Class 2A: Carver (Columbus) 24, Hapeville Charter 7

Recap: 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. Trailing 10-7, Hapeville had two big chances in the second half. On one, Zion Crawford’s 71-yard punt return to the end zone was called back for holding. On the other, after a Carver bad snap, Hapeville had a first-and-goal at the 3 but lost a fumble at the 1. JaMarcus Davis made the recovery and later returned an interception for a a touchdown and the clinching score. Hapeville's Rashad Williamson stood out for his 3.5 tackles for losses and 10 total tackles.

History: Carver won its third state title and second in a row and extended its winning streak to a state-leading 27 games. Jarvis Jones, the Carver alumnus and former Georgia and NFL player, became the 23rd coach in GHSA history to win a state title in his first season as a head coach, the first since John Adams of Cedar Grove in 2021. Hapeville finished 10-5 after winning three straight road games against top-10 opponents to reach its first final since winning Class 2A in 2017. 

Game Statistics

Hapeville Charter - 0-7-0-0 - 7

Carver (Columbus) - 3-7-0-14 - 24

First quarter

C - Kendrick Spencer 33 field goal, 0:37

Second quarter

C - Keimaurii Miles 38 pass from Sebastian Heard (Spencer kick), 6:07

H - Cedric Walker 6 pass from Keylan Pope (Carson Dill kick), 0:18

Fourth quarter

C - Jakobe Caslin 1 run (Spencer kick), 6:49

C - JaMarcus Davis 36 interception return (Spencer kick), 6:16

Rushing: Hapeville Charter - Ray Damon Stiggers 12-39, Traeven Jones 8-15, Cameron Lear 1-2, Jayden Lambert 1-0, Keylan Pope 3-(-1), Team 1-(-1). Carver - Kelston Tarver 15-61, Zach Watts 10-60, Jakobe Caslin 8-33, Sebastian Heard 2-4, Team 2-(-34), Jaiden Taylor 0-10.

Passing: Hapeville Charter - Keylan Pope 8-17-2-31, Jayden Lambert 0-1-0-0. Carver - Sebastian Heard - 9-13-0-99.

Receiving: Hapeville Charter - Carter Pitts 2-9, Cedric Walker 2-9, Xavier Paige 1-9, Patrick Reddick 1-2, Cameron Lear 1-2, Jayden Lambert 1-0. Carver - Jakobe Caslin 3-12, Keimaurii Miles 2-47, Marte Sears 2-10, Tristian Givens 1-20, Zach Watts 1-10.