In a season of super teams, a record six champions finished 15-0 this week in championship football games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Some contended for national titles. Others chased state scoring records. Most added to already-rich trophy cases. Buford, the Class 6A champion, is in position to win a consensus national championship because of its 15-0 resume.
Deuce Lawrence set a state finals record with 380 yards rushing yards. He scored five touchdowns on 39 carries. The previous rushing record in a final was 320 yards by Brooks County's Omari Arnold in 2021. Lawrence joined Arnold and Creekside's Dexter Knox in 2013 as the only players to score five touchdowns in a final.
Caleb Hill passed for 167 yards and rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Amari Latimer rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Sandy Creek held Jefferson to 96 yards rushing and 3-of-19 passing for 86 yards. Jefferson scored its only touchdown on a kickoff return. Sandy Creek won its fifth state title, first since 2022.
Hebron Christian took a 21-0 lead 18 minutes into the game, shut down Calvary Day’s run game and intercepted three passes as Calvary became one-dimensional. Calvary’s punting misadventures led to Hebron scoring drives of 1, 25 and 27 yards. Hebron Christian (12-1) defended its championship under a second coach, Kenny Dallas.
Tyriq Green scored on an 82-yard run with 2:37 left to break a 21-21 tie in the longest game-winning fourth-quarter play in state finals history. Green scored another touchdown on a 19-yard run, set up a field goal with a 50-yard run and had four solo tackles in the secondary. Buford’s offense was erratic at best, never sustaining a drive longer than six plays and taking four sacks, but its defense shined.
Carver scored touchdowns 33 seconds apart midway in the fourth quarter to blow open a tight game. Carver held Hapeville to 85 total yards and forced three turnovers. Carver won its third state title and second in a row and extended its winning streak to a state-leading 27 games.
Worth County rallied from a 10-0 first-quarter deficit and scored the winning touchdown late in the third quarter on Lyndon Worthy’s 7-yard pass to Jayden Farley on a seven-play, 75-yard drive. Worth County won its second state championship, first since 1987, in its first finals appearance since 1990.
Benedictine got within 42-39 with a touchdown with 1:04 left, but Creekside recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock. It was a game with big momentum swings. Creekside blew a 21-3 lead in the second quarter and trailed 24-21 at halftime but rediscovered itself in the third quarter, outscoring Benedictine 21-0 for a 42-24 lead and was never in great danger from there.
Josh Hopkins, on the run under pressure on third-and-14, threw a 27-yard pass to Berkley Perkins in the end zone with 2:34 left for the winning score. The touchdown ended a nine-play, 80-yard drive. Lincoln County had rallied from down 28-17 in the fourth quarter and took a 31-28 lead on Kelby Glaze’s 84-yard run with 5:34 left.
Hapeville Charter, projected to lose by 17 points last week, was the biggest underdog winner in the semifinals as the Hornets defeated No. 5 Sumter County 24-18 in overtime in Class 2A. The Maxwell Ratings don’t consider a team’s history against top-10 teams, though. Hapeville has beaten 10 top-10 opponents over the past 10 seasons, three in the 2025 playoffs.
Playoff games between highly ranked opponents often come down to a few critical plays. Gainesville’s Darryn Williams was in many of them last week in his team’s 40-32 victory over No. 1-ranked Hughes in the Class 5A quarterfinals. The junior linebacker made 10 solo tackles, forced two fumbles and returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown.
North Oconee quarterback Catherine Cooper is GHSF Daily’s flag football player of the week. The senior led North Oconee to playoff victories over Effingham County 39-0 and Trinity Christian 49-6 last week while completing 45 of 53 passes for 424 yards and nine touchdowns in the two games.