Class 5A: Coffee 31, Creekside 14
Recap: Coffee led 21-0 at halftime after three long scoring drives, two sustained by fourth-down conversions, and then turned the game over to its state-leading defense and the physical running of Fred Brown, who finished with 166 rushing yards on 35 carries. Creekside gave itself hope on Vinson Perry’s 39-yard pass to Shane Kelly on the first scrimmage play of the second half but never threatened the lead. Creekside had first-and-goal at the Coffee 3 later in the third quarter, but the 18-play drive ended with an incomplete pass to an open receiver in the end zone. Coffee held Creekside to 67 yards rushing, 200 below its average. Fourth-down plays gave Coffee the early edge. On Coffee’s first scoring drive, Maurice Hansley passed 12 yards to Anthony Paulk on a fourt-and-5 to the Creekside 21. On the next drive, Hansley’s 27-yard TD pass to Bray Coe for a 14-0 lead came on fourth-and-7.
History: Coffee won its first state championship and finished 15-0. The school opened in 1970, although a predecessor GHSA team, the Coffee County Comets, had played since 1955 without a title. This marked the fifth state championship for second-year Coffee coach Mike Coe, who won four at Madison County in Florida. Coffee did not allow more than 18 points in any of 15 games and allowed 6.7 per game for the season, the least in any GHSA classification. Fred Brown finished with a school-record 2,471 rushing yards. Creekside fell short in its bid for a first title since 2013.
Game Statistics
Coffee - 7-14-3-7 - 31
Creekside - 0-0-7-7 - 14
First quarter
Cof - Maurice Hansley 21 run (Jonah Saylor kick), 3:50
Second quarter
Cof - Bray Coe 27 pass from Maurice Hansley (Saylor kick), 6:42
Cof - Fred Brown 5 run (Saylor kick), 0:40
Third quarter
Cre - Shane Kelley 39 pass from Vinson Berry (Clifford Ayiih kick), 11:41
Cof - Saylor 40 field goal, 6:53
Fourth quarter
Cre - Kelley 40 pass from Berry (Ayiih kick), 7:30
Cof - Hansley 6 run (Saylor kick), 0:03
Rushing: Coffee - Fred Brown 35-166, Maurice Hansley 8-90, Tyrese Hansley 4-11, Pat McCall 2-5. Creekside - Travis Terrell 7-31, Vinson Berry 10-19, Roderick McCrary 6-17.
Passing: Coffee - Maurice Hansley 8-10-0-124. Creekside - Vinson Berry 17-37-1-229, Travis Terrell 0-1-0-0.
Receiving: Coffee - Pat McCall 4-50, Anthony Paulk 2-18, Brady Shook 1-29, Bray Coe 1-27. Creekside - Shane Kelley 10-170, Dylan Vickerson 3-29, Damien Henderson 2-16, Major Levell 1-8, Travis Terrell 1-6.