Final rankings: Benedictine, Mount Paran finish No. 1 for first time

Benedictine and Mount Paran Christian won the first state titles in their histories this season, but in the end, most of 2014’s state champions were familiar names in Georgia high school football history lore.

Colquitt County defeated Archer 28-24 to claim the title in Class AAAAAA. Colquitt hadn’t won a championship since 1994, but the program had reached six straight semifinals under coach Rush Propst, who had gained fame in Alabama, winning five state titles at Hoover, before coming to Moultrie in 2008.

This time, Colquitt broke through with a 15-0 season that earned the team several top-10 national rankings. Archer, a 6-year-old school playing in its first final, got within 28-24 late in the third quarter on a 22-yard run by Dylan Singleton, who scored three touchdowns, but couldn’t mount another scoring threat.

Colquitt County ran out the final 4:48 of the game, mostly on runs by player-of-the-year candidate Sihiem King, who finished with 125 yards rushing in the game and more than 2,000 on the season.

Other champions were even more familiar to the awards podium.

In AAAAA, Northside-Warner Robins won its third state title in eight seasons. Northside beat Mays 25-18, ending Mays’ bid to become the first Atlanta city school to win a state title in 41 years. Northside trailed 18-7 at halftime but dominated the final two quarters.

Buford in AAAA won its 10th state title since 2001 with a 55-10 victory over St. Pius. Buford trailed 10-0 and lost a fumble on its first possession and went three-and-out on its second, but then scored five touchdowns in eight minutes to break the game open.

Calhoun, a team that has played in six finals since 2008, got its third state championship, first since 2011. Calhoun beat previous No. 1 Washington County 27-20 in a game between unbeaten teams. Calhoun scored the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 40-yard pass from Baylon Specter, who took the ball on a reverse, to Carson Brown.

Hawkinsville, the Class A public-school champion, won its sixth state championship, first since 2004. Hawkinsville beat Irwin County 15-6 in the final.

Benedictine ended the longest wait for a championship in state history with a 45-21 victory over previously unbeaten Greater Atlanta Christian. Benedictine played its first recorded football game in 1908. GAC had beaten Benedictine 24-21 in the season opener.

Mount Paran, which stated its football program in 2008, beat Eagle’s Landing Christian 49-7 in the Class A private-school final and became the first Cobb County-based school to win a state championship since Marietta in 1967. Mount Paran didn’t have a game closer than 14 points in its 14-0 season.

Class AAAAAA

1. Colquitt County (15-0)

2. Archer (11-4)

3. McEachern (10-4)

4. Dacula (10-2)

5. Milton (11-2)

6. Tucker (10-3)

7. Grayson (10-2)

8. Etowah (11-3)

9. Lee County (8-3)

10. Hillgrove (9-4)

Class AAAAA

1. Northside-Warner Robins (14-1)

2. Mays (12-3)

3. Allatoona (13-1)

4. Ware County (11-1)

5. Stockbridge (11-3)

6. Houston County (10-3)

7. Jones County (10-3)

8. Coffee (10-2)

9. Gainesville (10-3)

10. Glynn Academy (9-4)

Class AAAA

1. Buford (15-0)

2. St. Pius (12-3)

3. Cartersville (12-2)

4. Marist (11-2)

5. Woodward Academy (11-3)

6. Sandy Creek (11-2)

7. Griffin (11-1)

8. North Oconee (9-4)

9. West Laurens (9-4)

10. Mary Persons (9-3)

Class AAA

1. Calhoun (15-0)

2. Washington County (14-1)

3. Blessed Trinity (13-1)

4. Jefferson (12-1)

5. Westminster (12-2)

6. Hart County (11-2)

7. Elbert County (9-4)

8. Central-Carroll (11-1)

9. Peach County (10-1)

10. Cedar Grove (9-3)

Class AA

1. Benedictine (13-2)

2. Greater Atlanta Christian (14-1)

3. Vidalia (12-1)

4. Fitzgerald (12-2)

5. Lovett (9-4)

6. Brooks County (10-4)