Championship games in review

- History: Milton, a two-loss team projected as a 21-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings, ended any national championship hopes of previously undefeated Colquitt County, which entered with several top-five national rankings, one as high as No. 2. Only one other champion in the history of the highest class was ranked as many as seven spots below the team that it beat. That was 1996 Brookwood, an unranked two-loss team that defeated No. 3 Valdosta 45-24 on the road. Milton, at No. 8, is the lowest-ranked team ever to beat a No. 1-ranked team in the finals of the highest class dating to 1947. It was the first state title for Milton, which began varsity football in 1950. Milton, a north Fulton County school, is the first school outside of Gwinnett County or Region 1 to win a state-title game in the highest class since Southwest DeKalb in 1995. (Roswell of Fulton shared a state title in 2006 when it tied Peachtree Ridge.) Milton's odds of winning the state title in preseason were 1,073-to-1, according to Maxwell.

Class AAAAAA 

Lee County 14, Northside-Warner Robins 0 

- Recap: Lee County's defense had nine sacks, held Northside of Warner Robins to 164 yards of total offense and posted its sixth shutout of the season. Northside's longest drive through three quarters was 16 yards. Down 14-0, Northside put together a 15-play, 94-yard drive in the fourth quarter but turned the ball over on downs at the 1-yard line. Lee County defensive tackle DeAngelo Griffin was credited with 3.5 tackles for losses. Linebacker Zay Hicks had three. Lee County's touchdown drives were just 37 and 38 yards, each coming after Lee forced Northside to punt from deep in its territory.

- History: Lee County successfully defended its title and became the first team in three games Tuesday to successfully beat a team for the second time. That's after Bainbridge and Clinch County avenged regular-season defeats in early finals. Northside was denied what would've been the school's fourth state title.

Credit: John Amis

Credit: John Amis

Class AAAAA 

Bainbridge 47, Warner Robins 41 

- Recap: Bainbridge took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, blew a 35-7 lead in the second half and won in the third overtime of the longest championship game in GHSA history. Bainbridge scored the final go-ahead touchdown on Quayde Hawkins' 7-yard run, then needed a stop. Warner Robins had a second-and-2 from the Bainbridge 7 but suffered consecutive negative-yardage plays on tackles by Roman Harrison and Tahari Tate. Bainbridge won when Warner Robins threw incomplete into the end zone on fourth down from the 15, ending the Demons' bid for what would've been the biggest comeback victory in state finals history. Warner Robins could've won on the final play of regulation, but Harrison, a defensive end committed to Tennessee, blocked a 27-yard field goal attempt. Then in the second overtime, Warner Robins declined a roughing-the-kicker penalty, taking the three points over a first-and-goal at the 2. Bainbridge, projected as a 19-point underdog by the computer Maxwell Ratings, opened the game with a flourish, scoring three touchdowns in 90 seconds late in the first quarter on a punt return, interception return and halfback pass. Bainbridge got another touchdown on an interception return early in the second half for a 35-7 lead before four straight touchdowns by the Demons tied the game with 1:16 left.

- History: Bainbridge is a state champion for the second time, first since 1982, and is the third team in GHSA history to win a title after a .500 regular season or worse, joining 1965 West Rome and 1992 Thomas County Central. Bainbridge is the 12th team in history (after Clinch County in the opening game Tuesday) to avenge a regular-season loss in the finals, as Warner Robins won 38-0 on Oct. 19. That game is now tied for the most lopsided result ever to be avenged in a state final, matching Marist's 38-0 regular-season win over Tucker during Tucker's 2008 championship season. Warner Robins was the fifth top-10 team that Bainbridge defeated in an improbable playoff run. Warner Robins, also the state runner-up last season, is denied what would've been its fifth state title, first since 2004. Warner Robins WR Marcayll Jones finished the season unofficially with 2,035 yards receiving, making him the first in Georgia history over 2,000. Dylan Fromm finished unofficially with 4,374 yards passing, fourth-most in a single season in state history.

Class AAAA 

Blessed Trinity 23, Cartersville 9 

- Recap: Blessed Trinity broke open a close game when Jake Smith threw a 54-yard TD pass to Ryan Davis for a 16-6 lead with 9:27 left. Davis then forced a fumble on Cartersville's next play from scrimmage, and Dadrian Dennis made the recovery at the Cartersville 28-yard line. Smith scored nine plays later, and Blessed Trinity led 23-6. Cartersville was held without a touchdown for the first time since losing to Buford 27-3 in the 2014 Class AAAA final. Blessed Trinity's Joseph Chambers had two tackles for losses and broke up two passes.

- History: Blessed Trinity successfully defended its state title and won its 21st consecutive game. Cartersville's record for its senior class is 55-2, with both losses against Blessed Trinity.

Class AAA 

Cedar Grove 14, Peach County 13 

- Recap: Kendall Boney threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jadon Haselwood on a third-and-goal with four seconds left. Haselwood, the consensus No. 1 college prospect in the state, set up the drive with a 59-yard kickoff return to the Peach 37. Cedar Grove drove to the Peach 7 before suffering three false-start penalties but was saved by Haswelwood's catch just beyond the goal line on a post pattern. Haselwood had 140 all-purpose yards and two tackles for losses and a forced fumble while playing safety. Rashad Cheney had three tackles for losses, as did Cedric Hillsman for Peach in the defensive-minded game.

- History: Cedar Grove is the first school in DeKalb County to win two state titles in three seasons since Lakeside (1970, 1972). Peach County, also the 2017 runner-up to Calhoun, suffered its second consecutive heart-breaking loss in the finals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Class AA 

Heard County 27, Rockmart 6 

- Recap: After leading 8-0 at halftime, Heard County took charge in the third quarter, first with a goal-line stand, then with a 10-play, 98-yard drive that put the Braves ahead 14-0. Rockmart had a fourth-and-goal from the 1 when Heard linebacker Andrew Leak made a tackle of Rockmart's Markus Smith, the Region 7 player of the year, for a 1-yard loss. Leak also caught a 10-yard pass to convert Heard's only third-down conversion of the ensuing drive, which featured big runs by Tennessee commit Aaron Beasley and quarterback Alijah Huzzie. Heard then put the game away after Lequincy Shephard returned an interception 52 yards to the Rockmart 1 early in the fourth quarter. Huzzie scored on the next play, and Heard led 20-0.

- History: Heard County, which started varsity football in 1972, is a state champion for the first time and avenged a 33-0 loss from the regular season. Rockmart was denied its first title since 1950.

Class A (Private) 

ELCA 44, Athens Academy 17 

- Recap: ELCA, the highest per-game scoring team in state history, was held scoreless in the first half, then scored touchdowns on six of seven possessions in the second half and kicked a field goal on the other possession. ELCA got within 10-7 on an eight-play, 64-yard drive to open the second half. Jack Buckley then intercepted a pass and returned it 27 yards to the Athens Academy 14-yard line. ELCA took the lead for good on Brayden Rush's 14-yard TD pass to Justin Robinson. It was the second of three TD passes for Rush in the third quarter.

- History: ELCA is the third team in history to win four consecutive state titles, joining West Rome (1982-85) and Buford (2007-10). ELCA finished with 737 points in 14 games. The 52.6 per-game average is the highest in state history. Athens Academy, still seeking its first state title, is runner-up for the second straight season.

Class A (Public) 

Clinch County 27, Irwin County 20 

- Recap: Clinch County trailed 13-10 entering the fourth quarter but quickly seized control after Zack Robbins' 40-yard field goal tied the game and Irwin County failed to recover the ensuing kickoff. Tyler Morehead fell on the loose ball at the Irwin 20, then threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Johnson for a 20-13 lead. Then with 3:03 left, Morehead threw a 59-yard TD pass to Johnson on third-and-22. The pass was essentially a 25-yard jump-ball lob to the Irwin 35. Johnson, a four-star recruit who is 6 feet, 7 inches, came down with it and raced to the end zone. Irwin got within 27-20 but never got the ball back after Clinch recovered an onside kick.

- History: Clinch County won its eighth state title. Only Valdosta, Buford and Lincoln County have more in the GHSA. Clinch County's Jim Dickerson became the eighth coach in GHSA history to win five state titles as a head coach. Irwin County became the second team in history, first since Adairsville (1969-72), to lose four finals in five years. Three of those have been against Clinch County, twice when Irwin won the regular-season meeting between the two.

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