‘Our guys just wanted it more’: Carrollton knocks No. 1 Grayson out of playoffs

Cam Wood’s three touchdown runs and a dominant performance by the Carrollton defense helped the Trojans take down the nation’s No. 1-ranked team.

Wood’s 69-yard second-quarter touchdown run started a 34-0 run that carried the No. 3-ranked Trojans to a 34-14 victory over Grayson in the Class 6A quarterfinals Friday night at Carrollton’s Grisham Stadium. Grayson entered the game as the top-ranked team nationally by MaxPreps, USA Today, and High School Football America.

Wood finished with 173 yards rushing on 23 carries, but it was his first touchdown that turned the game around. With his team trailing 14-0 and facing a third-and-8 play from its own 31, Wood went through the left side of the line and down the sideline 69 yards for his team’s first points, which came with 9:10 remaining in the second quarter. Carrollton had just 35 yards of total offense before that play.

“We just needed a spark, and I felt like that helped us out,” Wood said. “I give the credit to the O-line on that play because they blocked their butts off. I didn’t get touched. They’ve been doing a phenomenal job all season long, and I’m very proud of them.”

Said Carrollton coach Joey King, “It was huge. Third-and-long in that situation, but we felt really good about the look that we were getting consistently. We trust him in those situations, and once he gets in the open field he’s hard to catch.”

Carrollton (13-0) avenged a 38-24 loss to Grayson in the 2024 state championship game and ended the Rams’ school-record 26-game winning streak. Carrollton will be at home again next weekend to face No. 8 North Gwinnett (12-1), which advanced to the semifinals with a 25-15 victory over West Forsyth.

Grayson (12-1) finished the season three victories short of its second consecutive state championship and fifth since 2011.

Wood’s run ignited the Trojans’ offense, which also scored on its next possession to tie the game 14-14 heading into halftime. Carrollton then seized control with a 47-yard field goal by Julian Vargas and touchdown runs by Wood of 1 and 10 yards on its first three possessions of the second half for a 31-14 lead.

That was more than enough for the Carrollton defense, which shut down Grayson in the second half. The Rams, who came in averaging 43 points per game, were held to one first down and 11 total yards (7 rushing, 4 passing) in the final two quarters after passing for 148 yards and rushing for 70 in the first two.

Grayson’s 14 points were its fewest in a game since a 35-12 loss to Milton in the 2022 quarterfinals.

Jay Hagan led the Trojans with nine total tackles. Jahmir Harris had seven tackles, a sack and a pass break-up, and Kadan Spratling had six tackles, a sack and two QB hurries.

Carrollton quarterbacks CJ Cypher and Mason Holtzclaw combined for 193 yards passing. Cypher was 13-of-18 for 148 yards with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Peyton Zachary. Holtzclaw was 6-of-8 for 45 yards.

“Our guys just wanted it more,” King said. “In the first half, we were kinda back and forth a little bit. We got in our own way; I feel like I say that a lot in the first half. But then we realized that they put their pads on just like we do. Our guys felt good about the plan defensively and how we were attacking them offensively, so that’s what we leaned on in the second half.”

Grayson took a 14-0 lead with 5-yard touchdown runs by Ashton Turner and Brandon Gray on its second and third possessions but missed an opportunity for more points when its first drive ended with an interception by Carrollton’s Ryan Mosley on a fourth-and-1 play at the Trojans’ 7-yard line.

Grayson quarterback Deuce Smith was 12-of-28 passing for 152 yards and was sacked four times. Jonathan Stafford had six catches for 103 yards.

Grayson - 7-7-0-0 - 14

Carrollton - 0-14-10-10 - 34

First quarter

G - Ashton Turner 5 run (Ricardo Martinez kick), 2:45

Second quarter

G - Brandon Gray 5 run (Martinez kick), 10:51

C - Cam Wood 69 run (Julian Vargas kick), 9:10

C - Peyton Zachary 41 pass from CJ Cypher (Vargas kick), 5:34

Third quarter