COLUMBUS -- All season, it has been Buford and East Coweta trading No. 1 and No. 2 Class 6A rankings and its fitting that the Wolves and Indians had to play three games in Columbus before the championship of the state’s highest class was awarded.
And after falling to the Wolves 1-0 in the first game of the championship series, forcing a do-or-die ‘if game’, East Coweta won its fourth state championship after defeating two-time defending champion Buford 4-3.
East Coweta bet Hillgrove 7-0, Buford 2-0 and Mill Creek 3-1 to earn the championship series berth. Buford beat North Gwinnett 11-0, North Cobb 7-0 and Mill Creek 14-1 in the loser’s bracket to earn the title berth.
The Indians won Class 7A championships in 2017, 2018 and 2020 while Buford was trying for its 13th championship after winning 10 consecutive titles from 2007 to 2016 and in each of the past two seasons in Class 7A.
Follow the link to see the full brackets or see how the other classes played out below.
It took a two-game series for Creekview to upend Lassiter in the Class 5A bracket 8-5 and 8-0 to secure the Grizzlies’ second title and first since winning in 2017. Creekview beat South Effingham 10-1 in the first round and River Ridge 4-1 in the second round before losing to Lassiter 6-4. In the loser’s bracket, the Grizzlies beat River Ridge 3-1 to earn the championship series berth.
Harris County’s 8-0 victory against Eastside in the Class 4A championship handed the program its first title since a Class 3A championship 24 years ago. The Tigers beat Ola 3-2, Eastside 7-4 and two-tme defending champion Northside-Columbus 9-0 to get the title berth.
Heritage-Catoosa won three championships from 2018-2020 and after a 5-0 victory against Cherokee Bluff in the 3A tournament, the Generals defended last season’s title for the program’s fifth trophy. Heritage moved past LaFayette 10-0, West Laurens 5-1 and Monroe Area 9-0 to earn the title series berth.
Morgan County won three titles – 2002, 2003 and 2005 – but hadn’t won another since until defeating defending champion Appling County 8-3 in the Class 2A championship series. The Bulldogs went undefeated through the tournament, beating Rockmart 2-1, Union County 11-1 and Appling County 3-2 to earn the title berth.
Gordon Lee added the program’s 12th state championship after a flawless run through the Class A Division I bracket, culminating with an 11-1 victory over Toombs County in the title series. The Trojans beat Social Circle 11-3, Bremen 9-2 and Toombs County 8-0 to earn a berth in the championship. Gordon Lee previously won titles in 2004 and then won 10 championships in 11 seasons from 2010-2020, only missing out in 2014.
Emanuel County Institute captured the program’s second overall title after beating Georgia Military 2-1 in the Class A Division II championship series. The Bulldogs moved past Irwin County 7-6, Schley County 13-0 and defending champion Lanier County 9-5 on the way to the title series. Emanuel County won its first championship in 2022.
Two-time Class 3A defending champion Wesleyan took the long route on its way to the Private championship, the program’s sixth after defeating Hebron Christian 4-1 to force a decisive ‘if game’ and 2-1 to secure the title. After a first round 4-2 loss to Savannah Chrisitan, the Wolves beat Providence Christian, Trinity Christian, Mount Vernon and Prince Avenue to earn a berth in the championship series. Hebron was trying for the program’s first title.
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