The roles were reversed for Trinity Christian and Prince Avenue Christian in their Class A Private championship game rematch Thursday at Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium.
So were the results.
A year after losing to Prince Avenue by 20 points in the 2020 final, Trinity Christian scored 14 points in the first five minutes, led 35-0 late in the first half and went on to a 55-28 victory over the Wolverines to claim the first state championship in the program’s 11-year history.
Trinity Christian, which moved from the Georgia Independent School Association to the Georgia High School Association in 2018, became the first football team from Coweta County to claim a GHSA championship.
Prince Avenue was the No. 1-ranked team and the championship favorite last year, when it rode the arm of state player of the year Brock Vandagriff to the school’s first title. This time, Trinity Christian was the favorite and the top-ranked team, and the Lions made the most of their second chance.
David Dallas threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Gates on the first play from scrimmage, and Bryce Wilcox returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown four minutes later for a 14-0 lead.
“We’ve played fast all year long,” Trinity coach Kenny Dallas said. “Our kids attack, that’s what they do. We say that greatness cannot fear results. So you’ve just got to go out and attack. If you screw up or you do well, you’ve just got to win the next snap.”
Trinity Christian eventually built the lead to 35-0 in the second quarter with another touchdown reception by Gates (12 yards), another interception return for a touchdown (34 yards by Christian Hanson) and a 15-yard TD catch by Javan Harrison.
Prince Avenue got its first points with six seconds remaining in the first half on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Philo to Elijah Dewitt, then closed the gap to 42-28 with a 21-point third quarter. Philo threw touchdown passes to Bailey Stockton (52 yards) and Dewitt (2 yards) and ran 16 yards for a score.
That’s as close as the Wolverines would get, however, as Trinity Christian outscored the Wolverines 13-0 in the fourth quarter.
Dallas and Philo have been two of the state’s top quarterbacks this season, coming into the game with a combined 7,845 yards and 89 touchdowns passing.
Dallas, a senior committed to Western Michigan, was 14-of-20 for 263 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 49 yards and a touchdown in his final high school game. He finished the year with 3,904 yards and 49 touchdowns passing.
Philo, a sophomore, was 39-of-52 for 335 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a score but was intercepted four times. He will end the season as the state’s leading passer with 4,539 yards.
“Last year at seven minutes and 48 seconds left, we were within one score of those guys when they separated from us,” Dallas said. “We’ve had a little motto this season, and we’re climbers, so we said 7:48 Climb. That’s what we’ve done every single day, we got up and tried to earn it”
Trinity Christian - 14-21-7-13 - 55
Prince Avenue Christian - 0-7-21-0 - 28
First quarter
T - Aaron Gates 65 pass from David Dallas (Noah Maupin kick), 11:46
T - Bryce Wilcox 34 interception return (Maupin kick), 7:43
Second quarter
T - Gates 12 pass from Dallas (Maupin kick), 7:35
T - Javan Harrison 15 pass from Dallas (Maupin kick), 1:23
T - Christian Hanson 34 interception return (Maupin kick), 1:10
P - Elijah Dewitt 2 pass from Aaron Philo (Bryson Franklin kick), 0:06
Third quarter
T - Wilcox 7 pass from Dallas (Maupin kick), 11:24
P - Bailey Stockton 52 pass from Philo (Franklin kick), 9:48
P - Dewitt 2 pass from Philo (Franklin kick), 3:03
P - Philo 16 run (Franklin kick), 1:04
Fourth quarter
T - Dallas 12 run (Maupin kick), 11:10
T - Maupin 20 field goal, 8:25
T - Maupin 32 field goal, 0:48
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