs narrow to just 32 teams statewide a week after Thanksgiving, Middle Georgia has only one contender still standing, and the West Laurens Raiders are making history with every snap.

The undefeated Raiders (13–0) advanced to the GHSA Class AAA semifinals for the first time in program history after a 21-16 win over Jenkins on Friday night, electrifying a packed home crowd and extending what has already become the team’s greatest season ever.

This year’s run has rewritten the school record book: first 13–0 start, first Final Four appearance, and another milestone season for senior running back and Georgia Southern commit Ty Cummings, the program’s all-time leading rusher and one of the state’s top backs. It has all unfolded under fourth-year head coach Kip Burdette, whose rebuild has transformed the Raiders from a struggling program into a title contender.

“It’s just been rewarding to see their growth over the last four years,” Burdette said. “We knew this would be a good class. They changed the program – what the expectations are, how we work, how we treat each other. Our general culture has changed with this group of kids.”

For West Laurens, the turnaround has been dramatic. After reaching the Elite Eight in 2019 under former coach Cagan McClain, the Raiders endured four straight losing seasons. Burdette won just three games in his first two years, but an 8-3 season in 2024 signaled that a breakthrough was coming.

Now, a team that hadn’t won more than two games in recent years sits one victory away from playing for a state championship in Atlanta.

Burdette knows the next step – a road trip to Jefferson – will be their toughest yet.

“We’ve got to win the turnover battle, get their guys on the ground, keep them from big plays,” he said. “It’s all about execution this time of year.”

The senior class has been the bedrock of the resurgence. Quarterback Cason Pollack, Cummings, Georgia Southern–bound tackle Grady Howell, and two-way standout Juvon Hill have led an offense averaging 39 points per game, including 98 points so far in the postseason. Defensively, the Raiders have allowed just 29 total playoff points and only 15 per game all season.

Their rise feels even more remarkable considering where they started: as freshmen during a 1-9 season, and sophomores in a 2-8 campaign.

“It’s awesome… We love Coach Kip,” one senior said. “Coming from our freshman year being one-and-nine and then two-and-eight… It’s been a crazy ride. But we all kind of expected this. From middle school, we talked about how good we wanted to be.”

The bond built through years of losing, lifting, and learning has held the team together through the pressure of the postseason. And after earning the first three playoff wins of their high school careers, they now face the program’s biggest game ever: a semifinal trip to Jefferson with a berth in the GHSA 3A state championship on the line.

“It’s special since we came from 1-9 to 2-8,” another senior said. “We put in the groundwork in the spring and summer to become one of the best teams in West Laurens history.”

The message heading into Week 17’s Endzone Game of the Week is simple: stay disciplined, stay connected, and keep playing their best football.

“We knew what it was gonna take so we just kept working,” Hill said. “To get the win it’s gonna take communication, team effort, and discipline… We’ve got to be disciplined on defense and offense around the ball.”

The Raiders now head north hoping to slay the Dragons, and take the final step toward their first-ever state championship appearance. Kickoff between the Raiders and the Dragons is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tune into highlights from Jefferson during The EndZone on 41NBC News at 11 p.m.