Burke County coach on Carver rematch: ‘The havoc they create is unbelievable’
Today’s Four Questions interviewee is Burke County coach Franklin Stephens, whose team defeated Rockmart 41-40 in the Class 2A quarterfinals last week. Burke County trailed 27-7 at halftime. Burke County will play defending champion Carver of Columbus in the semifinals Friday. That will be a rematch of the 2024 championship game that Carver won 52-14. Stephens has coached in eight previous semifinals, winning four. He became Burke County’s head coach in 2023.
1. You were trailing 27-7 at halftime. What were you thinking at that stage?
“I thought offensively we had missed some opportunities, and you have to give Rockmart credit, but I also thought we’d shot ourselves in the foot with some penalties, some dropped balls and missed assignments. I thought we could move the ball if we executed. The big thing we talked about was character. The adversity would reveal who we were. Then we discussed getting the ball to start the third quarter and scoring and getting a stop. The goal was to get it even in the fourth quarter. We felt with them missing an extra point in the first half that if we could have the ball in the end that we could win.”
Note: Stephens also was asked if he could recall winning such a big game after being down so much at halftime. “No,” he said, “but I can remember being up 28-7 in the semifinals and getting beat by Northside-Warner Robins my first year as a head coach at Tucker (in 2007). So I was hopeful. You rely on your history.”
2. How does this team compare to last year’s state runner-up team?
“We brought some guys back who played, and a couple who got hurt last year and didn’t finish were able to pick back up with us. We had guys sitting on the sidelines waiting for their opportunity. We had to rebuild our kickers and punters and a bunch of guys on defense. The big thing we had back was our quarterback (Sean Vandiver). We thought with him we could figure out the pieces of the puzzle around him to have a chance to have a pretty good season.”
3. Vandiver had a big game against Rockmart, passing for a season-high 221 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 110 yards and three touchdowns. How would you describe his talents?
“I think he’s very underrated. He’s a high GPA guy with leadership skills and toughness. He’s overlooked. Recruiting has been slow for him for some reason. He can probably play quarterback on the next level but is athletic enough to play elsewhere. He runs track. He may be the region champion in the hurdles.”
Note: Rockmart took a 40-35 lead in the final minute. Burke County recovered a kickoff at its 48. Vandiver then completed passes of 21 and 31 yards, the first a hook and lateral, the second a shot to the end zone, hitting Will Joyner for the game winner.
4. You’re playing Carver again. What do you make of them? How do they compare to last season?
“I don’t see a lot different about them. They’ve figured out a way to get better. They score a defensive or special teams touchdown every game. The havoc they create is unbelievable. Everybody in their rotation on offense and defense is going to have a chance to play in college. You don’t see that in 2A football. And to say they play physical is an understatement. They’re more violent than anything else. When they get on offense, they’re up and down the field fast for touchdowns, and they’re not the kind of defense to give up big plays, so we’ve got to manufacture first downs. I’m going to go to the old adage that they’d have to shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers and penalties to open it up for us.”
About the Author
Todd Holcomb covers high school sports across the state. He rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025 and has worked with the AJC in varying capacities since 1985. He is a co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
