Coffee beats Creekside to win first Georgia high school football state championship
ATLANTA – The Coffee Trojans have had their fair share of chances to win a football state title in Georgia over the past years, including a trip in 2017.
On Wednesday night, they got their state championship.
Behind a dominant first half, Coffee took down Creekside, 31-14, to win the Class 5A state championship for the first time in program history.
Fred Brown rushed the ball 35 times for 166 yards and scored a touchdown in the win while quarterback Maurice Hansley was brilliant, completing 8 of 10 passes for 124 yards and a TD, as well as 90 yards rushing and two more scores.
Coffee senior running back Fred Brown was one of the top contributors for the Trojans in their state championship victory over Creekside, rushing for 166 yards and a touchdown.
Photo by Cecil Copeland
Coffee’s first drive of the game looked promising after a 56-yard run from Hansley got the Trojans to the Creekside 23-yard line.
But the Seminole defense stood tall from there after a false start and a sack pushed the Trojans backwards. Facing a fourth-and-19 from the Seminole 30, the Trojans elected to go for it and failed, turning the ball over on downs.
The Trojans defense forced a quick three-and-out on the Seminoles’ first drive of the game, and this time they found paydirt.
After converting a big fourth-and-5 from the Creekside 33 on a pass from Hansley to Anthony Paulk, Hensley scored two plays later when he outran the Seminole defense for a 21-yard score.
Creekside got its offense going on its second drive after converting a pair of third downs.
The Seminoles got as far as the Trojan 35 before they were stopped on a fourth down passing play, much like the Trojans offense was early in the first quarter.
That gave the ball back to Hansley and the Trojans, and they wasted no time moving into Creekside territory after a stunning 31-yard catch-and-run from senior wide receiver Patrick McCall, who was initially stopped for a loss in the backfield before reversing field and finding some running room.
McCall’s great run was soon one-upped by Hansley and fellow wide receiver Bray Coe.
Facing a third fourth down in as many drives, the Trojans converted their second in a row, and it went for a 27-yard touchdown from Hensley to Coe, who delivered a perfectly thrown ball over two Creekside defenders for the score.
That gave the Trojans a 14-0 lead with 6:42 remaining in the second quarter.
But they weren’t finished scoring.
After forcing a Creekside punt, the Trojans regained possession at their own 34 and promptly marched 66 yards in nine plays and scored when Fred Brown pounded his way into the end zone from five yards out.
In total dominant fashion, the Trojans took a commanding 21-0 lead into the half.
The Seminoles did their best to get back into the game in the third quarter.
A long kickoff return from Travis Terrell helped set up a 39-yard touchdown pass from Vinson Berry to Shane Kelley on the very first play to cut Coffee’s lead to 21-7.
The Coffee offense continued to chug, however and wasted little time getting three points back with a clutch 40-yard field goal from Jonah Saylor.
Creekside got the ball back with 6:47 left in the third quarter trailing 24-7 and mounted their best drive of the game.
After getting to the Trojan 3, the Seminoles stumbled, however.
A fumble, and run for minus-2 yards and an Incomplete pass on third-and-goal forced the Seminoles to go for it from the 6, and it failed.
Heading into the third quarter with the Trojans maintaining a 24-7 lead, the Seminoles were able to find the end zone one more time, but couldn’t cut into the lead any further.
The Trojans stopped the Seminoles on fourth down late in the fourth quarter near midfield, and Hansley put the game on ice with a 6-yard TD run.
COFFEE 31, CREEKSIDE 14
Coffee 7 14 3 7 — 31
Creekside 0 0 7 7 — 14
(All photos by Cecil Copeland)
Photo by Cecil Copeland
Photo by Cecil Copeland
Photo by Cecil Copeland
