Class 3A-A private: Hebron Christian 56, Prince Avenue 28

Recap: Hebron Christian scored on five straight possessions in the first half to take a 35-7 lead and won its first state championship in its 17th varsity season. Devon Caldwell rushed for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Tom Stallworth passed for 172 yards and rushed for 84 and scored four touchdowns. Prince Avenue’s Andrew Beard, who entered the game 70 yards short of 2,000, played with an ankle injury and managed only seven yards on five carries. Prince Avenue sophomore quarterback Ben Musser accounted for total yards (335) than his team (326). Hebron Christian’s Carrington Coombs, Stroud Morris and Albert Wilham combined for 6.5 tackles for losses totaling 38 yards. Hebron was the underdog winner in this year’s finals after five favorites won. Prince Avenue was a six-point choice in the computer Maxwell Ratings and defeated Hebron 34-31 in the regular season.

History: Jonathan Gess became the fifth coach in GHSA history to win seven state title after Wright Bazemore (14), Larry Campbell (11), Nick Hyder (7) and Jess Simpson (7). Gess is the 16th to win championships at two schools. He won six at Eagle’s Landing Christian. Hebron Christian is the 11th team to score eight or more rushing touchdowns in a championship game. Four teams, including Fran Tarkenton’s 1955 Athens edition and most recently Brooks County in 2021, scored nine rushing touchdowns. Hebron became the 11th school in Gwinnett County to win a football state championship. Prince Avenue was stopped short of a third straight championship and finished 10-4. 

Game Statistics

Prince Avenue Christian - 7-7-7-7 - 28

Hebron Christian - 14-21-14-7 - 56

First quarter

H - Devon Caldwell 40 run (Cam Eblen kick), 7:10

P - Ben Musser 80 run (Chip Dickens kick), 6:56

H - Thomas Stallworth 7 run (Eblen kick), 1:33

Second quarter

H - Caldwell 1 run (Eblen kick), 11:37

H - Jarvis Mathurin 50 run (Eblen kick), 9:47

H - Caldwell 30 run (Eblen kick), 5:39

P - C.J. Dockery 8 pass from Musser (Dickens kick), 4:49

Third quarter

H - Stallworth 3 run (Eblen kick), 11:25

P - Musser 38 run (Dickens kick), 9:46

H - Stallworth 1 run (Eblen kick), 6:33

Fourth quarter

P - Musser 14 run (Dickens kick), 11:24

H - Stallworth 2 run (Eblen kick), 0:46

Rushing: Prince Avenue Christian - Ben Musser 13-176, Andrew Beard 5-7, Jake Bobo 1-(-2), Luke Darling 2-(-2), Hudson Hill 2-(-4), Team 1-(-14). Hebron Christian - Devon Caldwell 18-180, Thomas Stallworth 20-84, Jarvis Mathurin 3-42, Adrian Hollingshed 7-14, D. Matthews 1-10.

Passing: Prince Avenue Christian - Ben Musser 15-23-1-159, Jake Bobo 1-2-0-6. Hebron Christian - Thomas Stallworth 9-15-0-172.

Receiving: Prince Avenue Christian - Thornton Hester 4-41, Brice Williamson 4-28, Hudson Hill 3-56, C.J. Dockery 2-22, Baxter Carbine 2-21, Luke Darling 1-(-3). Hebron Christian - Jarvis Mathurin 6-146, Max Steve 1-13, Devon Caldwell 1-8, Sian John 1-5.