Quarterback Sam Clay and Buford were stunned by Calhoun in the Class AA state final.
File photo by Kent McCorkle
was expected to crown its best team ever with a record fifth straight state championship on Friday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Instead, the long-suffering northwest Georgia city of
Calhoun (Ga.) is celebrating its first state championship since 1952 after one of the biggest upsets in Georgia state finals history.
Adam Griffith a top-rated kicker who has committed to Alabama, made a 42-yard field goal in overtime to give Calhoun (15-0) to a stunning 27-24 victory over Buford, the ninth-ranked team in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25.
In the second championship game Friday,
Tucker (Ga.) defeated
Lovejoy (Ga.) 22-7 in Class AAAA and completed a 15-0 season.
Buford (14-1) had not had a game closer than 10 points this season, but neither had Calhoun – which had lost to Buford in each of the past three seasons in the Class AA final.
This time, Calhoun came through, but not without a near disaster in the final minute of regulation. Leading 24-17, Calhoun was punting from the Buford 45, but the snap short-hopped the punter, who failed to field it cleanly.
Buford linebacker
Dillon Lee, who has committed to Alabama, returned the free ball for a touchdown. The game was tied 24-24 with 31 seconds left.
But Buford fumbled on the first play of overtime when Calhoun's
Hunter Knight knocked the ball loose from Buford’s Andre Johnson. Heath Everett recovered for Calhoun.
Calhoun elected to try the field goal on the first play of its possession. Griffith, a native of Poland who came to the United States to an adoptive family, made the kick, his fourth field goal of the game.
“We almost gave it away, but we hung in there and won it,’’ said Calhoun coach Hal Lamb. “We were underdog going in, but I had a feeling about our kids. They’re special. Our community deserves this. They’ve been through thick and thin.’’
Lamb’s father, Ray Lamb, won state titles at Warren County (1965, 1966) and Commerce (1981). The Lambs became the second father and son to win state titles in Georgia as head coaches. The first were Rodney Walker and Chip Walker.
Rodney Walker was one of three head coaches for West Rome when that school won four state titles from 1982 to 1985. Buford had matched that streak, but couldn’t exceed it despite what many felt was the school’s best team in history.
Tucker coach Franklin Stephens
celebrates a championship season.
Photo by Cecil Copeland
Among those players already committed to SEC or ACC schools are Lee (Alabama), linemen
Vadal Alexander (LSU) and
Reid Ferguson (LSU), defensive backs
C.J. Moore (Virginia) and
Paris Head (Vanderbilt), tight end
Kurt Freitag (Alabama) and fullback
Nathan Staub (North Carolina).
For Calhoun, quarterback Taylor Lamb, the head coach’s nephew, was 16-of-34 passing for 196 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 73 yards on 14 carries. He finished unofficially with 3,640 yards passing and 40 touchdown passes on the season. Both rank in the top 10 all-time for a season in Georgia.
AAAA finalsTucker 22, Lovejoy 7Jordan Landry rushed for 90 yards on 11 carries as
Tucker breached a
Lovejoy defense that had been allowing less than four points per game. Tucker dominated possession, holding the ball for 33:31 of 48 minutes.
Tucker (15-0) won its second AAAA title in four years and it completed its first unbeaten season in school history. The team's defense allowed just 207 yards but then Lovejoy (14-1) rarely had the ball. It also gained 180 of those yards after Tucker had a 22-0 lead.
Yusef Minor had one of Tucker's
three touchdowns.
Photo by Cecil Copeland
added 68 yards rushing and a touchdown and teammate
Dallas Rivers contributed a 10-yard TD run in the third quarter. Tucker completed just one pass but it rushed for 259 yards.
Lovejoy came in with the vaunted defensive numbers, having allowed just 3.6 per game, but Tucker's defense was the story. It recorded a safety and intercepted three passes and held Lovejoy scoreless for 3.5 quarters. Terrell Simmons and
Juwaan Williams had key interceptions, thwarting Lovejoy drives. Simmons' third-quarter interception was in the end zone.
Lovejoy's highly-touted running back
Travis Custis, who entered with more than 1,800 yards rushing, finished with 14 carries for 33 yards. The team's only touchdown came with 7:44 left on a 6-yard pass from
Alejandro Bennefield to
Arshad Jackson.
In Saturday’s finals, Grayson (14-0) plays Walton (14-0) in AAAAA, Burke County (13-1) plays Peach County (13-1) in AAA, and Savannah Christian (14-0) plays Landmark Christian (12-2) in A.
Some information in this story was attained through Internet reports.
