And it all came down to this. Eight high school football champions were crowned this weekend at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium. Two were repeats and four came back from runner-up status last year to clinch the coveted state titles.
Class 7A: Collins Hill 24, Milton 8
Recap: Sam Horn, a Missouri commit, passed for 243 yards, giving him 10,037 for his career, good for eighth all-time in Georgia. Travis Hunter, the state’s No. 1 senior prospect, had 10 catches for 153 yards and tied a state record for career TD receptions. But it was Collins Hill’s defense that controlled the game as the Eagles held Milton to a season-low 203 total yards and didn’t allow Milton in the end zone until Collins Hill was up 24-0 in the fourth quarter. Milton scored on a short drive after Bryce Thornton’s 66-yard kickoff return when the game. Seven Collins Hill players had tackles for losses, and Dion Crawford and Jaylen George had two each. Leading 7-0 at halftime, Collins Hill opened the third quarter with a 50-yard pass from Horn to Hunter. Horn scored on a 6-yard run four plays later for a 14-0 lead. Collins Hill stopped Milton on a fourth-and-2 at the Collins Hill 44 later in the quarter, and eight plays later, Horn threw 6 yards to Hunter for a 21-0 lead with 10:27 left.
History: Hunter’s final TD reception was his 46th, all from Horn, a state record for a QB-WR duo. The 46 for a receiver tied the career record set by Rabun County’s Braxton Hicks in 2019. Collins Hill (15-0) became the first team in the highest classification to beat every opponent by 15 or more points since 1971 Valdosta. Milton (13-2) completed its best season since the 2018 state championship.
Class 6A: Buford 21, Hughes 20
Recap: Buford overcame a 14-point first-half deficit, took the lead on Ashton Daniels’ 34-yard pass to Tobi Olawole with 2:55 left and won when Hughes missed a 35-yard field goal on the final play. It was the first field goal that Hughes attempted all season, and it came after the Panthers had driven 62 yards on nine plays. Hughes also missed an extra point on its final touchdown late in the third quarter, leaving the Panthers with a 20-14 lead. Buford began its winning drive with 5:49 left and went 75 yards on eight plays. Daniels converted a third-and-9 with a 16-yard pass to K.J. Bolden. and two plays later, Daniels hit Olawole, who made a diving catch in the end zone. Hughes’ Antonio Daniels, who is committed to Auburn, finished with 157 yards rushing.
History: For the third consecutive season, Buford won a championship after trailing in the fourth quarter. Each comeback has included a critical TD pass from Daniels, a senior committed to Stanford. Buford beat Warner Robins 17-14 in 2019 and Lee County 34-31 last year, both in overtime. This victory gave Buford (14-1) its 14th state title, 13th this century and third in a row. Only Valdosta (24) has more state titles in Georgia. Buford became only the 12th team in history to win a GHSA championship after trailing by 14 points, first since Lee County in 2017. Hughes (13-2) completed its most successful campaign, reaching its first final in its 13th season.
Class 5A: Warner Robins 38, Calhoun 14
Recap: Fred Perry rushed for 233 yards and two touchdowns and led the Demons in tackles with nine solo stops. Calhoun mishandled snaps to the punter on its first two possessions, and Warner Robins cashed the mistakes for a quick 14-0 lead. On the first miscue, punter Beau Black bobbled the snap, and Warner Robins’ Khebrion Puchoon covered on the Calhoun 18. The Demons scored four plays later on Perry’s 3-yard run. With Black now injured, Calhoun turned to Christopher Lewis, but he also bobbled the snap, then made a frantic attempt to punt it. The kick traveled about a yard into the hands of an oncoming Nathan Sanford, a 280-pound lineman, who returned it 41 yards for a touchdown. Despite the disasters, Calhoun trailed only 17-7 with a minute left in the half, but Warner Robins struck again with a 51-yard TD pass from Christon Lane to Cam Flowers for a 24-7 halftime lead.
History: Warner Robins (14-1) defended its state title and became the 10th program in GHSA history to win six championships overall. The victory was Warner Robins’ seventh over a ranked opponent. Calhoun (12-3) finished its best season since its 2017 championship. Calhoun is 4-7 all-time in finals.
Class 4A: Benedictine 35, Carver (Columbus) 28
Recap: Holden Geriner, an Auburn commit, passed for 397 yards and became the ninth quarterback in GHSA finals history to throw four TD passes. They covered 61, 58, 80 and 23 yards. The game’s pivotal moment occurred in the third quarter with Benedictine leading 21-14. Carver’s Jaiden Credle, a 2,000-yard rusher, was running inside Benedictine’s 8-yard line but lost control of the ball. The fumble was recovered by Benedictine’s Michael Smith in the end zone. On the next play, Geriner threw an 80-yard TD pass, hitting a sprinting Kameron Edge in stride about 40 yards downfield, for a 28-14 lead. Carver got back to within 28-22 but never again had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead. Benedictine took a knee on Carver’s 7 to end the game.
History: Benedictine (13-2) won its third state title, adding to those won in 2014 and 2016, all under coach Danny Britt. The Cadets finished on a 13-game winning streak after starting 0-2 against out-of-state opponents. They beat their third straight top-five opponent in the playoffs and fifth top-10 foe overall. Geriner finished with 3,377 yards passing for the season, 7,560 for his career. Carver (13-2) fell short in its attempt at its first state title since 2007.
Class 3A: Cedar Grove 56, Carver (Atlanta) 26
Recap: Jamar Graham tied a GHSA finals record with five TD passes. His third, an 80-yarder to Janiran Bonner, gave Cedar Grove a 21-14 lead 1:40 left in the first half, and the Saints never trailed again. A bigger turning point occurred in the third quarter after Carver drove to the Cedar Grove 22. Bad weather forced a one-hour delay. On the first play back, Cedar Grove’s Camren Jackson forced fumble on a sack, and Quinterio Lawson recovered. Five plays later, Graham hit Trevon Ferrell, who had gotten wide open behind Carver’s secondary, for a 40-yard touchdown, and Cedar Grove led 28-14. Kayin Lee, a junior cornerback committed to Georgia, intercepted two passes and had a team-leading six solo tackles.
History: Cedar Grove (11-3) won its fourth state title in six seasons and became the first DeKalb County Schools program to win a fourth championship, breaking away from Lakeside and Avondale, which have three each. Cedar Grove was the only team among three in the finals to win its rematch from the regular season. (Fitzgerald and Irwin County lost.) Graham’s five TD passes tied the finals record set by Valdosta’s Stan Bounds in 1971. Carver (11-2), making its first final since 1967, was stopped short of becoming the first Atlanta city school to win a state championship since 1973 Southwest Atlanta.
Class 2A: Fitzgerald 21, Thomasville 7
Recap: Fitzgerald took a 21-0 lead by scoring on its first three possessions covering 70, 77 and 71 yards. The drives included 33 rushing plays, with two passing plays, and consumed 19:17 of the 24 minutes of the first half. E.J. Lightsey, a four-star linebacker recruit, scored Fitzgerald’s first touchdown, rushed for 52 yards and had a team-high six solo tackles, leading a defense that held Thomasville to three three-and-out possessions and two other drives that ended quickly on interceptions by Jamar Joseph and Christian Solomon. Thomasville was held to a season-low 51 yards rushing. Fitzgerald’s DeNorris Goodwin rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.
History: Fitzgerald avenged a regular-season loss and won its first state championship since 1948 after six finals losses, including one to Callaway in 2020. Fitzgerald beat its sixth top-10 opponent this season, fourth in the playoffs. Thomasville was stopped short in its bid for a first state title since 1988.
Class A Private: Trinity Christian 55, Prince Avenue 28
Recap: David Dallas threw a 65-yard TD pass to Aaron Gates on the first play from scrimmage, and Bryce Wilcox and Christian Hanson returned interceptions for touchdowns in the first half as Trinity Christian took a 35-0 lead. Prince Avenue got no closer than 42-28. Dallas became the sixth player in finals history to throw four TD passes in a game, and Trinity became the third finalist to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game (2018 Bainbridge, 1971 Bowdon). Jimbo Batchelor and Josh Dallas also intercepted passes for Trinity.
History: Trinity Christian, a Sharpsburg school that started varsity football in 2011 and joined the GHSA in 2018, won its first state title and avenged its 2020 state finals defeat. Trinity’s state title also was the first for a Coweta County school. Trinity (14-0) is the first unbeaten Class A Private champion since Eagle’s Landing Christian in 2017. Prince Avenue finished 13-2 in what some thought might be a rebuilding season without 2020 all-class player-of-the-year Brock Vandagriff, now at Georgia.
Class A Public: Brooks County 56, Irwin County 28
Recap: Omari Arnold rushed for 320 yards and five touchdowns on 21 carries and scored on a 69-yard yard run on the second play from scrimmage and on an 86-yard run after Irwin County had pulled within 35-28 in the fourth quarter. Brooks County scored on seven of its eight drives, three lasting just one play, another lasting two. QB Jamal Sanders’ 23-yard run immediately after an Irwin County fumble made it 21-0 in the first quarter. Irwin got within 28-21 at halftime and 35-28 in the fourth quarter but couldn’t solve Arnold. His 320 yards, though unofficial, surpass Herschel Walker’s 318 in 1979. The five touchdowns tie the state finals record set by Creekside’s Dexter Knox in 2013.
History: Brooks County won its first state title since 1994, avenging eight-point losses in the 2021 regular season and 2020 championship. Both titles came under coach Maurice Freeman, an alumnus. Arnold finished unofficially with 6,558 career rushing yards, good for 12th all-time in Georgia, according to GHSFHA. Irwin County fell short of its bid to become the first Class A Public school to win three straight titles since 1985-87 Lincoln County.
Produced by Georgia High School Football Daily. To sign up for GHSF’s free email newsletter click here.
