Class 7A: Mill Creek 70, Carrollton 35

Cam Robinson rushed for 252 yards and three touchdowns and Caleb Downs ran for three touchdowns and had a team-high six total tackles to lead Mill Creek to a 70-35 Class 7A championship game victory over Carrollton Saturday night at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium in the highest-scoring state final in GHSA history.

The championship was the first for third-ranked Mill Creek (14-1), which opened in 2004. The Hawks had reached the quarterfinals or semifinals six times but were playing in the finals for the first time. Mill Creek became the eighth Gwinnett County school since 2000 to win a state championship in the highest classification, joining Parkview, Peachtree Ridge, Brookwood, Grayson, Norcross, North Gwinnett and 2021 champion Collins Hill.

The teams’ 105 combined points easily outpaced the previous record of 91 in a championship game, which was set during Carrollton’s last trip to the finals, when the Trojans lost to Griffin 56-35 in 2013. This time, fourth-ranked Carrollton (14-1) was denied its first-ever 15-win season and its first state title since 1998.

In a game that included 15 touchdowns, including five of 80 yards or more, and 1,165 yards of total offense (722 passing, 443 rushing), no part reflected the way the game was played more than a stretch late in the first quarter during which the teams combined for five touchdowns in a 55-second span. Mill Creek got an 88-yard return of a blocked field goal by Jamal Anderson, a 96-yard kickoff return by Makhail Wood and an 80-yard pass from Hayden Clark to Justin Content. Carrollton responded with touchdown passes from Julian Lewis to Kiyun Cofer (27 yards) and Bryce Hicks (80 yards) to make it a 28-14 game in Mill Creek’s favor at the end of the first quarter.

Downs’ 6-yard touchdown run less than two minutes into the second quarter gave Mill Creek a 35-14 lead, and Carrollton got no closer than 14 points the rest of the game.

Carrollton’s Lewis, a freshman, became the first player in state finals history to pass for more than 500 yards. He completed 25 of 46 passes for 531 yards and five touchdowns, coming up just one TD pass short of the finals record of six set Thursday night by Prince Avenue Christian’s Aaron Philo in a 52-34 victory over Swainsboro in the Class A Division I final. Lewis finished the season with 4,118 yards and 48 touchdowns.

Hicks, who came into the game with 1,573 yards rushing, was limited to 43 yards on 16 carries, but he had 190 yards and two touchdowns receiving. Caleb Odom had 167 yards and a touchdown on seven catches.

Mill Creek’s Robinson finished the season with 1,802 yards and 21 touchdowns rushing. Clark was 10-of-16 passing for 191 yards and a touchdown.

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.