Class 4A: North Oconee 14, Marist 7
Recap: Quarterback Harrison Faulkner scored on a 2-yard run with 3:58 left to break a 7-7 tie at the end of a 78-yard, 13-play drive. Faulkner also completed a critical third-and-10 pass to Khamari Brooks to the North Oconee 8 with 4:53 left. Marist got one more possession and earned a first down at the North Oconee 29 on a 43-yard pass from Jack Euart to Trace Gaynes but got no closer. North Oconee forced incomplete passes on third and fourth downs to clinch the victory. Brooks, a two-way starter and a top-300 national junior recruit, was North Oconee's standout player. He scored North Oconee’s first touchdown on a 4-yard reception and had a team-leading seven solo tackles and 2.5 tackles losses totaling 16 yards. Faulkner hit his favorite receiver, Landon Roldan, on passes of 21 and 36 yards to set up that first score. In the only one of eight finals between undefeated teams, both were held to fewer than 20 points for the first time.
History: North Oconee won its first state championship in its 21st varsity season in its first state finals appearance. The title was the first for an Oconee County public school in 25 years, or since Oconee County won Class 3A in 1999. Faulkner joined his father, Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, in winning a state championship as a player. Buster Faulkner was the quarterback on Parkview’s 1997 Class 4A championship. Marist failed to win a fourth state title, or first since 2020. It was Alan Chadwick’s eighth championship appearance in his 40 seasons as Marist’s coach.
Game Statistics
Marist - 0-7-0-0 - 7
North Oconee - 0-7-0-7 - 14
Second quarter
NO - Khamari Brooks 4 pass from Harrison Faulkner (Ollie Buckley kick), 4:56
M - Parks Kaiser 2 run (Drew Linnihan kick), 0:27
Fourth quarter
NO - Harrison Faulkner 2 run (Buckley kick), 3:58
Rushing: Marist - Jack Euart 17-55, Brayden Lewis 9-52, Trace Gaynes 6-22, Noah Gerrick 3-15, Parks Kaiser 4-12, Owen Rice 1-6, Chris Haertel 1-2. North Oconee - JT Doster 13-67, Landon Roldan 5-24, Harrison Faulkner 6-11, Braxton Goolsby 2-5, Team 2-(-4).
Passing: Marist - Jack Euart 3-6-0-78. North Oconee - Harrison Faulkner 16-22-2-203.
Receiving: Marist - Trace Gaynes 2-55, Jack Richerson 1-23. North Oconee - Landon Roldan 6-89, Khamari Brooks 4-52, Dallas Dickerson 3-36, Braxton Goolsby 3-26.