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By Score Atlanta

Class AA

How the game was won: Lovett broke open a scoreless tie at the end of the first quarter by scoring three rushing touchdowns prior to halftime for the game's first 21 points. Visiting B.E.S.T. Academy got a 50-yard touchdown pass from Nakia Davis to Katerian Legron late in the second quarter, but the Eagles never found a way to put up any additional points. Lovett won the rushing yardage battle 447 to 109 and racked up 517 total yards to B.E.S.T. Academy's 293. The Eagles were doomed by a whopping 12 penalties for 219 yards.

Top performers: Four different Lions ran for touchdowns. Jay Harris had scoring runs of 10 and 20 yards, while Brady Tindall, K.J. Wallace and John Staton also found the endzone on the ground. Harris finished with 263 yards on 23 carries. ... Cole McGowan converted all four of his extra points and kicked a 31-yard field goal in the third quarter.

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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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