This information is courtesy of the Georgia High School Football Daily. You can find recaps of the other state final games by visiting ghsfa.com.
Cartersville 10, Buford 0
Recap: Cartersville forced four turnovers and became the first team to shut out Buford in the playoffs since Washington-Wilkes in 1999, a streak of 75 games. Cartersville took a 10-0 lead with 1:35 left in the first half after cashing a Buford fumble (forced by Brandon Wade, recovered by Tiamon Pennymon) into a 10-yard TD drive, as Trevor Lawrence hooked up on a 5-yard pass to 6-foot-5 TE Miller Forristall. Cartersville essentially clinched the victory with LB Tyler Reed’s interception at the Cartersville 1 with 3:40 left. Xavior Coaxum and Trey Creamer also had interceptions for Cartersville. Kobie Whitfield had 13 tackles.
History: Cartersville won its first title since 1999 and denied Buford a fourth consecutive championship. The 10 points made this the lowest-scoring final since 2000. With Buford’s loss, there is no state champion from Gwinnett County for the first time since 2005.
GAME STATISTICS
| Cartersville | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Buford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Second quarter
C – Jonathan Cruz 47 field goal, 5:17 C – Miller Forristall 5 pass from Trevor Lawrence (Cruz kick), 1:35
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| Cartersville | Buford | |
| First Downs | 8 | 14 |
| Rushes / Yards (Net) | 28 / 16 | 38 / 137 |
| Passing Yards (Net) | 141 | 103 |
| Pass Comp. / Att. / Int. | 11 / 24 / 0 | 10 / 20 / 3 |
| Total Offense Plays / Yards | 52 / 157 | 58 / 240 |
| Fumbles / Lost | 2 / 0 | 2 / 1 |
| Penalties / Yards | 5 / 50 | 7 / 72 |
| Time of Possession | 21:26 | 26:34 |
| Sacks By: Number / Yards | 2 / 13 | 2 / 17 |
| Rushing: Cartersville – Tiamon Pennymon 11-23, Trey Creamer 5-14, Trevor Lawrence 8-(-1), Antoine Jefferson 1-(-1), Team 3-(-19). Buford – Martin Mangram 12-40, Christian Turner 9-38, T.D. Roof 3-35, Xavier Gant 10-33, Josh Blackwell 1-4, Jamaal Singleton 1-0, Mic Roof 2-(-13).
Passing: Cartersville – Trevor Lawrence 11-23-0-141, Antoine Jefferson 0-1-0-0. Buford – Mic Roof 10-20-3-103. Receiving: Cartersville – Trey Creamer 3-61, Miller Forristall 3-21, Terrius Callahan 2-45, Tony Dean 2-10, Antoine Jefferson 1-4. Buford – Brandon Marsh 6-68, Martin Mangram 1-22, Reid Parks 1-7, Josh Blackwell 1-4, Anthony Grant 1-2. |