Three teams extend state-title streaks in GIAA championships
John Milledge Academy and Thomas Jefferson Academy won their fourth consecutive state titles, Central Fellowship Christian won its third straight, and St. Anne-Pacelli won the first in school history at the GIAA championships Thursday and Friday at Mercer’s Five Star Stadium.
Here’s a recap of the championship games in each classification:
Class 4A
*St. Anne-Pacelli 10, Stratford Academy 0: St. Anne-Pacelli of Columbus defeated Stratford Academy of Macon for the second time this season to earn the first football championship for a program that began in 1960. Both teams moved from the GHSA this season. The Vikings (12-1) took advantage of a dropped punt snap for the game’s only touchdown, taking over inside the 10-yard line and eventually scoring on an 18-yard pass from Cam Ellis to Cooper Trombley with 2:09 remaining in the third quarter. They added a field goal early in the fourth quarter for the final margin. Ellis was 9-of-10 passing for 106 yards and rushed for 89 yards. Stratford Academy (9-4), in its first season under Chance Jones, was seeking its first championship since 2004.
Class 3A
*John Milledge Academy 49, Deerfield-Windsor 0: John Milledge Academy of Milledgeville completed its fourth consecutive unbeaten season and extended its winning streak to a state-record 50 games with a shutout of Deerfield-Windsor, which moved back to the GIAA this season after spending the past two years in the GHSA. Briggs Eady scored two rushing touchdowns and threw for one to Baylen Zielinski, who also ran for a score. John Milledge (13-0) led 21-0 at halftime and finished with a 485-44 advantage in total offense (unofficially). Head coach J.T. Wall, a former Georgia and NFL fullback, is 138-14 in 12 seasons at his alma mater. Deerfield-Windsor of Albany last won a state championship in 2012.
Class 2A
*Central Fellowship Christian 46, Brentwood 7: Central Fellowship of Macon finished off a 13-0 season in which only one game, a 33-29 victory over Tiftarea Academy on Sept. 2, was decided by fewer than 10 points. Quarterback Jeb Walls passed for 243 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 106 yards and two scores. Jaylun Goodrum had three receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. The Lancers were state champions the past two seasons in the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools. Brentwood of Sandersville was the 2A champion in 2021.
Class A
*Thomas Jefferson Academy 38: Robert Toombs Academy 8: Beans Hunt rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries and ran in three two-point conversions to lead Thomas Jefferson of Louisville to the ninth championship in school history and to avenge a regular-season loss against Robert Toombs. The Jaguars (10-2) had 313 yards rushing on 49 carries and attempted just two passes, completing one that went for a 10-yard touchdown from Cam Beasley to Carson Peavy. John Durden added 62 yards and a touchdown rushing. Robert Toombs of Lyons was seeking its first title since 2013.