By Score Atlanta

AAAAAA

Lassiter 24, Hillgrove 17

How the game was won: Lassiter stopped a fourth-down run at the goal line late in the fourth quarter and ran out the clock in the Trojans' home opener. Dorian McNeal had rushing touchdowns of 1 and 2 yards and Mitchell Watson hit a 42-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter to give the Trojans the seven-point lead.

Top performers: Lassiter quarterback Cooper Cross was 10-for-18 passing for 212 yards and added a 65-yard touchdown pass to Cole Taylor, who finished with five catches for 148 yards. … Hillgrove's Jaylen McCollough had a game-high 181 yards on 24 rushes. …Mason Waters had 16 carries for 136 yards for Lassiter.

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South Carolina State University head football coach Chennis Berry joined the team in 2023 after coaching at Benedict College, a historically Black college in Columbia, South Carolina. Last year, Berry's team saw its season end in heartbreak in the Celebration Bowl and this time, it ended in triumph with a 40-38 win. (Courtesy of South Carolina State Athletics)

Credit: South Carolina State University Athletics

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