The Mill Creek-Carrollton championship game ended the week of GHSA finals Saturday night, and it ranked among the most entertaining finals in state history. Here are 10 ways that made Mill Creek’s 70-35 so remarkable and memorable.
1. It was Mill Creek’s first state title. The school opened in 2004.
2. Mill Creek’s 70 points and the 105 points for both teams set state records. The combined scoring record had been 91 points, set in 2013 when Griffin beat Carrollton 56-35 for a total of 91. The single-team record of 62 was held by 2020 Warner Robins and 1971 Valdosta.
3 Until this game, there had been only 60 scoring plays of 80 yards or longer in state finals history dating to 1947. These teams did it five times in 3 minutes, 30 seconds across the first and second quarters. And those were just five of the seven touchdowns scored in that span.
4. These teams also scored five touchdowns during one 55-second stretch in the first quarter. Then they scored within 14 seconds of each other early in the second quarter.
5. By halftime, when Mill Creek led 49-28, the game was already the 10th-highest-scoring game in finals history.
6. Mill Creek’s Cam Robinson rushed for 252 yards.
7. Carrollton’s Julian Lewis passed for a state-finals record 531 yards. That put him over 4,000 for the season (4,116), the most ever for a Georgia freshman and the 12th-most for any player all-time. Lewis has major Division I offers, including those from Georgia and Alabama.
8. The teams combined for 1,165 total yards – Mill Creek with 597 and Carrollton 568. Mill Creek had another 200 yards in kickoff and blocked-field goal returns.
9. Mill Creek became the first team in finals history to score two touchdowns on special teams and the first to return a blocked field goal for a touchdown. If there was a pivotal point in the game, one that put Carrollton in chase mode for the duration, it was Jaiden Patterson’s blocked field goal, which Jamal Anderson returned 86 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
10. Mill Creek’s Jacob Ulrich kicked off a state-record 11 times with a state-record 11 touchbacks. He punted once for 48 yards and no return. That was the only punt for either team.
GAME STATISTICS
Mill Creek - 28-21-7-14 - 70
Carrollton -14-14-7-0 - 35
First quarter
M - Cam Robinson 66 run (Jacob Ulrich kick), 10:34
M - Jamal Anderson 88 blocked field goal return (Ulrich), 1:36
C - Kiyun Cofer 27 pass from Julian Lewis (Jacob Russell kick), 1:18
M - Makhail Wood 96 kickoff return (Ulrich kick), 1:06
C - Bryce Hicks 80 pass from Lewis (Russell kick), 0:52
M - Justin Content 80 pass from Hayden Clark (Ulrich kick), 0:41
Second quarter
M - Caleb Downs 6 run (Ulrich kick), 10:20
C - Caleb Odom 80 pass from Lewis (Russell kick), 10:06
M - Downs 2 run (Ulrich), 6:07
M - Downs 3 run (Ulrich kick), 3:55
C - Takare Lipscomb 22 pass from Lewis (Russell kick), 1:56
Third quarter
C - Hicks 49 pass from Lewis (Russell kick), 4:04
M - Robinson 1 run (Ulrich kick), 1:57
Fourth quarter
M - Robinson 3 run (Ulrich kick), 11:28
M - Kevin Mitchell 48 run (Ulrich kick), 1:36
Rushing: Mill Creek - Cam Robinson 27-252, Kevin Mitchell 5-61, Hayden Clark 4-54, Caleb Downs 8-45, Team 1-(--6). Carrollton - Bryce Hicks 16-43, Jamun Evans 3-4, Andrew Albertus 1-1, Julian Lewis 1-(-11).
Passing: Mill Creek - Hayden Clark 10-16-1-191. Carrollton - Julian Lewis 25-46-2-531.
Receiving: Mill Creek - Makhail Wood 4-29, Brendan Jenkins 3-57, Justin Content 1-80, Caleb Downs 1-16, Cam Robinson 1-9. Carrollton - Caleb Odom 7-167, Bryce Hicks 6-190, Seth Childers 6-58, Takare Lipscomb 3-59, Jordan White 2-30, Kiyun Cofer 1-27.
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